Writing a novel - free tips to get you started
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Points of View - how to tell a story
All novels are told from a certain viewpoint - this 'narrative voice' helps determine how the reader interacts with your book. Whatever perspective you write from, SOMEONE has to tell the reader what's going on. That 'someone' is the 'narrative voice'. There are first person perspectives, second person, and even third person. Which one you choose to use will help you to build the right 'feel' and atmosphere for your novel. As an example, if you tell it from your own perspective (first person, e.g. "I walked down the street") you better be sure that the character you create to be 'you' in the novel is sympathetic, or you will rapidly lose your audience!
Using first person is the simplest perspective, and thus the most often used by new writers. It does have certain advantages, as explained over at www.GetPlotted.com, such as the ability to allow you to express your feelings directly, and to easily 'let the reader into your head'. A 'stricter' form of first person, the objective, restricts your ability to write about these things, and forces you to essentially only 'report' objectively on what is happening - what the characters are saying and doing, and what is happening in the novel's physical environment.
As you gain experience, you will realise that there are other modes for the first person perspective including detached narration (most first time novels), the autobiography (such as 'the Go-between'), stream of consciousness ('Ulysses') and diary or letter mode (Bridget Jones).
Second person mode is almost never used, except as a dramatic attempt to be 'arty', as it is too uncomfortable and stiff to be believable ("You picked up the gun. You shot her"). You are only really likely to encounter this mode in 'Dungeons & Dragons' style 'interactive' novels. At www.GetPlotted.com we recommend you stay away from this mode if possible, because it can waste an awful lot of your time and produce very little output that is useable.
Third Person perspective is more flexible - you can avoid the 'awkwardness' of being the main character yourself, while still allowing the readers to get inside the head and internal workings of your characters. Typically, third person focuses on one character - this is the conduit thru which you will talk to your readers. Easily the most popular perspective, 3rd person is also the easiest form to master. Sam Gamgee in Lord of the Rings is such a conduit.
As in first person, you can be objective, and deny the reader access to the the character's internal worlds. You simply describe what they did and said. "Bill walked angrily down the street, gun in hand".
This 'Vulcan' style of unemotional writing does have its place, typically in crime and detective novels.
The final and possibly the most powerful perspective we shall look at is known as the third-person omniscient. This 'god like' perspective allows you to reveal things to the reader before the characters know them, or indeed reveal things the character never get to know. This mode is probably most useful when combined with standard 3rd person perspective - as an occasional interruption providing clarity, for example. Omniscient commentators can be partisan too - they do not need to be ruthlessly objective. They can, in fact be used to bolster the appeal of certain characters if you wish.
Bear in mind that an omniscient commentator who is partisan may not always be a reliable witness, whereas and objective omniscient commentator should be. Next time we will look at the major potential areas for messing up perspective, as identified by www.GetPlotted.com including sentimentality and mannerisms.:
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