There was a spirited debate on this very subject last week on one of my author loops. People wanted to use first, second, third, alternating, stream of consciousness, omniscient.....pros/cons....it got heated at points in time as various authors tried to convert us all to their favorite style. Most of the contributors agreed that head hopping was a bad thing. As with everything else in the writing world, the consensus once the dust settled was that each person should do what works best for them and for their characters and story. Okay then.
Can't add much to that. Or to what the other Whores have said this past week. (My Muse is much less intense about dissecting the Elements of Craft than some people, can you tell?) I started out writing omniscient because that was the accepted style at the time. Author knows all, sees all, tells all. As K A Krantz said brilliantly, in this space, earlier in the week:
The tickle with Third Person is Omniscient versus Limited; Narrator versus Protagonist. Omniscient Third can see the Devil's Horde riding across the steppe toward our intrepid hero whoring in the village. Limited Third is the hero wholly focused on his bedbuddy.
That! right there!
Being a very controlling, all-knowing person, I LOVED being omniscient. It was a hard habit to break when I was gently informed by various Editors that nowadays what I probably wanted was more along the lines of Limited Third. And truthfully, I've had to give up some of my favorite classic authors who only write in Omniscient Third because now that I write so much, I find myself arguing with what's on the page. He doesn't know that! She can't read his mind! That's happening 300 miles away! Kinda ruins the flow of the story for me. Alas.
I usually tell a story from the alternating points of view of the two main characters, although Wreck of the Nebula Dream is entirely from the hero's POV. One or the other character will have more of the page time for their POV, as the story demands.
The one thing I will never do is write an entire chapter or major scene in first person and then rewrite it in third limited to see which works better! Quel horreur! (Which is probably very bad French, despite Google Translate's best efforts. My apologies. Always wanted to say that phrase though.) I haven't got the time or patience for that! Kudos to those who do but um, no. Not me.
So you're probably wondering what the intriguing science fiction romance box set is doing at the top of this post? OK, I'm excited to say my award winning book Escape From Zulaire is included in Nebula Nights, along with ten other sci fi space operas and adventures. Available now at all major ebook sellers at a crazy low price of 99 cents!
Here's the blurb:
If you like your science fiction blazing with adventure and your space opera spiced with romance, this boxed set is for you. From first contact to battles for survival and love on war-torn planets, this collection from bestselling & award winning authors, including Cathryn Cade, Veronica Scott, PK Hrezo and more, will leave you sighing with satisfaction.
Amazon Barnes & Noble All Romance
"I've had to give up some of my favorite classic authors who only write in Omniscient Third because now that I write so much, I find myself arguing with what's on the page."
ReplyDeleteYes! Too many of my "old standards" have fallen off the Keeper Shelf because of that very issue.
It's so sad but I can't force myself to read them....
ReplyDelete