Writing Tip of the Day-POV

Every detail of a scene, from setting and character description to emotional content, should be written as if perceived through the eyes and mind of the POV character. Language used in the narrative, as well as in dialogue, should be natural to the character rather than to the writer.

Writing Tip of the Day-POV

Romance novels are seldom written from the Omniscient perspective. The viewpoint is too scattered, too remote to be useful in portraying the depth of emotion necessary for the genre.

Writing Tip of the Day-POV

Omniscient POV is useful for covering an extended period of time in a story or dealing with a larger than normal cast of characters. It is the viewpoint selected for most epic novels and multi-generational family sagas.

Writing Tip of the Day-POV

First Person POV is often used when writing humor because it allows the most room for wit and ironic comment about events. Books written in this viewpoint succeed or fail on the ability of the writer to create a likeable main character, one with whom the reader can closely identify.

Writing Tip of the Day-POV

First Person viewpoint is most often used when the protagonist is involved in scenes of high adventure, such as mystery, mystery-suspense and thriller stories. It’s the POV which lends the greatest credibility to the main character, the best sense of factual events.

Writing Tip of the Day-POV

A change in POV should be signaled with great clarity. This is done by beginning a new paragraph and using the given name of the POV character within the first few words. Failure to make the POV character obvious can confuse readers and make them stop turning pages—something to be avoided at all costs.

Writing Tip of the Day-POV

Scenes of emotional intensity, such as disaster, fight, chase or love scenes, should be written from a single POV. Changing viewpoint during these scenes dilutes their impact upon the reader.

Writing Tip of the Day-POV

Frequent changes of POV within a scene is a phenomenon known as "head hopping." Some well known writers and category fiction lines make regular use of this approach, but it’s still considered bad writing.

Writing Tip of the Day-POV

The greatest impact for any given scene is achieved by writing it from a single POV. This is so basic that it’s been codified as the “One Scene, One POV” rule.

Writing Tip of the Day-POV

In commercial novels, all aspects of a scene are filtered through the perceptions of the POV character. Setting descriptions, research information, physical actions and emotional reactions of other characters are written as if viewed through the eyes and mind of this POV character.

Writing Tip of the Day-POV

When using two or more viewpoints, the writer must decide which character has the most at stake in an upcoming scene, that is to say, which has the most to lose. The scene is then written from the POV of this character.

Writing Tip of the Day-POV

The most common viewpoint for romance novels is Limited Omniscience, with emphasis on the POV of the heroine but frequent use of the hero’s. Full access to the thoughts and feelings of both characters gives the greatest emotional payoff for the reader.

Writing Tip of the Day-POV

The best viewpoint for a book is the one that feels most natural to the writer. A story should seem to tell itself.

The Jennifer Blake Newsletter-October

Greetings:

An October sky, you have to love it. Our summer sky here in Louisiana is so faded to white by heat that we forget how blue one can be. Then comes fall's cloudless aspect and deep cerulean with a hint of violet brought by cooler weather and voila, beautiful again. On the other hand, I'd dearly love to see clouds or even a storm just now. It's been 50 days since we had real rain, and everything is parched for it. Me, included!

September was a fairly uneventful month for me. Most of it was spent actively writing: I'm now past the halfway point on the rough draft of book #3 in the medieval trilogy. The plan is to be done by November 1 to avoid the distraction caused by the holidays. Fingers crossed. But I've already planned my reward for this two months of intense work. I'll be heading to the International Quilt Show in Houston in early November, along with a dozen friends from the Magnolia Stitchers Needle Arts group. Fun and fabric shopping: great incentives to be done in time.

Another reprint from Sourcebooks, Inc. has been scheduled, this one for February 2011. It will be FIERCE EDEN, originally published by Fawcett/Ballantine in 1985, and set in French Colonial Louisiana during the uprising of the Natchez Indians.. The gorgeous new cover for this title is up on my website, along with a blurb about it. Check it out at: http://www.jenniferblake.com/sourcebooks.cfm

I continue posting a "Writing Tip of the Day" to the web site blog. At present, I'm up to Tip 181, and exploring the different viewpoints (POV) and their uses. The original idea was to do at least 364 of these tips for a future calendar. Who knows, I may try for a book with 1001! At least posting these online on a regular basis keeps me working on the idea. You'll find the blog at: http://jenniferblakejournal.blogspot.com/

Another place where I'm posting is the Mira Authors Blog. This is a new venture, just started in mid August. Messages there will be random thoughts and happenings pertaining to writing. My first blog went public on September 9, and my next will show up on October 9. Other authors published by Mira Books post great insights on different days of the month. Take at look here: http://community.eharlequin.com/content/mira-author-blog

And just a reminder that I'm on FaceBook. I'm been posting the number of words written every week and other bits about the WIP (pronounced "weep" but an acronym for Work in Progress,) plus notes on selected events and gripes in my life. If hearing from me on daily basis instead of once per month sounds okay, I'd be more than happy to confirm you as a FaceBook friend.

With warmest wishes for blue skies this month—and a Halloween only as scary as you want it,

Jennifer

Writing Tip of the Day-POV

It’s possible to combine two or more types of POV in the same novel. An example would be to begin a book in First Person, change to Third Person for a section and end in Omniscient. The technique can be jarring to the reader, however, and should be used only when the story can be told no other way.