  Drama
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| Automobile companies are finding that shifts are a good thing. Writers can also adopt a similar philosophy. How so? One such method is using more than one point of view in a story. This can be tricky, but it can also open up new dimensions of your story. |
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Several years ago, I read The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende for English class.
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One of the things I learned about the book was its unusual use of point of view. The book starts out in third person limited omniscient, with emphasis on Clara. Throughout the novel, there are some sections of first person memoir from Esteban, her husband. However, we find out that the person really telling the story is their granddaughter Alba, and Allende uses two types of first person: observer and diary entry. I apologize if I have in any way ruined the book for you. 
The point is, the novel uses four different subtypes of points of view. It can get confusing, especially if either the writer or the reader doesn't pay close attention. However, numerous points of view are not always a bad thing. In fact, I mention this book because it's a novel that I simply enjoyed reading. In fact, it was a treat to skip lunch with friends and curl up with the novel in an obscure nook in the school.
So what purpose do multiple points of view serve? That's actually not something that can be put in a list. However, I can name a few reasons as to why an author might utilize multiple points of view. One reason is that there are crucial events that drive the plot, but they don't happen in the same location/time continuum as the primary narrator (as seen in The House of the Spirits). Ultimately, these events have to have enough bearing on the plot to merit a detailed account. Otherwise, it will amount to nothing except confusing filler. Even if a minor event occurs in a crucial setting, you can usually skip detailing what happened. On the other hand, if it changes a relationship, results in a new law or shifts the conventional wisdom prevalent in your story, then using another point of view to relay the events can solve a sticky predicament.
Another interesting use of multiple points of view is to detail what happens to the primary narrator after he or she undergoes a drastic change that may alter his or her voice. For example, a character can die, suffer a breakdown, be sent to jail or otherwise be removed from the central action. With any of these scenarios, your best bet is to change narrators. In fact, unless you end the story with that event, you will subconsciously shift to a different point of view. How so? One word: epilogue. Even if you maintain the main type of point of view (first or third person), there's often a shift in subtypes. For example, you can shift from first person memoir in telling the body of the story to first person diary entry in the epilogue. Sometimes this shift occurs in later chapters instead of an epilogue, but the effect is similar.
Finally, multiple points of view can help flesh out aspects of a particularly intricate relationship dynamics. This is why Willian Faulkner used several first person stream of conscious points of view in As I Lay Dying.
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The Bundren family is very tightly connected in spite of their numerous flaws and dysfunctions. Each action a single member makes can change the family as a whole. For example, Daryl (who is the first narrator of the story) starts out as the stable force in the family. However, his sanity slips, prompting his brothers Cash and Vardaman to become the forces of stability in the family. Likewise, Jewel's presence and origins show how exactly Addie (the deceased mother) felt trapped in her own family. Once again, these multiple views can be confusing. On the plus side, each chapter has the name of the narrator for that chapter. 
Now when is it appropriate to use multiple points of view? Such a technique is more suitable for novels, but if you just use two points of view, you can incorporate it into a short story. It's also suitable for collections and serials. Another excellent venue (especially on Writing.com) is in campfires. Ultimately, though, it boils down to looking at your plot. If there's a lot that has to happen in order to put the characters in a given situation, other points of view just might be the way to go.
So the next time you have someone remark in a review that the point of view changes, don't automatically consider it to be a bad thing. Multiple points of view can, in fact, make the story more effective. If all else fails, ask the reviewer if he/she thinks the story would benefit from more than one perspective. It's certainly worth a shot. 
Until next time,
(sig by me)
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Here's some proof that people on the site aren't afraid of experimenting with shifting points of view. And hey, it takes some time, but it can work.
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And here are some items just for fun.
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Wow! I was amazed at the amount of feedback I got for first person point of view. Seems passions run high about this particular technique. Let's see what you have to say about it.
From ftrinta Hi Elisa
I was surprised on how many subtypes of POV can exist! Thanks for these explanations. Just a suggestion: maybe it will make it more clear if you give some short examples? At least for the types that are very similar.
Cheers,
Well, Nanda, I'll do one better. Before the end of the month, I'll devote an item in my port to examples of various types of first person point of view. I don't have it ready for this issue because, well, I actually wasn't planning on doing another drama issue until later this month. So, in my upcoming July issue I will provide the link for it and a similar item for third person point of view. How's that sound?
From outlander  : Hi Elisa, thank you so much for including "Fitting In" in your June 6, 2007 newsletter! It is the very story I am struggling with. As a result of your placement I've gotten some very helpful feedback. As a result of your exploration of the first person point of view and your suggestion that I sit and brainstorm I am feeling a bit less anxious about moving the story along. Thanks again for sharing what you know and for another great newsletter!
Outlander
First of all, let me just say I do not read minds; I had no idea that story was the one you mentioned in your last set of comments. Otherwise, I'd go to LA and try to get a job as a consultant on the Heroes set!  On a more serious note, I'm glad to hear you have received helpful feedback for your piece. I'm also pleased that my advice has eased your doubts about continuing with the story. Now if only my own advice had that effect on me. In any case, best of luck with continuing the story!
From Starr Phenix  : This was a great article - every informative! I plan to save it for future reference! :)
Thank you. It goes to show that some good came out of my narrative technique class! I had and still have misgivings about it, but my professor did make point of view easier to understand. I'm just happy to pass that knowledge along to the members of this site.
From likenion: Dear,
This was exciting and made head really spin. I actually never knew that first person POV is so excrushiating and complex work. I am grateful that I never attempted writing in this POV. The potential chance to make a whol lot of mistakes is just too big. However back to the newsletter. Marvelous job!
When your head starts spinning, lie down and have water nearby. Trust me. You will feel thirsty after a dizzy spell. That said, first person point of view is complex, but third person can be as well. Likewise, mistakes are a part of the writing game. I made a pretty big one back in 2004, and it kind of lead me to giving up on fiction writing for a while. As a matter of fact, that story has been tabled for a long time. However, I did go back to first person and learned how to handle it. Writing is a craft where you really only learn by doing. So perhaps it's time to give first person point of view a try.
From dizzyduck: First person POV has always been my favorite of the three (though I find myself using third a lot more often than I used to). But I always have such a vested interest in my characters that I feel the best way to get them across is through first person. You can totally delve into the mind of the character from that POV, which I believe to be a very interesting method.
Of course, third has its advantages too. For one thing, it's not quite so restricting.
Currently I'm working on a novel that switches between first and third POVs, but I haven't posted any of it on this site yet, so I can't send any links. I find the technique quite easy, although I'm not sure how other readers feel. I too would love to hear their opinions on the matter. I'm behind it as long as it's done skillfully.
Great NLs on the various types of perspective, as always!  I keep learning more than I thought I would!
And learning is a constant process, I say. Yes, first person is more conducive to exploring a particular character. The trick is finding when it's most suitable to embark on such an exploration. It's also funny that you mention working on a novel that switches between first and third person, because that concept gave me the idea for this newsletter's topic.
From StephBee  : Great newsletter on POV! This is an important element to writing, one that's taken for granted. Thanks for giving it a spotlight!
It's been my pleasure to focus on it. Yeah, I think we take it forgranted, not to mention pare it down to its most basic types. There's a lot that goes into point of view, things that are especially important to keep in mind when revising. Its importance is not always recognized since it's not something that's meant to stand out (like imagery). However, it's one of the structural elements that holds a story together.
From scarl : I really enjoyed the 7 subtypes of 1st person in the drama newsletter by Elisa Busy Stik. I find myself often drawn to writing in 1st person.
I can see that I have tended to use memoir, have done draft after draft of diaries but could never seem to get them to work perfectly, and now realise two more perspectives I am tinkering with are stream of conciousness in a science fiction, and the unrealiable narrator in a fantasy. Thank you for sharing these subtypes, it is giving me more thought on how I am executing 1st person and I never realised there were 7 subtypes to it. 1st person is I think my favorite perspective to write in. I do have 1 question though. When writing in 1st person it's difficult to pull off a physical description of your character. How can you get a character to describe themselves and for it to sound natural? I noticed in 'Starship Troopers' this is a problem Robert A Heinlein completely omitted by leaving out physical detail of his protagonist.
Oddly enough, in my experiences with writing in first person, this has not been a problem for me. What I do is throw in physical details in conversations or in other spots. Here are a couple examples from an in-progress of novel, Cultural Wasteland.
Finding an empty table near the buffet, I set my down down and fall in the chair, nearly twisting my ankle in the process. I bury my head in my hands and weep without sound. I feel my scarlet locks drape the table as I forget everything in the room except my wet face. My sobbing is interrupted by a hand on my back.
"Besides," Simon continues, "it's not good to see a homecoming queen cry, even though she may be wearing a blue dress."
"I suppose," I mumble.
When I sit down, I look at my knees. I see some deep linear scars across them, possibly from stitches or my surgery.
I hope these examples illustrate some non-intrusive ways to describe the narrator in a first person piece.
From danny78: I loved your newsletter and learned a grea deal from it. Is there a way to get a copy of the earlier newsletter where you discussed 3rd Person? I just joined so I missed it.
Thanks
Lorraine
Greetings! With my newsletters, you can visit the link for The Drama Box, which is at the bottom of each page. You can also check out the Writing.com archives for issues by all of the editors who have contributed to the drama newsletter. To access this, simply select 'Site Tools' and choose 'Newsletters'. There's a link to the archives from that page, and you can search by genre and/or keyword. In the meantime, here's a direct link. "Drama Newsletter (May 9, 2007)"
My next July issue will bring us back to the world of scripts. I'll spend the next two or three issues discussing stage plays in detail, and the topics will depend on your questions regarding stage plays. So send in your questions on stage plays!
And if you happen to miss or misplace a newsletter, feel free to stop by "Invalid Item" |
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Drama: July 04, 2007 Issue [#1812]
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