POV - What's the Big Deal? - H Ephron

Point of View – What’s the Big Deal? Hallie Ephron
2010 Willamette Writers Conference


Fiction: POV Very Big Deal

Common Fiction: Everything in book should be written in point of view of characters. Everything, even the setting, should be seen through a character.

Writing: About Making Choices
1) Decide type of viewpoint
a. First person – Every sentence should tell us about narrator
i. Narrate in First person – should stay with first person throughout the whole novel
Note: The point is not to confuse the reader
Note: All rules can be broken if they work (some wander to other POV’s)
ii. One person holds camera
1. Everything is seen by their eyes and through their senses
2. Best for wanting it to be closest to protagonist
a. Potential to create closeness (not easy)
iii. Anchors POV
1. Prevents sliding
iv. Good to put in backstory
v. Good for first novel
1. Can’t know what other characters see
a. Stage travels with other characters - Are stuck there
*) Means can’t show a scene where other characters are somewhere else.
**) For some authors this is ok
***) For others, claustrophobic
2. Depends on the story
a. How to decide – experiment
3. Mechanics of writing easier in first person

Examples:
“Lovely Bones”
“Moby Dick”

b. Multiple POV
i. Different characters in different scenes narrate
ii. Multiple POV’s – starting with different characters runs risk of being confusing
to the reader
iii. Used often in thrillers
iv. Can’t “slide” around in different heads in same scene
v. Her opinion – if use multiple POV’s, start in first 20 pages
vi. How do you pick which character is the narrator when you have multiple POV’s
1) Character which has highest stake
2) Who has the most action (and most central to the action)
3) Character who is most off-balance – Most interesting character
4) Most interesting inside head
*) Creates the most conflict
5) Sometimes have to try each character first
vii) Writing same scene from different characters
1) Runs risk of boring readers
a. Reader already knows what happened
b. Unless you’re really adding something new
vii. No minor characters get to be POV characters
viii. Conjunctions
1. Write in character’s voice and how they speak (not you)


Example:
“The DaVinci Code”
“Jazz” by Toni Morrison
Faulkner – Solos followed by coming back together at end (more literary novels -> weirder stuff)

c. Third Person – somewhat removed
i. A little omniscient
d. Third Person Close
i. If you switch POV’s: Immediately tell whose POV is from at beginning of scene
Aside – Multiple POV’s – starting with different characters runs risk of being confusing
To the reader

e. Third Person Limited
i. Use he or she
ii. Only one person holds camera
1. (Less than limited) – Can play fast and loose with camera
2. Whole book seen through this characters eyes
iii. Can have multiple narrators (???)
1. Sliding POV – from character to character in same scene
*) Makes pronouns confusing
**) Whose head you tell story from changes story



Example:
Author: P.D. James – Has distance from scene – character; Stepped outside character’s head;


f. Omniscient (boring):
i. Can use a little omniscience at beginning of scene if you keep it short
1. Once into second paragraph, change to go through 3rd person
ii. Come in with camera
1. Can then go out, and not the other way around
a. Especially in same scene
iii. Problem – Don’t know who protagonist is
iv. Historical – to get feeling of time
1. Can use techniques of that time

Example:
“Tony Hillerman”
“Jane Austen”
v. Hallie thinks you are throwing away setting if you use omniscient to describe it instead of going through a character

Aside: Unreliable narrator. Setting unreliable thoughts through character: reader doesn’t believe him.
Form of conflict between what narrator says and how character sees it

g. Multiple 3rd person POV’s
i. Multiple narrators
1. Creates suspense

h. “You” POV – really 1st person limited

i. Multiple 1st Person (does exist)
Some example (?what) – 4 sisters alternate each scene – all in first person
1. Each scene starts with POV characters name’s
a. Hard to make work



2) First and Last Names
a. Author/Narrator decides on first name of protagonist or POV character
i. Use this character’s POV for what to call other characters

Aside: Scenes in novel – like movies. Double space between scenes.
b. If two people in room, narrate from one of their eyes
c. Note: Internal thoughs (italics):
i. If few internal thoughts – can italicize -- Otherwise don’t (no italics or quotes)
ii. I am still alive (can use italics)
iii. he thought (don’t use italics)

3) Not much difference between “He” and “I” novels.
4) Backstory
a. Can use for character descriptions
i. Can create fake dialog to find voices of each character
b. Romance Novels
i. Often from two narrators – the man and the woman

Aside: Irritating Characters: Better not to use them in your first POV – however, can do in first person (??? – from first person’s viewpoint in first POV???)
((here you also have the problem of an unlikable protagonist)

Example: “Stephanie Plum” novels – Janet Evanovich

5) Tweak language to show and not tell in such a way as to give POV
6) Narrative Voice - different from POV character
a. Everything in book narration
i. Voices are different
1. Want strong narrative voice
ii. Kill the author – make narrator sound like someone who is not you
1. How character is, not how author is

Example: ‘Stephanie Plum’, Evanovich: Great Narrative Voice
(what readers like and why they come back)

Example: “Water for Elephants” – Interweaves memories with sensations – Dog POV – interweaves memories with scenery