Writing Questions

[geronimo_appleby]

Here's an easy breakdown of Point of View with a chart at the bottom and everything... reproduced it here as best I could...

Point of View|Subject|What you can see

First Person Subjective|I|Narrator inside, other characters outside
First Person Objective|I|Narrator outside, other characters outside
First Person Collective|We|Group inside, other characters outside
Second Person|You|Focus character inside, other characters outside
Third Person Omniscient|He/She|All characters inside and outside
Third Person Limited Omniscient|He/She|Focus character inside and outside, other characters outside
Third Person Limited Subjective|He/She|Focus character inside, other characters outside
Third Person Limited Objective|He/She|Focus character outside, other characters outside
Third Person Objective|He/She|All characters outside

Also, this is a great article: Who's Afraid of Point of View?

Thanks Selena. Now I just have to have a quiet couple of hours alone, in the quiet, digesting it.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

Tell me about it. My last story was written in three chapters, 1st was first person (wife), 2nd was first person (husband), 3rd was narrative. I was so excited because it was the first time I wrote from a woman's POV and it was loaded with sex (by far the most I'd done in a story). I got a female editor (actually 2) to help me with her motivation and describing sex and being aroused from a woman's perspective. I rewrote it a dozen times to get it just right and even had a female prereader say some very glowing things (some that made me blush).

So what happens? The story comes out and not a single comment (not a freaking one) about the sex, her POV, or even the chapter in general. Everyone just speculated on what would happen in the upcoming chapters and whether they'd like it or not. Actually, that's not true. Some people complained that they couldn't understand the husband's reactions (which would seem to be understandable since it was told from her POV and clearly said at the bottom it was To Be Continued . . . ). I thought most people would understand without me having to tell them that his actions would be explained later (silly me).

that's what you get for posting in Loving Wives!

 

[rgraham666]

Here's an easy breakdown of Point of View with a chart at the bottom and everything... reproduced it here as best I could...

Point of View|Subject|What you can see

First Person Subjective|I|Narrator inside, other characters outside
First Person Objective|I|Narrator outside, other characters outside
First Person Collective|We|Group inside, other characters outside
Second Person|You|Focus character inside, other characters outside
Third Person Omniscient|He/She|All characters inside and outside
Third Person Limited Omniscient|He/She|Focus character inside and outside, other characters outside
Third Person Limited Subjective|He/She|Focus character inside, other characters outside
Third Person Limited Objective|He/She|Focus character outside, other characters outside
Third Person Objective|He/She|All characters outside

Also, this is a great article: Who's Afraid of Point of View?

I'll confess, on seeing this my first thought was, "I will now try to forget I've ever seen this."

In my opinion, it's too easy to get lost in technique. A writer can spend so much time worrying about whether a piece is written properly, they forget about it being good.

Writing, for me, is very much an unconscious process. I get the words down on the paper and try to draw the pictures and emotions in a way that I transmit them to my readers. I'm good at maintaining POV and tense.

But I don't want to worry about them.

Just my opinion though. If something else works for you, go for it.

 

[Aurora Black]

Here's an easy breakdown of Point of View with a chart at the bottom and everything... reproduced it here as best I could...

Point of View|Subject|What you can see

First Person Subjective|I|Narrator inside, other characters outside
First Person Objective|I|Narrator outside, other characters outside
First Person Collective|We|Group inside, other characters outside
Second Person|You|Focus character inside, other characters outside
Third Person Omniscient|He/She|All characters inside and outside
Third Person Limited Omniscient|He/She|Focus character inside and outside, other characters outside
Third Person Limited Subjective|He/She|Focus character inside, other characters outside
Third Person Limited Objective|He/She|Focus character outside, other characters outside
Third Person Objective|He/She|All characters outside

Also, this is a great article: Who's Afraid of Point of View?

My head hurts now.

I started out with first person, but now I'm most comfortable with 3rd person omni. I like to play God.

 

[geronimo_appleby]

that's what you get for posting in Loving Wives!

Ah, the spectre of LW... The home of righteous indignation.

My all time fave category.

 

[NoJo]

Anything else you wanna say about this topic?

Lou

Yes. Spread your arse cheeks.

 

[Aurora Black]

Yes. Spread your arse cheeks.

*chokes on water*

 

[S-Des]

EDIT (double posted)

 

[S-Des]

My head hurts now.

I started out with first person, but now I'm most comfortable with 3rd person omni. I like to play God.

I've heard that about you .

Selena, I know it's my own damn fault for posting there, but I refuse to be happy about it. I do it because the stories I'm interested in writing mostly apply to that category, not because I'm forcing myelf to write things for LW. I still try to write the best stories I can. I try to be thorough in describing the characters, their actions, emotions, their friends, etc... What I want is to write stories that will affect people, maybe make their day a little brighter (like some of the authors around here have done for me).

People can be crazy in that category and still take the time to say, "Ohh that made me horny." What's wrong with me? Why don't I turn on creepy guys reading internet smut? I'm so upset . . . Eww, what is wrong with me?

 

[Aurora Black]

I've heard that about you .

People can be crazy in that category and still take the time to say, "Ohh that made me horny." What's wrong with me? Why don't I turn on creepy guys reading internet smut? I'm so upset . . . Eww, what is wrong with me?

I hope to hell that you're joking.

 

[Boxlicker101]

I've heard that about you .

Selena, I know it's my own damn fault for posting there, but I refuse to be happy about it. I do it because the stories I'm interested in writing mostly apply to that category, not because I'm forcing myelf to write things for LW. I still try to write the best stories I can. I try to be thorough in describing the characters, their actions, emotions, their friends, etc... What I want is to write stories that will affect people, maybe make their day a little brighter (like some of the authors around here have done for me).

People can be crazy in that category and still take the time to say, "Ohh that made me horny." What's wrong with me? Why don't I turn on creepy guys reading internet smut? I'm so upset . . . Eww, what is wrong with me?

You know, you don't have to post to that category. You can write an LW story and submit it as E/C or Group or I/R or Anal or where ever else it might fit.

I believe there are men who go there, read a story, probably wanking to it, and then blast it and throw a one-bomb. I've written a lot of stories where a wife is cheating on her husband, usually with good reason, and have posted it somewhere else. I have never gotten any "slut wife/wimp husband" comments on these.

 

[Guest]

Yes. Spread your arse cheeks.

I was going to come back to this thread and comment on some of the good (and interesting) posts that have been made here, but then I came across this post and my mind went blank.

Odd that.

 

[Aurora Black]

I was going to come back to this thread and comment on some of the good (and interesting) posts that have been made here, but then I came across this post and my mind went blank.

Odd that.

Not so odd, I think. It happened with me, too.

 

[Guest]

Not so odd, I think. It happened with me, too.

Nope, not odd at all (it was sarcasm - I've been meaning to reply to that email, btw, and my reply was to be the same as The Earl's... I'm English ).

 

[Aurora Black]

Nope, not odd at all (it was sarcasm - I've been meaning to reply to that email, btw, and my reply was to be the same as The Earl's... I'm English ).

I've noticed!

 

[Boota]

I choose POV specifically for the story and how I want it to come across. I've written two novels in first person. In those I wanted the books to feel as if the main character was sitting next to you in a bar and telling you his story. In everything else I've used third person limited. They were also conscious choices, but more because I didn't want them to be like my other books.

Comedy seems to work easier for me in first person. I have a very dark and brutal comedic novella I'm shopping to publishers and the tone of my comic writing was made vastly different by using third person.

In my erotic writing third person seems like the best way for me to describe a larger overview of the action. I used it in my story on Lit and on the one I'm working on. (Yeah, I'm finally writing a second erotic story.)

The one POV I have never used, and will never use, is second person. I won't even read something in that POV. It annoys me. I see a lot of it, so someone likes it, but that's just not my personal taste. I was reading a novel that I had been looking forward to and I almost quit on it because the first chapter was written in second person. I flipped back into the book to check and see if the rest was like that. If it was I was quitting on that book immediately.

 

[Guest]

I choose POV specifically for the story and how I want it to come across. I've written two novels in first person. In those I wanted the books to feel as if the main character was sitting next to you in a bar and telling you his story. In everything else I've used third person limited. They were also conscious choices, but more because I didn't want them to be like my other books.

Comedy seems to work easier for me in first person. I have a very dark and brutal comedic novella I'm shopping to publishers and the tone of my comic writing was made vastly different by using third person.

In my erotic writing third person seems like the best way for me to describe a larger overview of the action. I used it in my story on Lit and on the one I'm working on. (Yeah, I'm finally writing a second erotic story.)

The one POV I have never used, and will never use, is second person. I won't even read something in that POV. It annoys me. I see a lot of it, so someone likes it, but that's just not my personal taste. I was reading a novel that I had been looking forward to and I almost quit on it because the first chapter was written in second person. I flipped back into the book to check and see if the rest was like that. If it was I was quitting on that book immediately.

The same thing has happened to me. I read Complicity by Iain Banks, and the beginning of that is in second person. I thought WTF? But perservered, and I'm very glad I did. It's a great book, and he really pulled off switching the POV around like that - from second to third, and so on and back again (can't remember if he used first in it). It's the one and only time that second person has worked for me.

Thanks for your take, Boota! It's good to find out what more "serious" authors do (I mean that in a very complimentary way, btw - you work hard. ).

It's great to find out everyone's take on it, and what they prefer and so on.

Cheers all!

 

[geronimo_appleby]

*chokes on water*

is that possible? i'm sure you can't choke on water.

 

[Aurora Black]

is that possible? i'm sure you can't choke on water.

You can if you suddenly laugh as it begins its descent.

 

[geronimo_appleby]

You can if you suddenly laugh as it begins its descent.

well, i'm still waiting for lou to spread her arse cheeks. i'd pay good money for that.

 

[Aurora Black]

well, i'm still waiting for lou to spread her arse cheeks. i'd pay good money for that.

No comment.

 

[geronimo_appleby]

No comment.

Now, that has to be a first.

 

[Aurora Black]

Now, that has to be a first.

No, you should have seen me at the very beginning.

 

[geronimo_appleby]

No, you should have seen me at the very beginning.

the beginning of what?

 

[Aurora Black]

the beginning of what?

My tenure at Lit.