The Correct Point Of View
My post today concerns writing, but applies to life in general as well.
Recently, an online question came up in one of the writing groups I’m involved with regarding what point of view (POV) was correct for a work of fiction. I won’t go into an explanation of POV other than to say that the basic choices are first person (I wrote that), second person (you wrote that) and third person (she wrote that). There are numerous variations of these basic choices and there are great websites that go into more detail on this than most people want to know. In any case, the discussion revolved around some of those variations.
I made the point that rather than worrying about the popular trend, for me it’s more a matter of being true to yourself as a writer, and being honest with yourself as an artist.
There are very explicit rules for what a writer can and can’t do within certain genre, such as in romance and they do need to be followed. That said, you could follow a formulaic approach and write something that fits very comfortably within the herd, and you can probably manage to be successful (witness Eragon) even with mediocre writing.
However, I think it’s really important to be true to yourself and to the story. The POV is only one factor (albeit a very significant one) that makes up the complete personality of the work, so listen to the heartbeat of your story, how it wants to tell itself, and if you are really connecting with it you will know how to tell it…because that’s what we really are, are storytellers.
And if you try to tell your story in some way that isn’t “real” it’s going to come across as flat as a B-grade actor on the big screen. Because to really imbue your work with life, it has to flow from the deepest, most honest part of inside of you…and believe me, you can’t fake that effortless flow of genuinely honest writing. That’s something I’ve struggled with for a long time myself, my own personal Moby Dick. And I am still hunting that great white whale but I’m seeing it come within harpoon range now.
My point with all this was that (and this is just my opinion)…worry about the quality of the prose, worry about the honesty and emotion of the writing, but don’t worry about the POV…if you are REALLY out in left field, you’ll know it if you’re honest with yourself and the story.
So how does this apply to life in general? Whether it is work, our family life or the pursuits we fill our lives with outside of those things, we all have passions that we pursue. And I think it’s important to be true and honest to those passions within yourself. Some of the most miserable times of my life were when I was less than honest about what was inside myself.
So be true to what is inside yourself, and above all else, don’t stop pursuing your great white whale.