Viewpoints

moira

moira

Hi, just wondered why some writer's seem a bit stuck   on which viewpoint to use. I never give a first thought, let alone a second, as to viewpoint. I just write and the words come out in whatever way they come, I don't analyse or think about it or write in 'third person' or 'first person' on purpose.
I would like to know the difference though, can someone clarify it for me? Here is what  I assume about view points.
Third person - Jenny picked up the last of autumn leaves and threw them in a garden sack. She was sick of being the only one who ever did the gardening.
First Person - 'I don't know.' I told Landers. He was a s**t of a boss to work for and I was handing  my notice in that week, so I honestly couldn't give a monkey's.
Are there any other ways of doing viewpoints?

TaffetaPunk

Those are the two main ones - the other is second person (addressing it directly to someone - "you"), which I can't recall having seen very often, if at all.

I don't usually think about viewpoint, either, but if it's wrong, the characters usually let me know, somehow.  My latest book is originally in third person, but my character, far stronger willed than I am, insists she has to tell the story herself - thanks a bundle, sweetie, it means I have to edit it again, changing  the PoV as I go.  She won't shut up about it, though, so it won't be long before I have to sit down and do it.

Schumi

Viewpoints don't exactly confuse me, but knowing whose eyes to tell the story from is something I am finding tricky. For my novel, I had been writing it using a single viewpoint in third person. But now I find it quite restrictive, and there are times when I want to be with another character.

I'm going to introduce the viewpoint of another character, but it's when and how to do it that I am unsure about. I don't want to be changing viewpoints every chapter or so, as I want whoever is telling the story to take their time.

So I was thinking of having one part of the book in one viewpoint, and the second part in the other. Has anybody used this method before?

Carol

If you don't have a usual preference, then try it both ways and see which feels right.

lizzie

Hi Schumi
I have exactly the same prob as you at the moment. My novel is told from the POV of a teenage girl, which initially, I had no probs with, no however, I am finding this very restrictive and a little difficult. Its a real problem when I have to keep asking myself if she would know or say something that I want to write, and its so difficult at times to stay in character. I also tend towards abstract thought, and have to constantly reign in this tendency, which again seems to be constraining me in the scope of my writing.
I have also thought of writing from another viewpoint character, but each time I have tried this, it seems wrong, even intrusive, because the book is so much her story.
I'm not sure about writers who have done each part of a book from a differing POV but lots have alternating chapters or sections and they seem to work well. Nick Hornby's 'About a Boy' is one that springs to mind. I have just remembered that a couple of Carol Shields books are written in the way you mentioned, one of them, is divided into two, half of the book is written from the wife's POV and the other from the husband's, I think one is called 'Happenstance' and the other is 'The Republic of Love.' I'm a great fan of her books, they are wonderful, subtle studies of relationships...
Sorry to go on a bit, but I hope this is of help to you.
best,
Lizzie

Schumi

Hi Lizzie,

Thank you for those book recommendations. I have noted them down and will have a look round for them.

To start with, I only saw one of my characters as the most important. But after writing some dialogue between her (Samantha) and her son (Alex), I realised how important he was to the story. To put things simply, they are a mother and son at odds with each other. There are underlying reasons for this, which will be expressed throughout the novel. But I can't do it under Samantha’s viewpoint, as the problems mostly lie with Alex. I need to show what he is thinking, and show what he is doing. I feel this is the only way to go forward with the story.

I was thinking of having 3 parts to my novel. The first would show things from the Samantha's point of view, and the second from Alex's. For the final part of the novel, I would switch back to Samantha.

But writing the novel in this way would present me with some headaches. What if halfway through writing Alex's part of the story, I suddenly realise that I need to be with Samantha because something important is happening to her? The simple answer would be to switch viewpoints, but that would upset the flow of things. I may be needlessly confusing myself here, but I know there is an ideal way of writing this novel. I'm just not sure what it is yet.

Carol

If those bits with Samantha are important at that point then put them in. You will probably find it has worked okay when you reach the end. Having that change will give a break in the tension and pace, gives the reader a momentary breather. Try it and see.

TaffetaPunk

Joanne Harris's latest book Gentlemen and Players switches viewpoints from the antagonist (very much the antagonist!) in a contemporary setting, the antagonist remembering what life was like when he was a child (which explains his behaviour now), and one of the teachers in a school he's employed at.  There is no indication at the beginning of the chapter who is talking or when, and it works really well.

Jan

Moira is SO right!

All this "phaffing" about worrying about detail. GET WORDS ON PAPER. Thereafter is the time to consider how the story flows, holding interest, explaining relationships, etc., etc. That's why we call it "editing".

As others have observed, one must try a variety of deliveries, only changing or adapting when the whole plot has been written. Quality of character and plot description are the important issues, everything else will fall into place as we juggle during edits and re-writes.

I haven't anything to hand, for reference, but I am sure Bunyan jumbled viewpoints in "Pilgrim's Progress", certainly Harold Robbins did in "The Carpetbaggers".

Have faith, write what you feel and don't look back until the final page exists in draft form.