POINT OF VIEW or P.O.V.

There is an ongoing debate about point of view in writing circles.  Simply put P.O.V. is the person whom is telling the story.  This could be a character or it can be the author or a fictional narrator.  I have found that I like  to write in first person, so there is only one person telling the story or is there?  Sometime an author will head jump, giving the reader a chance to see the story from more than one person's (characters) perspective.  For this reader this can be a little confusing, though I may have been guilty of head jumping in my own writing in the past.

Sometimes the author will write in 3rd person in which there is just one narrator.  Though author's seem to break this rule as well.  I understand the need for this, but again if the   P.O.V . is in more than two people's perspectives it can get very confusing.

I guess what I am trying to say is that for me as a reader, I have trouble following a story line when more than one character is telling the story.

I just finished a story (Wicked Dreams) in which the author switches point of view between about five characters and a couple of dogs.  It was difficult to keep straight which character was in the forefront, even though it was written in 3rd Person.  I think I would have enjoyed it more if she would have limited her p.o.v. to  a few key characters and left the dogs thoughts/dreams out of it, except when being viewed by their humans.

Still it is up to each author to determine this for their individual story, but please keep the reader in mind as you choose.

My Photography Debut

DBSA (Depression & Bipolar Support Alliance) of Zanesville and Muskingum County are teaming up with Power Source and Solutions (Certified Peer Support Services) to sponsor artists during Zanesville's First Friday Art Walk!

FEATURED ARTISTS:

JAYME HITCHCOCK: Jayme is in ...the process of becoming one of the most well-known and beloved artists in the Zanesville community. Her painting techniques allow her to be prolific and unique.

RITA SMITH: Rita is a local author and photographer. Her prints weave together light, shadow and texture. Rita's work evokes clarity and freshness of expressive imagery.

ALSO:

OPEN READING: Some of the Y-City Writers will be present to lead an open reading forum. All are welcome to participate. Bring any piece of writing you have created such as poetry, fiction, non-fiction, short stories or flash fiction. Feel free to just stop in to listen, as well!

* 50-50 Drawing!
** Special Prize Drawings!
*** Candy Bar Sale
**** Drinks and refreshments available

FOR MORE INFORMATION: call 740-891-4666 (Area code must be dialed from everywhere!)

TURN BACK THE CLOCK

Please can we turn back the clock?  I don't just mean for daylight savings time, but for those simpler times.  November was a hard month for me, so I'd like to wave my magic wand and turn back the clock to say 1999 when my husband was feeling better and though I was beginning to feel the curses of multiple things, life was good.

November kept me busy, between writing group, write-ins and writing, I would have been busy.  To top that all off my husband had 2 hospitalizations and now has to have his blood tested once or twice a week.  Now, he will need to top those off with rounds of chemotherapy lasting 7 days once a month.

Some good news, in spite of everything, I was able to write 50,000 words and Essie is clamoring for me to finish her story.  It certainly is taking some surprising twists.  I believe the story really begins about half way through what I have written.

Since I cannot wave a wand to turn back time, I will do what I always do... Take each day as it comes.  I will try to be graceful about the changes to my life and my husbands life, though I am sure I won't be successful all the time.  I will learn as much about Mylodysplastic Syndrome or MDS as I can, so I can help Ken make informed choices.

In the meantime, the Serenity Prayer seems to center me.

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.

NaNoWriMo

I am the Muncipal Liaison in Zanesville for NaNoWriMo.  We've had our first pre-nano meet-up, which went really well.

We discussed pre-nano prep.  Creating character charts, plotting, planning scenes and using the W-Plot.  The thing that I found most helpful with the W-Plot was knowing where exactly in your story you should be. 

W-Plotting
A. Normal World- Hook, What's your character like now? (Rooting Interests: Empathy, Admiration traits and Humanistic traits.)
B. Inciting Incident: The action that launches the story into a downward spiral. This should take place about 10% of the way into your story.
C. Things get worse.
D.The first turning point (Crossing the threshold, change of plans) The character may do this reluctantly. You should be 25% of the way into your book.
E. Enemies and Friends - Your character learns things he/she will need to know to survive. Things they are running from comes back.
F. Point of No Return- Whatever happens at this juncture will change the protagonist and they can never be who they were at the beginning. This is about half-way through your story.
G. Things begin to fall apart.
H. The Big Black Moment-All appears doomed until one character sacrifices for another. (75% of the way through your story.
I. Return with the Elixir- This is the struggle to recover from the BBM. Loose ends are tied up in this chapter(s). Resolve inner conflict. We need to see how the events of the book changed them.
J. Happily-ever-after resolution/epilogue. The satisfactory conclusion or "slow curtain."

Don't forget if you get a good line in your mind... Write it down.  We forget these things by the time we begin writing.

Tuesday, October 25 at noon- I am headed to Crossroad Library to meet-up with the Southeast Ohio Novel Writing Group to  find out what preparations they are making for Nano.  Feel free to join us!

Good Writing!  Rita

Procrastination

I may have written something on this subject before...  I decided that I would speak to this issue again, because it's very much a part of my life.  I cannot escape being a procrastinator.

The number one way for me to end this vicious cycle is to set deadlines.  I think setting goals is what makes best selling authors so prolific in their writing and the ability to turn out 2 or more books a year. 

That is why I like Nanowrimo.  Nanowrimo gives me a set time frame to complete a 50,000 word novel.  It sets acceptable goals that I can meet. 

Knowing what Nanowrimo has done for me, I have applied to be the ML for the Zanesville region.  After completing 50,000 words, I continued having write-ins once a week. 

Since my novella, "Twilight Dance" needs a major re-write.  I am going to concentrate on this during the month of October, using the same guidelines set by nanowrimo.  I'll write attempt to write 1700 words a day.  I need to do this, since "the witch" has been clammoring in my head for her part of the story to be heard.  Before I concentrated on Miri and John and their romance, which I will keep, but I will be creating scenes in which "the witches" voice will be heard.

Hopefully, this will get TD out of my head, so I can concentrate on my new idea about a Fairy Queen in November.  Oh, and "Twilight Dance" will have a brand new name. 

Happy writing!

BEING MYSELF

A question I have heard asked frequently is "How do I write different things without losing my voice?"

At first a writer might try different things as they attempt to discover who they are as a writer.  The more one writes, the more your voice comes through in your work.  You can cross genres and your voice will still come through.

For instance, my writing is kind of dark.  Even when I write what I call mundane stories, my voice still comes through.  I can sometimes switch off my voice to write lighter pieces, but that is usually harder than the dark stuff and requires way more thought.  I have to pull from my own experience to write the lighter stuff. 

It's funny that I am usually more upbeat in my "real life" than my "writing life."  I guess the dark stuff must come from somewhere.  I find that letting out the darker side of me keeps it from interfering in my life.

Staying true to yourself is certainly good for your writing, but trying new things opens up greater avenues in your creativity.  It's good to stretch yourself.  I am always learning each time I write a flash piece, a longer piece or even poetry.  So, feel free to dabble in other areas, but don't forget the part of you that you are most comfortable and write that too.

Sometimes switching from fiction to non-fiction or poetry is not easy, but you can do it.  You may just need to work a little harder than you have in the past to get those different creative juices flowing.  Whatever you do, DO NOT STOP WRITING! 

JUST WRITE

The Y-City Writers Forum is gearing up for our 4th Writers Conference on Oct. 8, 2011 and I am beginning to kick things into high gear.

A friend of mine is on me to get my two manuscripts ready for print. Which I am working on... I know, finally! The changes on both have been brewing in my head.

NanoWriMo begins in November and is National Novel Writing Month for those of you who don't know what it is.

I have applied to be the municiple liason for Nanowrimo. And I have a story idea swimming in my head. Actually, I dreamed it, so I may just be able to plot it out to keep me on track for Nano. Our previous ML will be so proud of me! She will be missed as she flies into the wild blue yonder and the urban jungles of New York City!

A friend read a poem called, "I Write in a Laundry Mat" by Marcy Sheiner about a woman who writes everywhere in her preciously sparce downtime. So, as summer winds itself down and kids head back to school, I say to you, "Write!"