Whose Story Is It?

 by Sparkle Abbey

At our most recent Sisters in Crime meeting the discussion topic was "Point of View." An easy technique for some writers, a more difficult one for others. 

Whether using first-person point of view as we do in our books, or third person which is very common in fiction writing, the choice of point of view is an important choice that a writer makes when beginning to tell a story. It will impact every other choice you make along the way. 

First person point of view is narrated by a character in the story. In our case, Caro or Mel, depending on the book. So you never get the story from anyone else's perspective. First person sounds like this, "I don't normally break into people's homes, but today I was making an exception." 

Second person, puts the reader into the story as a character. This isn't one we've used very much. It sounds like this, "You went to work that morning and first thing, you decide you need more coffee." 

Third person limited only lets the reader know what one character at a time thinks and sees. This one is pretty common and can be a very effective way to add suspense to a story. It sounds like this, "He had played this same game before and had anticipated this time out it would be something of a let down." That's from the brilliant Mary Higgins Clark's "You Belong to Me." Certainly a master of suspense writing!

With third person omniscient point of view anything can be revealed about anyone. It's often used at the beginning of a story and then the writer shifts to other POVs to move the reader closer. Many times it reads like this, "Little did they know that..." It's the wide shot and can be an intriguing method to get a readers attention. 

In our opinion, the bottom line is that the very best point of view is the one that goes unnoticed. It's a matter of  - whose story is it? Who can best tell the story in such a way that we don't even think about it. We're just along for the ride!

So readers, do you notice point of view when you read? And do you have a preference for a particular POV? 

Sparkle Abbey's latest story (written in first person) is a short but fun one. If you've not yet checked out PROJECT DOGWAY, this is a great time to do that. 

Sparkle Abbey is actually two people, Mary Lee Ashford and Anita Carter, who write the national best-selling Pampered Pets cozy mystery series. They are friends as well as neighbors so they often get together and plot ways to commit murder. (But don't tell the other neighbors.) 

They love to hear from readers and can be found on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, their favorite social media sites. Also, if you want to make sure you get updates, sign up for their newsletter via the SparkleAbbey.com website

Solving My Murderous POV!

By Laura Spinella

In the thick of storytelling, the nitty-gritty, nose-to-the-grindstone act of putting words on a blank page, there are bound to be roadblocks. If there aren’t, you’re not doing it right. That's not to say there’s a magic bullet or formula. It’s just that you can’t get from point A to point B without hitting a few glitches and in some instances a landmine.

I am in the midst of writing book seven. Lucky seven. If all goes well, it will be the third book to make it onto store shelves. Of course, that doesn’t lessen the learning curve of those trunk novels. Surely, I garnered more from the misfits than the books that had legs and, eventually, a spine. The premise for my new book came fairly easy, so I came prepared for some other sort of problem. Perhaps my pace would be off kilter and my love story tepid at best. But no, that wasn’t it. I sailed into midpoint, anxious as a reader to find out how it all works out for Aubrey and Levi. My research has gone well too. My former editor-in-chief has graciously allowed me tap into his vast newspaper knowledge. That's a great thing, helping me fine tune character and storyline details. In fact, the biggest challenge had been physical. The mind is willing. The body not as able as it used to be. My arthritic neck and a nagging pinched nerve (paints a lovely haggard witch picture, doesn’t it?) have decided that sitting for hours is not in their best interest. But physical pain is not as compelling as mental anguish, and I was having hard time accepting it as this book’s issue. Frankly, I worried that the process was going too well.  

Then, last week, everything changed.  I just didn't step on my landmine, I fell face first into it. The problem came into focus as I backed the truck up and decided to read my WIP.  There it was, crystal clear: the POV in the past portion of the story is a hellacious mess. It truly, absolutely, completely sucks. Seriously sucks. For the most part, my writing relies on a back-and-forth method of storytelling. They’re not flashbacks but an intertwining of chapters moving between two distinct periods of time. I’ve been asked if this is intentional. It is, but only as a means to an end. It’s the way my mind or muse conveys a story. In BEAUTIFUL DISASTER and PERFECT TIMING, the past storyline is mostly about the romance. In this book, it chronicles the events leading up to a murder. It also includes a darker, somewhat twisted romance. Initially, this is what intrigued me, writing a socially unacceptable love story and seeing if I could get readers (not to mention my agent & editor) to buy into it. For that part, we’ll see. Right now, my problem is a murderous POV.

 I thought an omniscient telling would be the key to these in-the-past chapters.  I like the distance that an omniscient POV provides. There’s no need to get too chummy with the characters here. But an omniscient POV doesn’t come naturally to me, a fact proven when I reviewed my WIP. An out loud reading left me queasy and looking for a quick exit.  The dogs, my captive audience, practically howled in protest.  I didn’t recognize the writer, the voice tip-toeing between characters and that removed but all-knowing presence.  My go-to fix might be multiple POVs separated by scene. It would keep things rolling along, although I don’t know if it would be admitting defeat. I don’t like to lose. But I also like climbing into my characters' heads, one at a time, rooting around for their side of things. This is what I'm good at.  Those voices come clearly, and it could be that I’m shooting myself in the foot by trying to prove I can do it. For now I’ve abandoned the problem, pursuing forward motion with what is working. But before long I will have to revisit Missy and Frank and the ensemble that awaits me in Surrey, Mass, circa 1993. I will have to decide.  

So I’m wondering Stiletto Gang writers of mystery—or anyone who has a thought on the subject—what POV works best for you. Do you venture outside your comfort zone if the story dictates? Should I stick with my omniscient effort? Am I doing what’s best for this story, or am I only being stubborn about mastering a skill that doesn’t come naturally to my set? Like any good editorial, opinions are welcome!         

Laura Spinella is the author of the award winning novel, BEAUTIFUL DISASTER and the upcoming novel, PERFECT TIMING. Visit her at www.lauraspinella.net. 

      

The Other POV

by Bethany Maines

Tis the season again.  The political season that is.  And Washington State being Washington State we’re facing a couple of contentious issues, including gay marriage, marijuana legalization for everyone over 21, and that old chestnut, the Presidential race.  Although, it should be noted that since we are Washington State the REAL hippies are against the marijuana legalization initiative because it doesn’t go far enough.

I strongly believe in our democracy and I do my best to learn what I can about the issues and cast my vote accordingly. But I have to say it’s a bit of childhood dream dashed to discover that frequently both sides of an issue have points in their favor. What happened to absolute certainty and knowing which way to go? Who wants to grow up and see the other guy’s point of view?  It makes me want to curl up on the couch and watch Rio Bravo (or Eldorado, really doesn’t matter which) because you know where you’re at with a John Wayne movie.

Although, it has recently come to my attention through this great blog entry by Anne Kreamer for the Harvard Business Review that my mother may have ruined my ability to see the world in black and white. By encouraging me to read fiction my heartless mother was teaching me to how to be empathetic and how to build a “theory of mind” (the ability to interpret and respond to those different from us).  What was she thinking?  Oh wait, I can totally understand what she was thinking because I have the skill to see the world from her perspective.  Why, Mom, why??!!!

While being able to think from another point of view may have ruined my black hat/white hat theory of politics, it has served me well in writing.  One the tricks I find most useful for teasing out a plot tangle is to write out a synopsis of the story from the Villains point of view. With all my attention being focused on the hero or heroine sometimes I’ll make the error of simply moving my Bad Guy off stage.  For all intents and purposes he’s just out there in the wings, twiddling his thumbs, and waiting for his cue to come in and twirl his moustache and chew a bit of scenery.  But when I write the story from his POV I realize that those plot holes have been holes because I haven’t been giving the Villain a chance to actually be a person. Real people have goals and motivations beyond moustache twirling and the story only gets better when I let my Baddy show there’s more to him than an awesome moustache.  And although moustaches are great, I think we can all agree that no one will ever really be able to compete with Sam Elliot, and my Villains probably shouldn’t even try.

Bethany Maines is the author of Bulletproof Mascara, Compact With the Devil and Supporting the Girls.  Catch up with her at www.bethanymaines.com or check out the new Carrie Mae youtube video.