 Short Stories: August 13, 2008 Issue [#2554] |
  Short Stories
This week: Edited by: Kate - Writing & Reading  
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There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.
- Maya Angelou
Greetings, I am honored to be your guest host this week for the Short Story Newsletter. I would like to take this opportunity to explore something that I often have trouble with in my own stories ~ figuring out whose story it is.
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I hear voices, as do you, and the voices demand expression; that's why we write
But whose voice do we use? Whose story are we telling? (No, this isn't about 'show' vs 'tell' -  )
I was recently assigned a task to write something personal; a story about a personal event. I was being instructed to 'tell a story,' and relate something that happened to me. So here goes.
I entered the room and flicked the light switch, even though the power was out all over the city. My finger was so ingrained with the routine flip, I did it without thinking, and got the shock of my life when I heard a thump and saw, on the kitchen table....
First Person I am the narrator/protagonist and I relate what I sense. I see, hear, taste, smell, sense/think (yes, all five-plus senses). In a short story, the first person can work well as long as we maintain the sensory reality. I would not know that you are thinking of slapping me for what I said, but I would observe your fist clenched and your lips pressed together as if unstated epithets clamored for release. See the sensory image I'm depicting? Have you ever seen someone seethe and sense that it would take but one word or movement to make them 'flip'? Show that immediacy to your reader and you draw him/her into the character's vision, and aid him in empathizing with the character (you) and wanting to see you succeed (or fail, perhaps)
First person viewpoint is limited to what the character/speaker actually perceives by use of senses and imagination. I think it's really important to minimize adverbs which distance the reader. Allow your reader to walk alongside your character and draw his/her own conclusions as do you.
First person viewpoint, however, doesn't have to be just me, myself, and I. I can step into character as a sentient being of another species, or perhaps an inanimate object, and relate 'my' story using relevant unique perspectives.
First person viewpoint, also can be used by a peripheral narrator - a character telling a story about someone else. Something like this...
I watched Mike open the door and flick the light switch, even though the power had been out for several hours. His fingers then flicked the ineffective switch off, as he stared, agape, at what was on the kitchen table across the room.
First person doesn't have to be about me, it is much more versatile that I previously knew and, I hope that you also, kind reader, see it as more than journaling or 'telling' tales. First person, whether related by me personally or my character or me writing of my observations of another character, does require active observation and vivid description of what I perceive. I want my reader to see what I see, smell what I smell, and perceive what I think before drawing his/her own conclusions up to the resolution I've plotted (but not before my character gets there.
I have a challenge for you, if you choose to accept, that could be fun. |
I hope you spend some time with a few of our authors and let them know how you enjoyed hearing their voices.
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And check out this daily challenge to incite the Muse Creative ~
Need some more time to 'tell' your story ~ how about either of the following challenges to the Muse Creative?
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
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As a guest host, I don't have an ask and answer, but how about a challenge - write for me a scene or two in First Person - using any of the models explored above, where the following occurs.
You/your character are/is in a room that is familiar but it's completely dark, no power or light, and you/your character have to get out because..."
Send me an email with a link or the whole scene(s) if you would, because I will be back next week to share some more of my journey. I would like to feature, with your permission, excerpts from your scenes/stories. I will compensate you for your trouble, some tasty gps would be in order, I think
Thank you once again for the invite,
Until we next meet,
Keep Writing!
Kate
Kate - Writing & Reading
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