POV. Point of View. When you begin to write, you must decide who will tell the story. You will, of course. Duh. You are the narrator if you are the writer. But who are you? Are you the heroic character? The omniscient voice of God? The fly on the wall? Journalist reporting from the scene? How do you find the right narrator’s voice? One of the simplest guides to sort through this issue is Spilling Ink: A Young Writer’s Handbook by Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter (Roaring Brook Press, 2010). The two Ithaca area authors intended to write a how-to book for kids who want to write, but I find it a handy desk reference for developmental editing with adult authors. Mazer and Potter spell out POV in one short chapter. They use simple clear language unfettered by highfalutin literary jargon. First-person narrative is used in memoir and personal essays. “This is when one of the characters in the story is narrating. It can be a main character or one of the minor characters. You can generally recognize first-person narrative right away because the narrator uses the prounoun I,” writes Anne Mazer on page 67 of Spilling Ink. First-person point of view, however, poses challenges to the writer who can only present the narrator’s experience without comment or the vantage of other characters’ point-of-view. Huck Finn is the classic first-person narrator; the whole story is told in his voice. Second-person narrative can be confusing to some storytellers. “This is when the…
January is a time for new starts and creative bursts. Despite the bitter cold and desolate landscape, this is a wonderful time to generate fresh content. Take this One Week writing challenge. Spend 15-20 minutes every day for the next week. Day 1 Pick a photograph that speaks to you. One with a story behind it that isn’t entirely contained in the visual… [Read More]
Filed Under: character sketch, paint a portrait in words, POV, writing challenge
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Will you read what I’ve written? As soon as I think I’ve finished writing a new piece, there’s that irresistible urge to get feedback from a reader. What do you think, eh? It’s more than yearning for instant ego gratification. That’s pretty nice, too. But it won’t help me take my writing to the next level. The sense of accomplishment from getting it down on… [Read More]
If you are a writer who seeks publication, you need to read. Yes, more books. I often hear from writers who tell me they don’t read because they don’t want to be influenced by others’ works. Bah Hambug! Everything is a Remix! To combine or edit existing materials produces something new. Original ideas aren’t created in a vacuum. You don’t read because you don’t have… [Read More]
French for ‘pen name,’ a nom de plume is a fictitious name under which an author publishes. Mark Twain was the nom de plume of Samuel Clemens. George Eliot sounded more serious than Mary Ann Evans. Theodore Geisel was known as Dr. Seuss. In 1899 William Sydney Porter took the name O. Henry so editors might never know the stories were submitted by a convicted… [Read More]
Filed Under: anonymity, Carmela Ciuaru, George Eliot, George Orwell, J.K. Rowling, Nom de Plume, pseudonym, Stephen King, Sylvia Plath
It’s December and I reflect back on the books I’ve read this year which stand out above all others from my vantage as a book development editor. Here’s my top 10 list of great new books and why I think these works will stand the test of time. Fiction #1 A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki – March 2013 In Tokyo, sixteen-year-old… [Read More]