Whose Point of View is Right?

First, Second, Third. Point of view is the topic this week and it has been well covered. The angle I'm going to take is how you determine what serves the story.

So here are some questions, but be warned, you do need to know a bit about what you want to write and accomplish in your story. For the record, I've written a story in 1st and in later drafts dealt with the major pain in the ass of  changing it to 3rd person because I needed more options to make it work. I've also done the reverse of that kiester-killing move because something about the 1st person voice just popped in a way that made the 3rd person version seem dull. (I'm not saying 3rd is dull. I'm saying that in that case, I felt that in 1st person the character leapt off the page.)

Questions to ask: (from http://www.studygs.net/fictiona.htm but what is in RED is mine)
◾How much does the narrator know?
Does he or she know everything, including the thoughts, feelings, motivations, etc. (If the answer is yes, then try some Omniscient POV) or present just limited information? (If this is more the case, think 1st or 3rd.) 
Do you (the reader) know more? (If you're plotting a tale where the reader knows more than the characters do, try Omniscient or 3rd.)  
◾Time?
Do events take place "now" (verbs in the present tense)? (For an example of this look at Matt Cook's Blood Magic books HERE and/or Darin Kennedy's Mussorgsky Riddle HERE.) 
or in the past (verbs are in the past tense)? (Most 1st or 3rd person books.) 
Are past recollections fresh, or distant, and maybe hazy? (This could go either way considering the characters, but that's your job. Consider your characters. What do you think?) 
◾Is the narrator a participant in, or a witness to, the action?
Is the story second-hand, related "as told to" the narrator? (If so, 1st person isn't going to work.)
Think of yourself telling someone something that happened:
How much of the event do you know, and how does that affect the story? (Really ask yourself this about your characters and story. It is insightful.) 
◾Why is the story being told, and why now?
What is the motivation? (Answer all of those questions and ask yourself how those answers can effect and be effected by different POVs.)

A bit more from another source: ( http://www.netplaces.com/creative-writing/planning/point-of-view.htm )

How can you decide which is the best viewpoint to use? There are several things to consider: Which one seems to bring the story to life? Which character is in a position to best tell the story? Through whose emotions and characteristics would you like the reader to experience your work? Would the story have more impact if an omniscient narrator could see and tell everything? Which voice do you feel most comfortable writing in?

Think about your story's structure and focus, and experiment with several different viewpoints until you feel comfortable with one. You might discover that a different character wants to tell the story once you start writing, and you may change to a new voice at that point. You may also find that different pieces work best employing different viewpoints


Additionally, I offer you these to read as they say it better than I could:

Good article here: third-person-omniscient-vs-third-person
And here: it has a neat chart you should see

And, though not POV, this was an interesting read here:
 how to weave a story that instantly captivates

My Point of View

Well on closer examination of the topic sheet, actually the post is supposed to be about POV in writing, not so much my personal Point of View on the World. Darn. I was ready to pontificate on all kinds of things!

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

Savoring the Outside Point of View

Last night my most excellent friend, critique partner and Word-Whore alum, Carolyn Crane, won the Romance Writers of America (RWA) RITA award for her romantic suspense, Off the Edge. Even more exciting, she's the first author to win a RITA with a self-published book.

We knew she was one of the finalists, but it wasn't until the awards ceremony that we found out.

Carolyn has been my roommate at the conference all week, which is a treat for us. We live on different sides of the country and mostly communicate via email and instant messenger, sprinkled in with the occasional phone call. We often bemoan that we can't meet for a drink or lunch, so our five-day grown-up slumber party is an opportunity to saturate ourselves in writer talk and to savor each other's company.

The RITA finalists get to bring a guest or two to share their VIP table at the RITA awards, so I was Carolyn's date last night. I don't think it really hit either of us, the reality of the building tension, until a few hours before. We'd been running around all week, going to and from panels, speeches, meetings, lunches and parties. But we made sure to meet for dinner, eating early at 5:30, so we'd have time to get into our fancy dresses.

She was keyed up and so was I. Even though I kept reassuring her with the very true observation, that finaling for the RITA is really the big bump - in buzz and sales - I started to feel nervous. Now, a date's job at this kind of thing is to help maintain the calm, to buffer the anxiety, so I kept up a good face. Still, I really wanted this for her and the imminent possibility of great celebration or the bruise of disappointment loomed. I had my consolation words planned, knowing well how it can sting, even when you KNOW it's still amazing to get that close.

When her category came up, I rubbed a hand over her back, as much to soothe myself as her.

When they called her name, I burst into tears. I rarely have experienced the happy cry, but I did last night.

When she came back to the table, carrying her heavy golden statue, she sat and said, "Did I remember to thank you in my speech?" and I said, "I don't know - I was crying!"

One of those stories we'll tell forever.

This week's theme is: Choosing point-of-view (POV): How Do You Know Which One Is Right For Your Story?

In many ways, this is Carolyn's story. But it's also mine. I've walked this road with her from the very first glimmer of the concept for this series. Last night felt as much my joy as hers. Conventional wisdom says we should choose POV according to which character has the greatest emotional stake in a scene. Which means, if I were writing the book, I'd want to tell you this story from Carolyn's POV.

In real life, however, it's necessarily my POV. I can give a perspective that she can't. One infused with the pure elation of celebrating someone else's victory.

A sweet place to be.