The Accidental Writer: What’s Your Perspective
Authors get to choose the perspective of their narrations. There are a few different perspectives to select from, but I’ll mention the three most useful here: first person (I say), third person omniscient (he says and the narrator knows everything), and third person close (he says, but the narrator only knows what the point of view character knows). Use different perspectives to achieve different results.
This column focuses only on first person. I’ll save the third person perspectives for a later article. Most YA novels use first person, which puts the reader directly in the mind of the main character. Every action is seen from his or her perspective only. “I lifted the heavy couch, but my back ached and the nerve in my leg twitched, so I dropped it.”
Quality first person novels bring the reader as close to a character as possible. They make good use of internal thoughts to lock readers in to the eccentricities of the main protagonist. The reader expects to, and should always know what the main character is thinking.
Descriptions should only be given from the perspective of the main actor. It’s not enough to describe an object visually. It’s important to describe the object in relation to the main character. A scissor is a scissor, but perhaps this one always felt heavy in her hand or was never sharp enough for her tastes.
I love the closeness an author can achieve by using first person, but using it has certain drawbacks. Unless the main character sees a murder, you can’t really describe what happens. You can use third person accounts through dialogue, but that doesn’t deliver the same punch. Also, descriptions are generally more limited in first person books. In third person novels, descriptions can ramble on for a page or two about a particular setting. When using first person, you need to be concise. Cut that sucker down to two or three sentences that ideally tie back to the main character in some way. For example, your short description about the mountain should be tied into the first time he or she climbed it.
Choose the perspective that works best for the story. If you’re writing an epic fantasy that takes place across the universe and throughout multiple generations then don’t use first person. But if you want to write a novel focused on an interesting main character then consider using first person, but make sure you read a few first person novels before you start in order to get the feel for it. Of course once you start with a certain perspective you must stay consistent.
If you’re interested in a great political thriller, check out Fourteenth Colony. I donate half of my proceeds to the Covenant House, so you’ll get a critically acclaimed novel and help homeless youth at the same time. http://www.amazon.com/Fourteenth-Colony-Jeff-Altabef-ebook/dp/B00C2D97OS/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-1&qid=1399149710
You can also follow my rambling on Twitter @JeffAltabef.
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