Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Fiction Writing - More on POV

Used well, point of view helps the writer draw a full picture of the point of view character. Because, not only does a POV character act and speak as do non-pov characters, the POV character--unlike the other characters--thinks and feels.

This alone allows the reader to make an emotional connection to the point of view character.

And that fact means the point of view character is the dominant character in the book if you are writing single point of view or one of the dominant characters if you are using multiple point of view characters. One thing to remember is, in most cases, when you write the thoughts and feelings of any character you elevate their importance in the reader's mind.

In romance fiction, if the writer uses two point of view characters--the protagonist and the love interest--the reader learns the internal thinking and the impact of words and actions on both characters. And in romance, when a reader falls in love with and roots for both the protagonist (male or female) and the love interest (male or female) character , it spices up the romance part of the story.

I have been writing first person single point of view lately. Why? I have no idea. It is more of a challenge. But I do write short--no 100,000 word manuscripts yet--and less word count makes it easier.