Editors: how do you help with 'he said'/'she said'

[rexbrookdale]

Hi,

I have a writing concept that I'd like to show to an author for whom I'm editing a story, but I don't have any good examples: a sort of 'he said'/'she said' dynamic.

I think the author would benefit from seeing examples of when two different characters narrate parts of the same story.

I'll keep looking, but thought I would ask if any editors have recommendations. For example, are there stories that you know of, that include this kind of structure?



Cheers.

 

[yukonnights]

It sounds to me that what you're talking about is an alternating point of view. I use this quite often, and there is some need to be aware of things that can go wrong. Rather than go on and on about it here, since I'm not certain this is what you're talking about; feel free to PM me and we can discuss it.

 

[rexbrookdale]

Hi YukonNights,

Thanks for your reply. I'm embarrassed to admit that I don't know how to PM someone.

I do think it might be useful, if it's okay with you, to take a look at some of your stories on Lit that use the alternating point of view?

Just a thought.

Cheers.

 

[_Lynn_]

Hi YukonNights,

Thanks for your reply. I'm embarrassed to admit that I don't know how to PM someone.

I do think it might be useful, if it's okay with you, to take a look at some of your stories on Lit that use the alternating point of view?

Just a thought.

Cheers.

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[Athalia]

Hi,

I have a writing concept that I'd like to show to an author for whom I'm editing a story, but I don't have any good examples: a sort of 'he said'/'she said' dynamic.

I think the author would benefit from seeing examples of when two different characters narrate parts of the same story.

I'll keep looking, but thought I would ask if any editors have recommendations. For example, are there stories that you know of, that include this kind of structure?

.

The most successful approaches I've seen are when it's actually two stories, one "written" by one character and one by the other. Jehoram wrote such a thing in his "Bigfoot and the Wood Nymph" stories (disclaimer: I edited those.) Since the perspective isn't changed in the story, the reader has less of a problem with continuity.

I have seen stories where one character's voice is in regular type, and the other is in bold or italics. It solves the confusion problem, but creates some problems of its own. Other forms of print offer you options of using a different type face, but I don't think Lit supports that, and the type faces have to be really different. (An author I know found that, when she saw her story in print, the publisher had chosen two type faces so similar that the effect was lost.)