Articles archived for August 2010

Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers At Page One And Never Lets Them Go by Les EdgertonWell, we had a fantastic response to the second half of our Hook, Line, and Sinker contest this month. There were 25 total votes and of our three entries our winner was a clear favorite. I think many of us were drawn to the drama and intrigue in that very first sentence. What do you think hooked you?

Our lucky winner is:

I’m going to kill him. Caleb found comfort in that thought. And he meant it this time. It would be quick and clean, and he could leave the body in a ditch where they were widening the highway… (read more)

Congratulations L. L. McKinney!

Fantastic hook! I’ll be in touch to get your postal details so that Les and I can get your books to you as quickly as possible.

Finding Your Voice: How to Put Personality in Your Writing by Les EdgertonThank you to our other entrants, Susan Swan and Robin Joy Wirth and another huge big thank you to Les Edgerton for the added support and donation of Finding Your Voice. I know you’ll love Les’ blog, “Les Edgerton On Writing”, so check it out today!

We’ll have another new contest in September and you can tell me what you’d like to see given away or what kind of contests you’d be interested in. Leave a comment below to congratulate our winners, thank Les and our entrants, and let me know what you’d like to see at The Craft of Writing Fiction in the coming months.

31 August 2010

My muse wears a kaleidoscope of blueMy muse is a closet chameleon. She shifts and changes color at whim to suit the inspirational environment she brings in any moment. Like an actress or model who changes wardrobe every time she steps out on the stage my muse loves to embrace dramatic inspiration with her dress sense.

Today she’s wearing a taffeta summer dress of light coral and corn. Vibrant colors that often make me want to get out and enjoy life. There is a chill in this Australian winter morning but I see the cerulean sky and bright, early morning shades of daffodil, sunshine outside my window. I want to be out there, playing. I wore pink today too. A shade of orchid rather than coral but it suits the cheery mood of my muse. It’s a nod to her effervescent enthusiasm. When she wears pink I think of painting and ice sculpting. I think of synchronized swimming and dance. Dramatic, full-body expressions of creativity rather than the physical stillness facing the page.

When I’m focused and resolute in my work she shifts into ocean waves of blue, a mixture of blue colors that flow and swell. The ultramarine glisten with iridescence cornflower. There is never a single blue but every shade of blue from cyan to midnight. A kaleidoscope of turquoise and sapphire. Holograms of denim and periwinkle that never appear the same way once your lose sight of the first glimpse.

When my muse wears blue she draws me to the page. Blue communicates. It is open and giving. Calm blue waters darken in the depth of emotional intensity. Bright blue skies transcend us, lifting us into the heavens where blue darkens again into the inky black beyond.

Red Velvet Fairy Medieval Renaissance Theme Wedding Gown with Cape and Jewelry on EtsyI surround myself with the color blue when I want to write. Blue, and purple. Purple is for reaching into the imagination and spirituality. It is flights of fantasy. It is the open communication of blue mixed with the vibrant passion and fire of red and orange. Sometimes when I’m writing fiction my muse wears an indigo gown made of velvet. But when I’m working on my current novel she wears a medieval gown in scarlet, and black, with cords of gold.

When I knew I’d be trying to choose one single color for August’s Blog Chain at Absolute Write I knew I’d have trouble. So many colors speak to me creatively and like my muse, the connection to color changes from moment to moment with my emotions and with the specific project I’m working on. So, I thought I’d ask others what color they associate with their writing.

Like me, Kari Wolfe feels her writing through “all different colors”. She said, “Currently, I write with multicolored gel-ink pens. Each paragraph is a different color…”

Laura Campbell said, “Purple as I mainly write about fantasy and purple is the magic colour!” and Cari Lynn Vaughn also thinks purple represents her writing, “The Purple Rose is a symbol for perseverance and transcendence.”

Lorraine Powell‘s chick-lit is pink. While Susan McCabe‘s pink is for, “calmness and serenity.”

Misti Bailey Sandefur writes in yellow. She said, “I like to write stories that will inspire my readers and warm their souls, and to me, yellow is a happy color.” Another reader, Cheryl Grey, describes her writing as, “Emerald green” because “it’s one of the most peaceful parts of my life.” While Evea Morrow has connects her writing to “blue- because most horror movies are shot with a blue filter” and Anthony Jennings to black who’s “stories have dark endings or plots.”

The range of colors we each gravitate to is broad and I found reading the other entries in the blog chain just as fascinating as the comments from The Craft of Writing Fiction readers. Check out these other entries and leave a comment below or write a blog post of your own describing the color of your creativity. “If you had to pick one color for any aspect of your writing, which one would it be and why?”

Photo Credit: 阿乃
Photo Credit: Red Velvet Fairy Medieval Renaissance Theme Wedding Gown with Cape and Jewelry on Etsy

27 August 2010

Do your fictional characters keep you awake at night?It is 3:57 in the morning. Do you know where your characters are? If you are like most writers, you know exactly where they are because they refuse to let you get a proper nights sleep, or bath, or read, or time alone to enjoy the minutiae of life.

Once you have given life to someone, sometimes they do not shut up. I find this to be true of children, and characters. I rarely get to spend my hour commute listening to the radio, or relaxing with the windows rolled down and my mind on mute. As soon as the fiction characters in my latest story realize I’m alone the chatter starts.

The first time this happened to me, I was sure I was schizophrenic. When I stopped at each red light while driving, I tried to jot down an idea but, by then the characters had told their friends that I was free, and I forgot what I was noting in the first place.

Forget taking a bath. I used to think the kids, and the dog were most deft at keeping me from taking a bath alone. No, it is the antagonist calling to say he is ready to kill my main character, and by the way, …I need to shave my legs.

Sleeping can be like running a relay race. When I sleep someone shouts something into my psyche, and I have to jump up to write. My best stuff comes at 3:00 A M decidedly, because like an infant, that is when my fiction characters are awake. After I have pecked the brainstorm into my computer, I head back to bed. Usually, I can fall back asleep. At least until, the protagonist finds out what his adversary said about him.

When I first started writing, it drove me mad to share my brain with all the people who were crashing my psychological party. Now, when I’m done with a story, and things get quiet, I have let down.

I want to throw up the No Vacancy Sign!I sit in the tub and wait for someone to say something. Then I lay in bed, and listen to the quiet wishing my fiction characters would “throw me a bone.” When I’m feeling overwhelmed by the amount of jabber going on in my brain, and I want to throw up the NO VACANCY sign, I remember how lonely I am without them.

I just flipped my sign over, reads Vacancy – welcome all night owls. I’ll probably catch you all at about 2:30…in the morning.

Do your fiction characters keep you awake at night? When was the last time you were able to have a relaxing bath or drive from one side of town to the other without their company? How do you deal with the lack of mental vacancies?

Photo Credit: Nathan Barry
Photo Credit: DG Jones

25 August 2010

Story Minutiae and Plot Details: The day to day living of life.In our daily lives, we have to make room for the minutiae of life. We eat, drink, take showers, and run errands. Our lives would fall apart without taking care of the basic necessities of living.

Our characters don’t often have the luxury of taking care of life’s minutiae when they are busy pursuing their goals. In the television series “24″, the hero Jack Bower must save the day, without taking any time for himself. He sets aside his personal needs when he pursues the enemy and protects the President. He doesn’t even have time to sleep!

Your characters may be in the middle of a similarly high-paced action story, or they may have a little more leeway. It is up to you to decide how much realism needs to be incorporated into your novel. Too much, and your readers could become bored. Too little, and your characters appear superhuman, unaffected by the basic requirements of living a healthy life.

Adding More Details to Your Story

When your writing is flowing freely, it is too easy to forget that your characters need a break. They may jump from one scene to another, overcoming foes and discovering new obstacles at every turn. While this makes for an exciting story, your characters can’t go on forever without some down time.

Sleep is one of the most important things that characters seem to forget to do. Allow them to set up camp for the night, or they may collapse from exhaustion in the middle of an important scene. Chapter breaks are great places to let your characters sleep on the past events, and prepare them to face a new day in pursuit of their goals.

Eating and drinking are also necessary if you want your characters to keep forging ahead. They may only have time to grab an apple and a swig of water, but that small detail will remind readers that your characters are realistic and susceptible to human concerns. Larger meals can be included to provide a respite from a speedy plot line, and to give your characters time to ruminate over their game plan.

Removing Minutiae From Your Story

Your story can become bogged down by too much detail. If every chapter ends with your heroine curling up in her cozy bed, her plight can sound trivial and mundane. Readers like stories that provide an escape from their everyday lives. Too many mundane activities can add up to a boring story.

If your characters have to get from point A to point B, they can do so either very quickly or very slowly in terms of your story. Noting that they arrived at their destination after three days of uneventful travel is perfectly fine. You don’t have to show every stop, every meal, and every conversation that doesn’t add to your story. Only include minutiae if it enhances your characterization or your plot line. When in doubt, throw it out.

It is very easy to add a mundane scene, just to act as filler while you’re thinking of what happens next in the story. If you need to keep the writing flowing, go ahead and write that scene at a roadside diner. It may provide important details to lead your characters in the right direction. If it doesn’t, you can always remove it later, and your story will keep up the pace.

Do you tend to write lean stories, without many human details? Or do you enjoy writing long descriptive passages about every meal? How do you strike a balance of real world concerns and exciting plot points?

Photo Credit: 07-07-08 © manley099

24 August 2010

We’ve had some wonderful entries in our Hook, Line and Sinker contest but now it’s time to let YOU choose which of our entries takes home their own copy of Hooked and Finding Your Voice. A HUGE big thank you to Les Edgerton for generously supporting The Craft of Writing Fiction. Check out his blog!

Now it’s time to decide which of our great entries has the most compelling hook and that’s where you can help. We’re running a poll until 8am EST August 31, 2010 where you can choose which of our entries is your favorite hook. Drum up votes for your favorites by inviting your friends to choose their favorite too. Don’t forget to click “like” on The Craft of Writing Fiction’s Facebook Fan page because next month we’ll be giving away something special just for our Facebook Fans.

Select Our Winner! Vote now!

Are you looking forward to future competitions? After you’ve voted stop back here to let me know not only that you’ve voted but also what you’d love to win and how you’d like to enter future contests.

23 August 2010

The value of support, and a sounding board, during the writing process can be immeasurable.  While there are writers who keep their work locked in a vault of secrecy until the first (sometimes second and third) draft is finished, I am not one of them. I have never been able to complete a chapter without support, feedback, constructive criticism, and encouragement from advance readers.

Call it artistic insecurity, or call it vanity, but I get a little boost when I hear, “Wow that rocked!”. The enthusiasm of advance readers can be just the kick in the rear you need to keep going. I often (no less than three times a day) and like many other writers think, “Why am I writing this?  Have I completely lost my mind?” The backing and encouragement of a trusted friend reminds my of my motives for writing. I write to be read.

Sharing what you write when you are at the top of your game can come in handy when your self esteem takes a dive, too. Your advance readers can reignite your enthusiasm and excitement. When you face that nasty bout of writer’s block they’re there to push you to keep writing. When the work knocks you on your rear they’re there to pull you to your feet and dust you off.

My favorite thing about the champions of my writing is their never tiring of willingness to brainstorm with me. They don’t mind reading the same paragraph twelve times. Sometimes it’s just a thought or word they share that spurs my imagination. A five minute conversation can turn into three thousand words and a captivating new plot twist.

A true advocate will also spread the word when your work is done. He’ll back it as if it were their own.  Friends will feel a sense of shared ownership and pride in the finished product and be eager to help you market the work.

Without the supporters who spend countless hours reading, critiquing, and loving my work, I’m not sure I could have finished my first novel, let alone plunged into the ones that followed.

What are some of the other ways you stay inspired? Who do you trust with your work before it’s finished? What do your advance readers do for you?

If you haven’t shared your work yet, I highly recommend it, and I guarantee a smile.

17 August 2010

Win a copy of Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers At Page One And Never Lets Them Go by Les Edgerton

It’s time to give away something awesome again! This month I’m finally letting go of the extra copy of Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers At Page One And Never Lets Them Go by Les Edgerton. I first read and loved Les Edgerton’s book, Hooked, on the 16th of September 2007. I can tell you exactly because the next day I wrote a glowing review which you can read here. When I attended the Reader’s Digest Writer’s Conference in Los Angeles in 2008 I couldn’t resist purchasing a second copy intending to give it away to a lucky reader. Mine is a beloved copy with the spine cracked and pages scoured over but his sister is still pristine and really deserves a home of her own where she can feel the same love from another eager writer.

When I knew what I was going to let one of you win a copy this month I wondered what kind of competition to create to get you involved and interacting with each other. The Craft of Writing Fiction is a community of writers and we need events that promote that community feel. After thinking long and hard I was inspired! What better way to get writers involved if they want to win than to ask them to write something?

Of course, with so many talented writers I’d be hard pressed to choose who will win from among the stories you might send me so we’ll do this in two parts. This week, write a story, poem, or article with a compelling “Hook” and next week we’ll run a poll where you can each vote for the “hook” you think should win. And you can invite your friends and family to vote for you. And tell your neighbor to vote. And if your dog or kids have a Facebook account they can vote too!

Win a copy of Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers At Page One And Never Lets Them Go by Les EdgertonSo, lets define a few rules:

The Prize:

One compelling writer will win a paperback copy of Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers At Page One And Never Lets Them Go by Les Edgerton valued at $14.99 USD

This just in! Les offered to add an autographed copy of “Finding Your Voice: How to Put Personality in Your Writing” to the prize pool so our winning writer will win TWO fantastic books.

To Enter:

  • Write a story, poem, or article with a compelling “Hook”.
  • Word Count: 250 to 800 words.
  • Share on your own blog: And link back to the competition.
    If you don’t have a blog you can share directly in the comments below.
    The link to this page is: http://www.craftingfiction.com/?p=4779
  • Entries accepted from August 16 until 8am EST August 23, 2010

Choosing A Winner:

  • Become a fan of our Facebook Fan Page by clicking “like” on the page here.
  • Vote for the story, poem, or article you feel has the most interesting/compelling “Hook”.
  • Invite others to vote for their favorite “Hook”. (They need to be fans too because only fans can vote.)
  • Votes accepted from August 24 until 8am EST August 31, 2010

It’s time to get writing!

Brainstorm a few ideas and get the words done on the page. Then hone that opening until it’s a captivating hook that will snag readers attention and keep them riveted to your writing. Don’t forget to link to or share your story, poem, or article in the comments below.

Photo Credit: 03-09-10 © sellingpix
Book Cover: Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers At Page One And Never Lets Them Go by Les Edgerton

16 August 2010

Goals: Empower Your Writing Aspirations And DreamsI remember back when I was in grade seven, being forced to sit at my desk and think about what to achieve during that school year. Each year, until twelfth grade, we had to fill out a goals form. I hated doing those forms. I’d rather work on an essay. It wasn’t until after I graduated from high school that I realized how vital aspiration is in life.

Goals are incredibly important in getting what you want out of life. For writers, goals for our writing are more than just important; they’re life. Without these aspirations, we have no motivation. We grow lazy and directionless. We accomplish nothing. Our personal and professional world closes in around us. We stop writing, which as a writer you know is a little like death.

I have been writing for a good chunk of my life but I had never submitted my writing to publishers. I’d never shared my writing with anyone. I write and then put it aside, in a draw, forgotten. Later I’d stumble on something I’d written months or even years before and wonder why I wrote at all.

One day my mother found something I’d written. After reading it, she asked me why I never tried to have my work published. I blinked with surprised. To be honest, it had never occurred to me. I never considered it. I’d never even thought of doing so. She suggested I make publication a goal of mine, and I did.

Goals can be as simple or as complex as you want them to be. It all depends on who you are and what you want to achieve. I find many short-term goals helps me along the way to my main long-term goal. You know what, let’s do this together. Create a goal for your writing life, right now, with me.

First we need a main long-term goal. Mine is to:

  • Publish and produce screenplays.

Notepad with Goal ListBreaking this down into smaller short term goals I started with:

  1. Find an idea that excites me.
  2. Write the story.
  3. FINISH that story. – This is a tricky one for me because I tend to start many stories but rarely finish any.
  4. Edit and polish that story. – Editing not my forte.

These goals continue leading to the final to publication and production of my work.

Goal setting in this way might not work for you but it gives you an idea of how to begin planning ahead and setting the course for your own writing future. Your dreams and aspirations do not have to be elaborate. Some can be very easy to attain while others require more effort. Accomplishing a simple milestone makes me feel like I’m leaping towards the future I want for myself.

Whatever you’re striving to achieve, make sure to set your goals, write them down and place them where you will see them every day. Repeatedly reminding yourself of what you want to accomplish helps you focus and can increase your motivation. Go for it!

What writing-related aspirations do you have? What smaller goals and milestones do you create on the way to your primary goals?

Photo Credit: 07-11-08 © Michael Krinke
Image Credit: 08-05-09 © porcorex

13 August 2010

Check out the visual book summary by Sunni BrownLast week I wrote about Fiction Writing Success: The Markers And Achievements where I claim that the only true measure of success is in turning up to do the work. A successful writer, writes. Period.

Steven Pressfield calls it the act of “Turning Pro” in The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles. According to Steven, there are ten principles, ten qualities, that define a professional writer.

  1. “We show up every day”

    If you show up to your writing every single day you are successful. Every day we face and conquer the page. We put in time in the trenches of our work and treat the job with commitment and consistency. Some professionals don’t show up “every” day but they do show up every “work” day. A professional writer sets her own hours and work days and shows up on time, prepared to do the job.

  2. “We show up no matter what”

    Excuses can become addictive. Let them go. A professional writer knows that if she doesn’t show up for work she won’t get paid; food won’t go on the table; bills pile up; kids go without clothes; and we end up in a cardboard box rattling a tin for spare change. A professional can take holidays and sick leave if absolutely necessary but she doesn’t allow “life” to get in the way of doing the work.

  3. “We stay on the job all day”

    Equally, the successful writer works the entire allocation. There are various parts of our jobs that must be done. It might involve writing, editing, research, or even book keeping. But every day we put in the hours we’ve scheduled and, even when it’s hard, we work. Some writers prefer to commit to word count instead of hours but whichever commitment we make, we stick to it until the bell rings and it’s time to clock out. Barring true emergencies, the professional puts in her time.

  4. “We are committed over the long haul.”

    A writer’s success is built on the understanding that writing fiction requires true dedication. It takes weeks, months, sometimes years to write a novel. It requires a commitment to the task. A professional knows that writing success isn’t about being a one-hit-wonder. It’s not in the publication of a single book, it’s in the lifestyle, the career. There is no quick and dirty path to fiction writing success. It’s a long, slow, hard trek across monstrous terrain and we go into this journey knowing we may never come out the other side, and even if we do we’ll be vastly different than when we began.

  5. “The stakes are high and real.”

    Have you wondered what job you’d take if you don’t “make it” as a writer? Prudence would have us making a backup plan but to be honest I shudder at the idea of doing anything else. It’s just not an option. This is what I do and I couldn’t choose to be an accountant, or a doctor, or a saleswoman. I can’t quit because writing is the only thing I was ever destined to do. There are no options, no choices, this is it. When you know that the stakes are high you won’t be able to quit either, and not quitting is where true success lies.

  6. “We accept remuneration for our labor.”

    It’s one thing to love our job and another to get paid doing it. A lot of passionate artists create for the pure joy of creation. Professionals create because of that joy, and the need to put food on the table. We give a great deal of ourselves, our time. We sacrifice all else that might have come from doing other things instead of writing. Everything we give to the page has value and as such we deserve to be compensated. Our writing is a gift to our readers. Not only must we appreciate the value of our time and energy but we must acknowledge within ourselves that squandering that time and energy in unproductive pursuits is like burning money or destroying masterpieces.

  7. “We do not over-identify with our jobs.”

    “I’m a writer.” We say it all the time, don’t we? But it’s not really true. I write and therefore my title is “writer”, but that is not who I am. I am Rebecca. The writer hat is just one of the many hats I wear. It is one facet of what and who I am. A successful writer understands that she is not the work she does. If you over-identify with your writing you leave yourself open to the destruction of your self-esteem when your work is rejected. You inflate your ego with reader’s praise. Your sense of success becomes dependent on what others think and feel about you and your work. It hinges on having a good or bad writing session. You are yourself, and your writing is a single facet of your world.

  8. “We master the technique of our jobs.”

    The true professional and successful writer is an ever-learner. We understand that it is impossible to know everything. We remain curious, we study, we research, we constantly strive to hone and improve. I write well, but I know that I write better today than I did a year ago. And I wrote better then than the year before and that year better than the one before it. The growing up of writing comes through our constant striving to master technique. This blog is all about learning and honing the craft of writing fiction because we constantly seek to improve our skill; to master technique.

  9. “We have a sense of humor about our jobs.”

    Without a sense of humor the emotionalism of writing tears us apart. I know I have to laugh or I’ll cry some days. Writing fiction requires a strong sense of humor even when we don’t write in the humor genre. You can’t take the job too seriously. It’s important to be respectful but knowing that there is no perfection and that, this too, is a transition through our lives helps keep us sane(ish).

  10. “We receive praise or blame in the real world.”

    I think this is one of the greatest leaps between the professional and the amateur. Until you can break out of your Fear of Rejection, your Perfectionism, your Fear of Failure, and a deep seated sense of self-doubt, your writing success is limited. While it is important not to put the opinion of others on a pedestal, a professional writer finds the courage to share her writing. A writer might write the first draft in a poky closet but she has to bring it out into the light at some point. Writing in particular is one of those arts that requires interaction. The process of putting words on a page is solitary but those words are intended for a reader. You may start with your family (although I don’t recommend it) but the true test of a writers success is in their courage to submit their work on a grander scale. The writing is one part of a writer’s success, being read is the other.

I’ll leave you with another wisdom from Stephen Pressfield and The War of Art. He closes the chapter on “turning pro” with this, “No Mystery”.

The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Stephen Pressfield

No Mystery – Stephen Pressfield
There is no mystery to turning pro.
It’s a decision brought about by an act of will.
We make up our minds to view ourselves as pros,
and we do it, simple as that.

Image Credit: “The War of Art – Visual Book Summary” Part II by Sunni Brown.
Photo Credit: The War Of Art Book Cover from Grand Central Publishing (April 1, 2003)

12 August 2010

Choosing your stories point of view (POV)

“There are three sides to every story: your side, my side, and the cold, hard truth.” ~ Don Henley

Choosing your point of view (POV) is one of the most critical aspects of your novel writing. Yet it is also one of the most automatic. Most writers leap into a story, and start writing from their main character’s perspective, in either the first or third person. This early decision can cause issues later on, if the point of view isn’t the ideal one for your story.

POV is also one of the main tools that establishes the narrative mode of your story. It dictates how involved your readers become, by limiting how much information your characters are able to reveal. It brings a unique perspective to the story, which can drastically change if you rewrite a passage with a different point of view. Take a look at some of the most commonly used points of view in literature, and see if your writing could benefit from a perspective face lift.

First Person POV

Your main character speaks directly to your audience, using “I, me, mine”. When using the first person, you are restricted to revealing only one character’s inner thoughts. Your readers see the world through your protagonist’s eyes only, learning new facts only when they are discovered by your hero. Descriptions of your setting, other characters, and obstacles are all filtered through the POV character’s perspective.

This technique is particularly effective when you are writing a character driven story. Your theme will often depend on the character’s personal growth, inner transformation, and the struggles she faces. It is less effective when you need to be able to switch your perspective from character to character, as readers may struggle when presented with another first person point of view within a story. You may try switching characters at chapter breaks, but readers will greatly identify with the character whose head they’ve been in from the beginning, and may resist the unusual break in perspective.

Third Person Limited POV

Your narrator or narrative voice speaks about your characters, using “he, she, them” while focusing primarily on one or two characters. You still retain some of your authority as a writer, and can describe the rest of the story’s world without the need to take your protagonist’s perspective into consideration. Usually, the story will focus on only one character within a chapter, and perspective switches occur at chapter breaks.

Romances are a great example of when two characters share the protagonist role, and when third person limited is split between two characters. However, be on the lookout for when your point of view slides into another person’s perspective without you realizing it. This can cause confusion for your readers, who may not understand why your story is being seen through another person’s eyes all of a sudden. Also, make sure that you don’t unintentionally reveal facts and thoughts that your protagonist cannot know, or else your story’s continuity can be undermined.

Third Person Omniscient POV

Your narrator speaks in a similar way to third person limited, except that they can reveal anything and everything about your characters. The sky’s the limit here, as you can begin with a grand overview of your book’s world, and then zoom in to the perspective of a bumblebee. This perspective is excellent for plot driven stories, where you need to jump from scene to scene taking place in various areas of the world.

However, third person omniscient is also one of the most difficult perspectives to do well. If you jar your readers too much by jumping around, they may lose interest and set your story down. While you can do anything you want, you probably shouldn’t. Guide your readers through your story with grace and skill, and they will be blown away by the expansiveness and complexity of your tale.

Choose a passage from your latest story, and determine what POV you have used. Try rewriting it another point of view, and see how your story changes! What is your favorite point of view?

Photo Credit: Dreamglow Pumpkincat210

11 August 2010