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.