Point of View

Writers hear point of view often, from workshops, magazines, books, and the Internet. Our job means for us to recall the point of view rules as we write.

Recently, I read an article in Writer's Digest on point of view by James V. Smith Jr. The article excerpted from Mr. Smith's book The Writer's Little Helper.

I thought I could learn nothing new on POV. Wrong. Mr. Smith does an excellent job in exploring the topic.

He starts by writing about understanding differences in POV, with advantages and disadvantages of each. There's first person, second person, and third person. Regarding third person, Mr. Smith explains third person unlimited omniscience. Then, he discusses third person omniscience.

What I plan to keep handy next to my computer? Mr. Smith's Quick Tip: Don't Let Your Authorial Voice Overshadow Your Character's Voice. Something I'm still struggling with, so very good job, sir.

Then, he goes on to say we can get really complex, with three or four times as many POV choices. For now, I'll stick with these basics and learn them well.

Thank you, Mr. Smith for a fine article and Writer's Digest for another great mini class on writing.

Until next time . . .

My Summer Reading Comes To A Close, And . . .

My summer reading is over. The bug to read a pile of books has wane and now it's time to read my magazine pile. And boy do I have a pile.

I subscribe to The Horn Book Magazine, Writer's Digest, and SCBWI Bulletin. I benefit as a writer and a person by reading these three periodicals. I also receive the Backwoods Home magazine for practical ideas for self-reliant living. I would be hard pressed to know which one of these magazines to drop if finances required.

As I read my backlogged pile of magazines, I realize once again, I have missed each magazine very much. But life does take over and sometimes reading materials must take a backseat. This usually happens during vegetable gardening and harvesting, which includes wood cutting season. This busy work can last several months so reading can slow down, because writing is my bigger priority. Even so, I don't plan to stop taking my magazines.

I hope I'm not the only person who is guilty of letting the magazine pile stack up. Surely someone out there suffers from the same ailment: living life!

Okay, maybe it's not an ailment, but life can get pretty dog gone hectic. Much is required of us human beings, and I wouldn't change that for all the world.

Click on the links above and see about starting your subscription to my favorite magazines.

Until next time . . . please don't negect your most important job: family.