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It’s Just Your Point of View

July 10, 2018 by in category Charmed Writer by Tari Lynn Jewett tagged as , , , , , , , , ,


I’m the mother of three sons, all voracious readers, and all highly opinionated. Each knows what he expects from a story, so if he’s going to invest time reading a book, it better deliver. So, no surprise that as I rinsed the dishes and arranged them in the dishwasher my youngest son, Joey joined me to talk books.

“Hey Ma, do you prefer books written in first or third person?”

I thought for a moment, which did I prefer? First or third person point of view? “Either as long as it’s well done.”

A lively discussion ensued regarding the pros and cons of first person…he had mostly cons, I was somewhat divided.

I wondered how my writer friends might feel about the topic, so I brought it up at a recent write in.

“It doesn’t work well in fantasy, how do you give the reader a view of the world you’ve built in first person?”

“Don’t like it, it just doesn’t work for me.”

“The reader’s view is too limited in first person.”

The majority landed on the third person POV team.

Interestingly enough I’d never considered POV as controversial until these conversations. Personally, I love good writing, and whether the author delivers in first or in third, I’m happy.

First person done well can be amazing. Think Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain, or Edgar Allen Poe’s, The Tell Tale Heart. Either story can be told in third person, but first person gives you a more personal glimpse into the main character’s head, and The Tell-Tale Heart gives you a view of the mind of an insane person that you probably couldn’t get in third person.

Some of my current favorite authors do first person brilliantly.

Author, Megan Hart writes in both first and third person and does both well. Her first-person books are seductive, slightly dark and suck the reader in from the very first line. As a reader you know her heroine, and each page gives you a better understanding of the main character, the choices she makes, what she thinks and how she feels.

The Book Seller, by Cynthia Swanson is written in first person. Swanson could have told the story in third, but by writing in first,  she kept secrets from the reader, only to be revealed at the perfect moment.

Erika Robuck pens literary fiction in first person. Many of her stories offer a glimpse into the life of a historical figure, but written from the point of view of a fictional character who could have been in their life. By doing this, Robuck is able to present a different perspective. The story is fiction, but with an amazing excellent historical detail. She leaves you wondering…what if?

I write primarily in third person, but occasionally in first. And I read and love both. Tell a good story, make me turn the next page. If the writer puts me into their world and I don’t want to leave, I don’t care what tools she (or he) uses to get me there.

What about you? Do you prefer to read third person or first? And why? Or do you care? Which do you use when you write?

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Monster Revision & Deep POV: Suzanne Johnson – OCCRWA August Online Class

July 23, 2017 by in category Online Classes tagged as , , , , ,

I’m excited about the August OCC/RWA Online Class, Monster Revision & Deep POV, with instructor Suzanne Johnson, who also writes as Susannah Sandlin. I have a manuscript in mind I want to tackle.

Monster Revision graphic

Pull out that WIP, ready-to-revise manuscript, or even a chapter from an already-published book, and get ready to dive into “Monster Revision,” an intensive one-pass revision system that’ll take you from Draft Zero to Done.

In this 30-day workshop, we’ll cover a one-week overview series of lessons, followed by three weeks of techniques that will leave you with a lot of tools in your revision toolbox. You’ll get individual feedback on your posted homework (yes, homework!), and I’ll work on a revision of one of my WIPS as we go through the course as illustration.

Part One:

* The Monster Revision Process: It’s easier than you think. Not fast, but not rocket-science.

* The Opening Scene Test.

* The Action-Reaction Test.

Part Two:

Warning: There will be color-coding. Take a deep breath and pull out those highlighters.

 For the remainder of the class, we’ll take a sample chapter or two from your manuscript and massage it till it hurts. (You can try doing a whole manuscript during the class but it’ll be more effective to do the techniques on one or two chapters.)

We’ll be covering:

  • Methodology and color-coding, and why deep POV is an important part of revision.
  • Setting and description, including timeline, continuity, and backstory quicksand.
  • What’s important to show, and what is better told.
  • Dialogue as Action, and isolating character voice.
  • Internal dialogue: pace, voice.
  • Emotion: raw, ugly, visceral, internal.
  • The color wheel.
  • Read to the dog.
  • DIY Toolbox: manual and online.

About the Instructor:

Suzanne Johnson was happily ensconced in New Orleans as a university magazine editor when Hurricane Katrina sent her adopted hometown underwater. She took her Katrina experiences, added wizards and magic (and the sexy undead pirate Jean Lafitte), and began what has become the Sentinels of New Orleans urban fantasy series published by Tor Books. Writing under the name Susannah Sandlin, she also writes award-winning paranormal romance, including the popular Penton Legacy series for Montlake Romance, and romantic suspense and thrillers, including two series, The Collectors and Wilds of the Bayou, also for Montlake.

Suzanne grew up in Alabama halfway between the Bear Bryant Museum and Elvis’s birthplace and lived in New Orleans for fifteen years, so she has a highly refined sense of the absurd and an ingrained love of college football and fried gator on a stick. She currently lives in Auburn, Alabama, where she is a full-time author.

Enrollment Information:

This is a 4-week online course that uses email and Yahoo Groups. If you do not have a Yahoo ID you will be prompted to create one when you join the class, but the process is not difficult. The class is open to anyone wishing to participate. The cost is $30.00 per person or, if you are a member of OCCRWA, $20.00 per person.

Enroll here: http://occrwa.org/classes/august-online-class/

Linda McLaughlin
OCC/RWA Online Class Co-coordinator

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