POV

This may seem harsh, but I’ve had it with lame excuses. Point of view (POV) matters, and those who convince themselves it doesn’t are fools. There’s nothing wrong with writing as a hobby. In fact, I encourage it. But if you want to be published, learn the rules and follow them. Don’t waste my editing time if you don’t want to change a thing.

New writers all make mistakes. I made more than anyone. The most common is probably POV errors. The top two responses I get when I point out the problem are “The editor will fix it.” and “So and so (big-name author) does it.” To the first, the answer is no, the editor will not fix it. The editor will never see it. The first unannounced POV shift lands your manuscript on the reject pile. If you do it once, on the first page or in an early chapter, you’ll do it throughout the book. Publishers don’t have the time, money, or inclination to fix it. To the second excuse, once you’ve made the publisher millions of dollars with your best sellers, you can do whatever you want. Until then, conquer POV and stick to one per scene.

Keep points of view to a minimum. Giving a character a POV implies they are important. When I see an inner thought, I take note that this person matters. Don’t blow your readers’ trust. If you can’t figure out which character owns a scene, rethink the scene. By ‘owns’ I mean who has the most to gain or lose. If you want readers to know another character is nervous, happy, anxious, scared, etc, show it. Don’t go into their head to tell us what they feel. Show, don’t tell (a topic worthy of another rant). Most emotions are pretty easy for your POV character to observe. Nervous person? Have them pace, look out the window, check the mirror, give them a tick. Whatever. You can show nerves so easily there’s no reason to take the simple method of telling. Besides, that’s boring. You can show love through body language and dialog. The same goes for happiness, sadness, anxiety, fear. Let the reader observe what the POV character does, and let them see what he/she sees. This enhances your story by focusing on important characters, and helps readers by putting them in the scene.

You can change POVs, but let readers know by using stars or an extra space. Be sure to establish who’s POV you’re in quickly. Readers can only know what that character knows, thinks, believes, sees, hears, tastes, smells…If you violate this, you’ll soon start head-hopping. Next you’ll give an animal a POV. Then you’ll move on to having two characters speak in the same paragraph. At this point, you are lost. Beyond hope.

If you’re a serious writer, don’t be a lazy one. Don’t expect others to fix your work. Give an editor the most polished manuscript he/she has ever seen. Prove you know what you’re doing. Don’t think because a successful author violates POV willy-nilly, you can, too. Phootie. You can’t. Above all, don’t waste my time. Write to your heart’s content. Fill pages and pages and have fun doing it. There’s nothing wrong with that. If you want someone to read your book, give them the best you can do and be willing to hear it’s not quite good enough. Roll up your sleeves and get back to work.

More rants will follow. I’m sick of explanations and defenses after I’ve spent hours on a chapter or two. Show, don’t tell, is important. So is continuity. Self-editing can actually be fun. Character development is essential. I hope to hit on all these topics, and more, on my blog. Writing is the most difficult thing I’ve ever done, and discussions of techniques are fascinating. How do you get backstory in? How much do you need?

Amy updates will also appear. She is, after all, the center of my world right now.

Amy Update

I'd planned on blogging about writing. POV to be specific. But that can wait. Amy added a new trick to her repertoire. Opening the fence gate. John had assured me it was secure. Right. One day last week she romped in the yard while I put away groceries. I checked on her several times, then went back to my chores. When I finished I went out to play with her, and there was no Amy. No bouncing pup coming when I called. Nothing but a quiet back yard. I went to the side of the house and saw the gate wide open and had a minor heart attack. After running to the house for her leash, I took off. When I say running, I mean balls-to-the-wall, full-out running. The kind you can only do when in a panic.

People are amazing. Most of the time they really piss me off, but on this day I loved them. Strangers stopped what they were doing and helped look for Amy. One lady left her own garage sale to drive me around. No kidding. I searched her favorite places and waded through very tall weeds. I ran the walking path twice. Cars on a road near us seemed to be in a race, so I stood in the street and waved my hands and yelled, "Slow down! A puppy is loose!" Yes, if you heard about a lunatic doing that, it was me.

Over an hour later I was a true mess. I'd run at least two miles and it was a hot, hot day. My hands wouldn't stop shaking and my legs felt like they'd give out any second. I was drenched in sweat and my top was soaked. I decided to go home and check for messages in case someone had Amy and called. Our names and number are on her collar tag. When I got here the neighbor boys ran to meet me. They'd found her and put her in the back yard and made sure the gate was closed tight. Naturally I burst into tears and hugged those kids so much I'm pretty sure they'll never come near me again. Poor things. Hopefully none of their peers saw.

In the meantime, while I was dashing on a path and waving my arms at cars on the street etc, Amy had opened the back door to the house. When my husband got home she was inside, in air conditioned comfort, the back door was wide open, and I was nowhere to be found. He saw my purse and knew I'd never go anywhere without it. My car was in the garage. Now he was worried about me! Our relief when we all saw each other again can't be described. I had another crying jag. By the way, I'm not a crier.

It is amazing what one little dog can do. Such joy. Such worry. Such love. Such worry. The fence gate now has more locks than a New York City apartment. Even Amy can't undo all of them.

Okay, now that's off my chest. My next blog will be a POV rant. Why do so many people think 'someone else' will fix their mistakes? Their laziness? Writing is tough. Deal with it or quit.