Every story has an angle or perspective from which it is told. This perspective is called point of view.
Notice how this scene is from an outsider's perspective, as if the narrator were looking down upon the action from a viewpoint that is able to see all. Even before the sun rose, Evod and Nevar prepared themselves for the race. Silently, they inventoried supplies, examined their craft’s hull and unpacked Nevar’s ceremonial suit. Evod inspected each items with a drill instructor’s eye, discovering problems that really weren’t.
Here's the same scene, this time told from Nevar's perspective. We "hear" what he is thinking and only through his eyes know what Evod is doing:
Nevar turned over the food pack in his hands in the pre-dawn light. Silently he examined the craft’s hull and then unpacked his ceremonial suit. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Evod staring at the control panel, fretting again about a problem that really wasn’t.
Selecting the best point of view is important because it needs to be consistent throughout the story to establish “unity of effect." Without a consistent point of view, the reader can lose track of who the story is about, and dramatic tension is weakened.
Your viewpoint ought to be from the character who has the most at stake” often is advised by self-help writing books, and as a general rule, it is a good guideline to follow. But point of view selection is a more sophisticated process than simply writing the story's perspective from that of the antagonist or main character. Sometimes the main character’s viewpoint is not suitable for revealing the story’s theme.
Even if you’re consistent with your point of view, should you select the wrong perspective from which to tell the story, you run the risk of writing a story that reeks of:
n Mannerisms - The author’s persona shouldn't become more important than the story’s events itself. Often flamboyant diction occurs. n Frigidity - Excessive objectivity can trivialize the story’s events.
n Sentimentality - This occurs when trying to evoke an emotional response that the story’s events cannot evoke by themselves.
For beginning writers, point of view perhaps is the most difficult element to master. Scenes often are envisioned in different points of view and so are knitted together. These individual scenes may be the best options for what the author wishes to achieve, but when connected to the rest of the story, they cause the story to lose unity of effect.
When writing, follow these point of view guidelines:
n Use one point of view per story. Jumping around is confusing
n Usually the point of view in a scene is that of the story's main character. Visit my Web site about writing science fiction, Inventing Reality.
(c) 2008 Rob Bignell
Tags:
elements of fiction, narration, point of view
Posted at: 09:12 AM | 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink
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Your story's characters are who the story is about, who the plot is happening to. They are the players that act across the stage of your setting. Arguably, they are the center of your story.
A great variety of characters can appear in your story. They include the story's hero (such as Captain Kirk or Luke Skywalker), the hero's sidekicks (such as Mr. Spock and R2D2), the hero's nemesis (such as the Klingons or Darth Vader) and the characters we just see in passing (such as crewmen in the rec room or a squad of stormtroopers marching in the background).
Generally speaking, the more developed the characters in a story, then the bettr the tale will be. That's because successful stories involve drama, which arises from tension between character and the situation in which they've been placed. That situation is your story's plot. The more developed the character, the greater the drama for more tension can arise as your heor can interact with the situation in more varied ways.
For example, if your story's hero is just a strongman, then there's really only one way for him to deal with any situation: blast his way through. But if he has self-doubts or a sense of ethics that is at odds with the solution to solving a problem, then he has to come up with unique ways to get out of jams. That's far more interesting them just blowing up every bug he encounters.
To create more developed characters, consider their motivations. Ask what is a character’s passion, desires and fears? These motivations allow for conflict – and hence your plot – to occur.
You Do It
Browse through a magazine and find a picture of a person in a tense situation (no smiling models, please). This person is a character in your story. Now imagine that they have a problem to overcome (hopefully your picture hints at that problem). What passions, desires and fears does your character possess that makes solving this problem difficult? Spend 10 minutes writing a scene in which your character grapples with this problem given their motivations.
Visit my Web site about writing science fiction, Inventing Reality.
(c) 2008 Rob Bignell
Tags:
characters, elements of fiction, motivation
Posted at: 08:37 AM | 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink
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