An Experiment in Writing – Part 26: World-Building via 1stP POV

A technique I love for involving the reader/listener AND providing necessary story information ASAP is world-building via 1stP POV.

I won’t get into how the term world-building is a glom for all sorts of other things writers need to know in order to write well, things like atmosphere, character, dialogue, storytelling, style, tone, conflict, description, exposition, …

No wonder they glom it all together into “world-building!”

I mean, it’s a lot easier to do one thing poorly than develop the skills so you can use some while developing others and constantly adding to your repertoire/took kit, right?

Harrumph!.

As mentioned in experiments 5, 14, 25, and in other experiments, 1stP POV is immediate and intimate. The narrator is talking directly to the reader/listener. Someone talking directly to you and being vulnerable (whenever anyone shares their take on something – be it the weather, politics, food, people, … – they are being vulnerable. Being vulnerable, by the way, is how confidence players do their thing) is a quick way to build rapport, and rapport equals readers’ increase interest in the story.

 
Think I’m onto something? Take a class with me or schedule a critique of your work.
Think I’m an idiot? Let me know in a comment.
Either way, we’ll both learn something.

Get copies of my books because it’s a nice thing to do, you care, you can follow along, and I need the money.

An Experiment in Writing – Part 24: A Little More Into The Mythic, and The Rule of Three

First, many thanks to the people who read these experiments and email me, leave comments (okay, a few of you, and I do appreciate it), ask me questions, and make suggestions for future experiments.

I wrote long ago I do these for my benefit, to learn if I truly understand what I’m talking about or am like most of the mumbly mumbly folks out there claiming expertise and having none.

Not that I claim expertise, only that I’m questing for more understanding than I have at present.

Because isn’t that what life’s about anyway?

Experiment 23 was Into the Mythic. I found some great examples between then and now and share them at the top of this experiment, then it’s onto a subject near and dear to my writing craft; The Rule of Three.
Enjoy!

 
Think I’m onto something? Take a class with me or schedule a critique of your work.
Think I’m an idiot? Let me know in a comment.
Either way, we’ll both learn something.

Get copies of my books because it’s a nice thing to do, you care, you can follow along, and I need the money.

An Experiment in Writing – Part 18: Author Voice, Character Voice (Part 4)

This is the last experiment in the Author Voice, Character Voice arc. I mentioned in Part 1. I wrote back then there might be three, maybe more, and I was correct, there’s four.

My goal has been to demonstrate the different voices at an author’s disposal. Part 1 focused on Character Voice. Part 2 focused on Author as Character, something often used when the character has no language and only experience, which causes the author write through the character’s POV but without internal or external dialogue, and when the character’s observations, awareness, and explanations are somehow limited (age, language, non-human, …). Part 3 considered how to craft the story when the Author is the character. The author writes directly through the character’s POV in 1stP, increasing intimacy and immediacy between character and reader.

This post deals with pure author voice. Build worlds, set scenes, tone, develop your style (which is your brand), …

And above all else, foreshadow!

Let me know how good a job I’m doing. Feel free to ask me to elaborate. Currently I recognize this is one of those things I know and never had to explain to myself.

 
Think I’m onto something? Take a class with me or schedule a critique of your work.
Think I’m an idiot? Let me know in a comment.
Either way, we’ll both learn something.

Get copies of my books because it’s a nice thing to do, you care, you can follow along, and I need the money.

An Experiment in Writing – Part 17: Author Voice, Character Voice (Part 3)

This is the third experiment in the Author Voice, Character Voice arc. I mentioned in Part 1.

My goal in this arc is to demonstrate the different voices at an author’s disposal. Part 1 focused on Character Voice. Part 2 focused on Author as Character, something often used when the character has no language and only experience, which causes the author write through the character’s POV but without internal or external dialogue, and when the character’s observations, awareness, and explanations are somehow limited (age, language, non-human, …).

This time out we consider how to craft the story when the Author is the character. The author writes directly through the character’s POV in 1stP, increasing intimacy and immediacy between character and reader.

Let me know how good a job I’m doing. Feel free to ask me to elaborate. Currently I recognize this is one of those things I know and never had to explain to myself.

 
Think I’m onto something? Take a class with me or schedule a critique of your work.
Think I’m an idiot? Let me know in a comment.
Either way, we’ll both learn something.

Get copies of my books because it’s a nice thing to do, you care, you can follow along, and I need the money.

An Experiment in Writing – Part 15: Author Voice, Character Voice (Part 1)

This experiment starts a thread which looks to be three posts long.

So far, anyway.

My goal is to demonstrate that character voice – the way a character talks, the words they use, how they emphasize things, grammatical and linguistic quirks, … – reveal character, including any changes they’ve gone through as the story/novel progresses.

Author voice is similar to the above and covers the entire work, not individual characters. It is your brand, if you will, and how readers recognize your work as separate and distinct from others.

Let me know how good a job I’m doing. Feel free to ask me to elaborate. Currently I recognize this is one of those things I know and never had to explain to myself.

 
Think I’m onto something? Take a class with me or schedule a critique of your work.
Think I’m an idiot? Let me know in a comment.
Either way, we’ll both learn something.

Get copies of my books because it’s a nice thing to do, you care, you can follow along, and I need the money.