Faber Session 7 – POV

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Before I talk about class, lets get down to the important bit… cake 🙂

Today I divulged in Lemon, Rosemary & Olive Oil cake, but I was so busy enjoying it, I forgot to take a picture! Lol

So here’s a pic of my purchases in the book shop after cake 😉

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So today’s class was about Point of View.

It made me realise how utterly unwell read I am (when Tim kept giving us examples and although I’d heard of most of the books, I hadn’t read them!). It made me realise that I don’t think about POV when I read a book. Jeez! I’m a bad reviewer and a bad critiquer 😦 I really need to work on that don’t I.

Anyway, POV….. Where does the authors voice end and the characters voice start? A good question, and one, I can’t really answer….can you?

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We talked about 1st Person, 3rd Person, Omniscient, Free Indirect Style, and whether the first two should be singular or multiple. How, over the years, many authors have experimented, bent the rules and played with perspective. A really interesting session, I learnt a lot 🙂

Then we did a writing exercise which, hopefully, I’ll share with you later on this week 🙂

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So, dear reader, what POV do you tend to write in and could you explain WHY? I admitted in class that the reason I write in 3rd Person is because all my 1st Person pieces sound like the same character lol 😉

My fellow class mates took home my submission this evening *gulps and bites finger nails* I’m going to be a nervous wreck next Monday! 😉

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27 thoughts on “Faber Session 7 – POV”

  1. I usually write in 3rd person, Vikki. The only 1st person novel I’ve written was ‘Soul’s Child’. It was a great lesson in ‘show, don’t tell’ (I really hate that saying, but it’s required here). I couldn’t tell the reader how people other than my main character were feeling or what they were thinking, so I had to show everything in their words and actions. It’s a lot easier to write a short story in 1st person, but I don’t think I’d tackle it with a novel again 😀

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  2. I never heard of Free indirect syle so I just googled it. Fascinating! My first drafts two years ago were in first person, my short story is in third (with some head hopping, unintentional) and my nano is third.A good friend says I have problems individualising my character’s voiices. My nano project is in 3red but I have about 4 peoples’ POV in differing chapters. The two main characters cannot tell another character’s story and when we first meet the 2 MC I used someone else to show them to the reader. That didn’t make sense but I’m tired.

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    • I think the whole subject of POV is fascinating Sue. There seems to be so many different ways of doing it lol.

      I always tend to head hop when I’m in 3rd person so I’m with you there 🙂

      Ha ha ha, it did make sense…..it’s all very confusing though isn’t it 😉

      Xx

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  4. I usually write in 3rd person for the same reason as you, though now and then I have written a short story in the first. Right now I am having major difficulties trying to figure out to juggle 2 POV’s, though I think I shall have to go back and change it all back…..I need to learn a whole lot more about POV!! Great post!

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    • I’m EXACTLY the same Edith…I dabble in first person with short stories. That seems much easier somehow 😉

      Thanks honey, and yes, so do I lol. Apparently, the best way to do that is by studying other writers. I came away from my class with about half a dozen book titles to add to my wish list lol

      Xx

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  5. I usually write in close 3rd person (I stick with one character and can see their thoughts) but I use first person quite a bit too. Rarely do I use more than one POV. I just go with whatever I think will work best for a particular story.

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  8. Hi Vikki – I like 1st person for immediacy and intimacy for the reader and 3rd person if I have a more complex story to tell and want to represent several viewpoints – although I am finding this harder as I get older. Not sure why. I read a Barbara Vine book many moons ago which had loads of different characters and managed to weave everything seamlessly together – I get confused if I have too many characters! Btw the cake sounded wonderful! Do Faber provide the cakes or do you go to a cafe (If so where!). I love cake…..

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      • Hi Vikki – I think everything gets harder as you get older! Especially when it requires a lot of thinking. Or maybe that’s just me…..I will check out that cake shop next week….that’s another thing about getting older – too easily distracted…..I like the expression head hop – I hadn’t heard it before but it is so apt. I have also used the *** to separate which character I am on if in 3rd person and at least that is a clear signpost for the reader. I didn’t realise it was now “Old school”. Another nice expression….I’m going to make a cake now!

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  9. Vicki … I used to head-hop … a method that was used in the “old” days and is frowned upon now. I focus on third person, main character POV and when I switch I used a *** to separate scenes and POV. Some alternate chapters. Then I also love to play with first person … all main character POV.

    Have a great day and keep the lessons coming … we all need to learn more 🙂

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  11. I use close third person. I think I wrote a couple of workshop exercises in first person, but that’s it. I usually have four POVs in my novels and find it easy to separate them because they’re all such different people. There are two main characters and two secondary characters. I started that way because I wanted the reader to know what was happening behind the backs of the MCs.

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