All Write - Fiction Advice

The most common viewpoint for most writers is third person. That’s because it’s easy to work with, it’s easy for the reader to become involved with the story on many different levels and it is the best POV to use while learning the process of creative writing.   Third Person POV Third person point of view is very adaptable and easy to work with. Why? Well, unlike first person POV, it’s not restrictive. The POV means you can explore different character’s viewpoints, emotions, actions and reactions, instead of being stuck with just one character. Third person gives a much deeper insight and perspective on both story and characters. A lot of writers like to work with third person because of this freedom. They can show much more for the reader.   There are two views with third person:   Third person past tense and third person present tense, for example:   Third person past tense : He stood on the doorstep and waited for her reactio

Part 1 looked at the advantages and disadvantages of First Person POV, and how point of view choice plays an important role, so in Part 2 we’ll look at more common problems and how to master this difficult POV. Common Problems One of the most common problems with first person point of view is that writers forget that the narrator cannot possibly know what cannot be seen. Unlike third person, where the narrator can describe lots of things within the scene to create tension and atmosphere, first person doesn’t allow for this. In other words, the hero can’t possibly know that the bad guy is creeping down the hallway towards him because he can’t see him. Nor can he possibly know what is happening outside, or in the next room etc. The other problem is that first person POV is that the writer falls into the trap of telling rather than showing. This is because first person doesn’t allow other character perspectives or any depth to the descriptions, for example: I saw the knife gli

The point of view of your main character will depend on the kind of story you want to tell, and the style you want for it. It’s an important choice to make. Most stories are told in first person or third person, the most commonly used types. There are other, lesser known types of POV, such as second person, but this one is unwieldy and not at all reader friendly. Each type has its own merits and shortcomings; each one fits different styles and genres better than the other.   Each one may suit the writer better than the other. This is why choice of viewpoint is so important. First person point of view is the viewpoint of the main character only; everything is seen through their eyes. It’s quite an intimate POV because everything is done as the main character, which is very different from a third person, which allows the writer to explore more than just the main character. But unlike third person POV, there is no skipping from character to character to gain more insight, pe

When writers talk about the pace of a novel, they are referring not just the ‘speed’ of the story, but also the tempo, since both these factors vary greatly throughout a novel. The pace of a novel is dictated by the story, so thriller or action stories; for instance, tend to have more pace than romance stories or literary stories. Therefore it stands to reason that action has the effect of speeding up the narrative, while a lack of it gives the effect of slowing it down. In reality, however, the actual speed of the narrative stays the same, but rather it’s the perception you create that speeds up or slows down the pace. Why Stories Need Pace The simple answer to this is variation. By varying the pace of the story, you keep things interesting for the reader and therefore you keep them turning the page. Normally we refer to how fast or slow the story is when we think about pace, but pacing has more than one function.   It also allows the writer to transition quickly between