Viewpoint VP.

This is longer than usual because it is such a huge subject. We did touch on it back in August but the ABG members asked for more, so here it is.

Some people don’t understand VP. Others didn’t know it existed. Others think it unimportant. Some are afraid of it. And the lucky few just do it without thinking.

So, what’s on offer? Omniscient, is archaic and rare. It gives only the narrators POV. It can alienate the reader for there is a great risk of the voice that emerges being too authorial. However there are advantages in that there are no barriers to what is going on in other’s heads.
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There is currently one which is fashionable - Deep 3rd which I don’t understand so I’m ignoring it – well it’s my blog! But in any case I think the conventional ones are sufficient for us.

So, we have: 1st person single. 3rd person single. 3rd person multiple to chose from.

Without doubt, choosing who is to have a viewpoint in your novel is critical.
If you want to write a single VP is it going to be written in 3rd person or is it in 1st person? It’s important to consider if they can carry a whole book – for this character has to be big enough, interesting enough, empathetic enough to sustain interest through a whole novel.

If you decide you would be better off with another VP joining – who is it to be?
The same with multiple VPs, which ones? Ask yourself how am I to arrange them, how am I going to control them?

The first thing I advise you to do is to sit down and think WHY have I chosen this particular one or two or three? Make a list - if you’re like me lists always help.

Why do I think single will be better?
Why 3rd person?
Why am I afraid of single VP?
Why multiple VPs?

What seemed like a good idea might not be so and by working through you will have saved yourself a lot of bother and work and, if you decide to change half way through, a lot of complications.

1st PERSON NARRATIVE.
Some think this is the easiest when it is one of the hardest.

DISADVABTAGES.

It is one person, who holds the story together, that person has to be strong and interesting to sustain the reader’s interest.
Remember, it is one person’s POV. Therefore, nothing can happen in your book without that person being present.
There is a big risk that the writer becomes the narrator instead of the character.

ADVANTAGES.

One can get to know this person in depth.
There is no difficulty in introducing thought processes.
Some writers worry that the ‘I’ will dominate the page when in fact they don’t.

3rd PERSON SINGLE NARRATIVE.

We have almost the same disadvantages as 1st – however with the use of 3rd then there is less risk of the author becoming the narrator.
And the same advantages exist.

MULTIPLE VIEWPOINTS.

This is the most popular for a very long novel. By using several characters and their VP you are spreading the load. You are noT reliant on one person to tell your story.
But a word of warning. If you have too many “heads” you can make things too complicated, not only for yourself in controlling and balancing them, but too many differing VPs and the reader has problems identifying who is who.

What do I mean by getting the balance right? With multiples it is very easy to favour one of the characters so that the second, or third, shrinks into insignificance, so we wonder why they have such an important role?
Another thing that can happen is that you find you like writing one more than another and, when this happens, the consistency of your writing can suffer – for the simple reason you want to get back to the one you like the most.
If you feel like this then your reader will too and there’s the risk they will skim the parts of the least favoured characters.
If this happens you would be wise to ask why you have so many, and perhaps to drop one.

ADVANTAGES.

You are not restricted to how many. 2,3, 4 are common. (I’d advise no more than four, it needs a practised hand to deal with a crowd.)
With several characters VP they can play off each other.
It helps hugely with character development since they can tell us their opinion of others.
The book can move into other places, your venues are not restricted .
Multiples add interest.
By spreading the load – the risk that your character isn’t really up to being a VP is lessened.

DISADVATAGES.

As I’ve said the risk of favouring.
Too many making for confusion.
Choosing the wrong VPs.
Not making them different enough.
There is a greater risk of switching heads in the same scene.

OVERALL DANGERS.

1. Keeping to the POV chosen.
2. Switching VPs in the same scene.
3. Changing the main VP during the novel.
4. Not understanding that the VP is the characters and not the writer’s.

TIP.

If undecided what to do then take the first few paragraphs of work in progress and switch the VPs you have available and see how it reads and how it affects the characterization, the mood, the sense of the novel.

Scene Setting

I’m a bit late and hurried today – we were taken out for a super lunch by my son and his wife. It was such a happy day. In consequance I’ve probably forgotten something important!

So, what next? You’ve decided who you want to write about and probably where they are. The setting. We touched on this back in August but I think we should look at it in greater depth because for me, scene setting is critical and can too easily be overlooked. Sometimes too much is left to the readers imagination. If you tell them where your characters are, they will still use their own imagination but you have given them the bases to build on.

Without scene setting then everyone you creat is left in limbo. By describing where they are anchors the characters; it acts like a compass for your readers; it allows them to acclimatise to the world you have created; It indicates mood. It is a tool for giving masses of information in the easiest way. And in any case it can be fun.

Lets look at those points in more depth.

Anchor/compass. If something is about to happen in your plot then where everyone is can be relevant. We’ve all been in environments where we feel secure, happy – and it will be the setting we are in which helps us feel that way. So in fiction. On the other hand you can be in a place which makes you uncomfortable, afraid – so in your book. The atmosphere you are creating with the scene setting gives pointers to the reader, which they will probably not be aware of but they are all the same.

Mood. Where they are can affect the mood, the situation, the outcome for your characters. A wood – it can be a place of peace and beauty which makes them feel happy but it can also be a creepy place. A storm – it can be dangerous, and yet it can clear the air. A sunset – happiness or sadness. Don’t forget the seasons. We all feel different at different times of the year, so use it.

Information. Where people live, where they choose to be, eat, dream can tell us much about them. The decor in a house, the furniture, the colours they use, the fabrics they have, the books they own, the paintings on the wall will give so much information as to what sort of people they are. Tidy or untidy, rich or poor, the class they are, their state of mind even. You can tell your reader so much in a concise way.

Fun. In my Sarson Magna books I created a whole village, that was enormous fun. I love old houses and there is nearly always one in my books which, invariably, I describe in depth. Houses are important to me and frequently to my characters too and so sometimes the house is virtually a character also so it is a combination with scene setting.
Tip. If a house or garden or village is important in my book then I always draw a plan so that as they move about the building there is a consistency – so, if they turn left by the front door they end up in the right room! It’s important since if you don’t notice, I can assure you one of your readers surely will.
I also make a note of what furniture is in different rooms and also the position, what pictures, minute detail. If you make a mistake and put the Stubbs in a different room then you lose credibility

And don’t forget to put a line space when changing scenes.

Plotting 2.

So how does a plot happen? Let’s look at a story. Cinderella.
How does the story of Cinderella work as a plot? What are the factors which make us read it? It is a story of wrongful oppression but goodness triumphs.

Character led We like Cinderella, we are distressed by her unhappiness, we want her to be happy right from the start.
Contrast involves us. The stepmother and stepsisters are so horrid to her that we sympathise with her. There awfulness counterpoints how wonderful she is.

Causality. One thing leading to another thus making something else happen.
Cause and effect = plot.
Cinderella is put upon and wants to go to the ball but too much work,no clothes and the spite of her sisters prevent it.
The importance of the ball is that Prince Charming invites all the young women in his search for a bride.
The arrival of her Godmother and the granting of her wishes enables her to go.

Conflict = empowers plot. Conflict creates pace which powers the plot.

Her stepmother and stepsisters are horrible to her .
There is the worry that she may choose Buttons.
Midnight looms and the reader fears she will not realise.
The loss of the shoe.
Will the Prince find the girl who owned the slipper?

Surprise aids plot. Surprise adds pace which propels the plot.

The unexpected arrival of the godmother.
The turning of the pumpkin and mice into coach and horses.
The changing of Cinder’s rags into a ball gown.
The chimes of midnight.


Sub-plots. If you think of the main plot as a maypole then the subplots are the ribbons twining around it.
The Prince confides his concerns to Dandini. We become privy to his thoughts.

Resolution.The shoe fits.
They live happily ever after.


Dangers that may occur:

Balance of plot going awry. This can be particularly dangerous if you have a lot of subplots. it is easy to get carried away with a sub to the detriment of the main.

Plot becoming static. This happens when there is a lack of pace – the engine which drives the plot along. Without pace then the writing slows, the sags begin.

Plot becomes untenable – this can happen when there is too much pace and the outcome is disbelieve in the plot.

Plot lines fizzling out. Again often occurs when you have too many subplots and you are at a loss to know where they are to go. It is also possible to have a minor plot line, so minor that you forget that it is there.

Characters taking control. Characters can easily move you in directions you do not wish to go, then stop them. However, you would be wise to listen to them for they may be adding and not subtracting to the plot.

A special warning is to try not to fit a character you happen to like into a plot to which they don’t really belong. for you risk it becoming unbelievable.

Don’t forget the sheep. All plot lines have to be resolved one way or the other. Don’t leave them in limbo.


Cinderella is a simple story but if you use this as a check list to your own WIP it might help you, I hope so.

Plotting

How I envy the plotters. I imagine the security they must feel as they embark on their novel, no false starts or ending up in cul-de-sacs of dead plot ideas. There it is, all laid out for them, their journey secure. However, the devil in me thinks how boring! I would hate to know what is going to happen and from that I work on the principle that if it surprises and amuses me hopefully it will do the same for my readers.

So, I’ve no idea how to plan a plot, sorry. But I can tell you the principle of plotting and what makes a successful plot and the dangers to look out for.

There are books which are driven by plot and those that are character led.

Scott Fitzgerald said “plot is character and characters plot.” This is true but then not strictly true. There are books which are led by their characters and what they get up to makes the plot. However there are novels with abstract concepts, there are thrillers, crime, science fiction books with more plot than characterisation.

Plot.

A plot is created from significant events which create consequences which enable the plot to evolve and for it to continue.
Plot grows and changes in the telling. It is driven by these events.

Character led.

It is what it says, it is the characters and what happens to them which controls the events which unfold and the story develops out of the characters experiences. There may be one main character, there might be a group, but all are on a journey of some sort – emotional or intellectual. And, as in life, along the way, these characters change, evolve and reach a conclusion, a solution.

But, it is not a case of simply relating what is happening to them, there needs to be a framework – consequences appear which create tensions, which enables the story to evolve.

And when character led it is essential that the reader cares about the characters and can identify with them. Don’t forget though, that to care does not simply mean to be concerned but can also mean that one cares that they get their just deserts if you’ve chosen to write a baddy.
And you would be wise, simply because you’ve created a fabulous character, not to try to fit them into a plot where they don’t belong.

All my novels are character led for it suits middle market fiction.

Control.

Once the plot or story line has been decided, it’s a good idea to try to keep it under control since plots have a way of meandering off on their own – arriving at dead ends and a lot of wasted time. So, it’s wise to keep a grip on it, and be constantly evaluating if it is working, if what you are putting down is relevant.
It helps to keep asking the Ws:

Why? As in why are they doing this.
When? As in when are they doing this in relation to before and after.
What? As in what happens next.
Who? Is this relevant to the character who is doing it.
Where? The place, and why there?

Skeleton.

It helps me to think of the plot as a skeleton. And as the bones in our body need to be strong or we can’t stand up, so it is with your novel. Everything else is added to this skeleton – character, scene setting, viewpoint – just as nerves and muscle are joined to the skeleton.

This, I think is enough for today for it is a big subject so we’ll return to it next week. I’m sorry I was late but a frantic social life got in the way!

The Adventure Begins

We agreed, as there are so many stories and writers so there are many different ways to write a novel. Whichever route you take it is an awesome task. I am always amazed when holding that first copy of a new novel in my hands to think – Did I really do this? Such is the uphill climb, such is the enormity of the task.

Please remember that all these little blogs I write are telling you how I do it, not how it should be done. This is never more obvious than in the setting out.

Themes

I have begun every single book I’ve written with a theme.
There are the stalwarts:

Rags to riches.
Rites of passage.
Prodigals

And then I have my own which do vary and yet at the same time they are recurring. Class.
Rejection (social and emotional.)
Affect of money.
Relocation (taking a person from a familiar environment and into an unfamiliar.) These four constantly bubble away beneath a main abstract theme – for example sibling rivalry or jealousy or grief.

When a possible theme sticks in my mind I will then mull it over. I sometimes brainstorm and write a list of words relevant to this theme.
For e.g. Family was the theme. So I made my list, and a very long one it was. Love, marriage, birth, betrayal, jealousy, rivalry, death etc etc. Then I made notes against various words which I felt I might use later – some I did but most did not feature. But in doing this exercise, thought processes get kicked into action and, being a non-plotter, I have a starting point of sorts.

A theme, you see, is not the plot, it is the impetus behind it and helps propel it.

It needs thought and a lot of it, for, this theme you choose needs to be strong enough to sustain the whole novel. And one that can diversify thus creating other strands to expand the plot – create sub-plots.

And this theme can be so strong, so big, that in fact it becomes the plot.
An example of this is Clare’s War. The theme was war. But which war? Why war? What kinds of war? In the finished novel there are three ‘wars’ winding through. The war of the allies against the Germans.
The war of the French against the Vichy government.
And Clare’s personal war as she changes from child to woman.

Why are my themes recurring? Because they are important to me.
Relocation because as a child I was evacuated from a terrace house to a stately home, and it affected the rest of my life.
Class because in the 50s I experienced the intolerance of the English class prejudice first hand and it angered me.
Rejection because it is akin to class and emotional rejection never leaves one.
Money I have witnessed how often an abundance of money can damage lives.

For me it is a good way to start but it might not be for you.
From my theme, you see, my plot evolves.

THE END

So, where does the end start? You’ve been aiming for the end from the very beginning. And along the way you have had lots of mini beginnings – the start of new scenes, the start of new chapters – so you’ve had many mini-ends. But each one of them has been leading to the big one – The End.

The plotters among us will know what the finale is to be. The ones who wing it, like me, will have no idea what it will be, where it will be, even if it is happy or sad. Though there have been books where I’ve known the last line; this is particularly odd since often, at the time, this line means nothing to me and I’ve no idea what it relates too. (Don’t you sometimes find writing is a spooky occupation?)

Single plot, single viewpoint.

If you have one plot all well and good but if you have sub-plots then don’t forget that they will need a satisfactory ending too – all of them. Similarly minor characters need to be tidied away. Nothing annoys more than loose ends. The great publisher at Chatto and Windus, the late Norah Smallwood, referred to this as “gathering in your sheep.”

There should never be a cause for a reader to query – what happened to?

The gathering of sheep is less complicated in a single VP – but even then mistakes can be made and characters which were once important to the plot, or to the main characters, get forgotten and left behind.

This is where keeping a time line comes in handy, it’s an easy way to show you that you’ve left Aunt Maud, who was such a help to your heroine, in limbo.

Multiple Viewpoints and sub-plots.

When you have say 3 VPs then, of necessity, there are three lots of herds to be tended. If you can think of them independently it does make things easier.

For a long time with multiple VPs, apart from the main typescript, I’ve also filed each VP’s chapters, separately. So instead of having to search through the whole, each person has their own folder. It makes checking that much easier and of course, each one has their own time line. (I started doing this for another important reason but I’ll explain that more fully when we get to discussing Viewpoint.)

Resolution.

Resolution of any conflicts or problems you have created. As there is resolution to the main story line, don’t forget that resolution is needed for all the sub-plots no matter how minor they appear.

Tailing off.

Once past the middle of the book with all its problems, it’s a good idea to start thinking of tailing things off, how long do you want a sup-plot to continue; do you still need this character? This is because the last thing you need is a clutter at the end, an army of people milling about. It’s far better for the book and the characters if everything is cleared to allow the end to involve the main protagonists.

Happy or Sad?

Although with a romance a happy ending is anticipated, with relationship novels, which I write, then it is not necessarily the case. I’ve written sad endings to several of my books for the simple reason it was what the book dictated. A couple I had to dig my heels in and fight for, but for me it was the only possible outcome and in the end my editors agreed.

The worst thing, for me, is the end. I always find it sad. After all you’ve lived with these characters for so long, they’ve become friends, why you know them better than you know your real friends, since you know their innermost thoughts. Saying goodbye to them makes me cry, and it happens every time!

Sagging Middles

The middle of the novel is, without doubt, the danger zone. At the beginning of the book you are fired up with excitement, your mind is teeming with ideas, you even dare to think this is easy. And then? It’s a bit like driving on the motorway, there you are, zooming along, when the traffic begins to slow and finally you come to a halt. So it can happen with your writing.

This is the point when you think everything you’ve written is rubbish, that no one will want to read this novel let alone buy it. You are convinced that agents and editors will run screaming from your opus. Just as in middle age there’s a risk of body parts going south, so with the novel there’s the risk of the sagging middle. I have yet to meet an author who does not complain of this problem.

It is understandable. By now you’ve been with the characters you’ve created for a long time and, dare one say, you’re getting bored with them and their endless problems and angst. And you’re feeling tired too and all the doubts of your ability come flooding in.

It is a dangerous time, for this is the point where so many YUPs (Yet UnPublished) give up, convinced they cannot do it.

You are not alone! I’ve yet to meet a writer who doesn’t complain and suffer this problem. I use the word suffer advisedly, for it is a truly miserable time, the self-doubt is excruciating.

So, what to do?

The first thing is to take a break from it. Do something else. Go away for the weekend. Put it away for a couple of days. You’ve got too close, you need a bit of space between you and the work in progress.

Then reread what you’ve written. Try to pinpoint where you feel it is going wrong. Look for places where it is dragging – perhaps there is too much prose; perhaps repetition has appeared; perhaps predictability has crept in; perhaps none of these and you can reassure yourself that it is all in your imagination.

What if the conclusion you reach is that you do have a problem, that it wasn’t just your imagination. What to do? This might be time for a big plot shift, which will re-ignite, not only your interest and confidence, but it will give life to the book. This is not a band-aid, if the problem is serious then this is resuscitation.

What plot move?

Introduce a new character.
Perhaps there is a sudden death.
A new love interest will help, particularly if you’re writing a romance.
You could add a mystery or a puzzle.
A new conflict. Conflict is a great tool, adding tension and excitement.

Then decide if this works. You might find that you were worrying unnecessarily and the new plot shift does not sit well – then go back to the original.
However, you might find yourself thinking “this is so much better” then leave it in.

Problem solved. The worst is over then you can begin to concentrate on the end.