MsJsAPLit

Fata Morgana

Quotable – Raymond Carver

Quotable – Sophie van Llewyn

Find out more about the author here

A Cat & A Comma

You And Me

We should always say ‘between you and me’. There are no exceptions to this rule.

Find out more about Between You And Me.

A common mistake in English is to say ‘between you and I’.

It is always correct to say ‘between you and me’.

What is viewpoint?

Our viewpoint (or point of view) characters are the filters through which we tell the reader the story. We need to decide which vantage point will give our readers the best window into the story.

Once we have decided on a character, or characters, we need to choose a viewpoint for them. We have three choices: first person, second person, and third person.

It is important to know which viewpoint we are going to choose when we tell our story. Most authors prefer third and first person. It is unusual to use second person, but it can be effective.

How do we know which viewpoint to use?

Using third person is the usual way of writing a novel. Readers, agents, and editors like this choice because it is flexible, accepted, and easy to use. It is used in most genres and it is good for action-packed plots, especially in the crime, family saga, fantasy, and science fiction genres. Multiple viewpoint characters in third person give writers many plotting options.

However, I become irritated when I do not know which filter the author is using. This usually happens when the characters are too similar, or when the author head-hops (switches viewpoint) in one scene, or when the author has not made the change in viewpoint clear. All of these problems show an author’s inexperience.

How do authors prevent this from happening?