Key Takeaways
1. Choose POV characters wisely: Limit number and ensure they're interesting
As a general rule, you should not change points of view promiscuously.
Selective POV characters. Choose the smallest number of POV characters necessary to effectively tell your story. Each POV character should be interesting in their own right, providing unique insights and interpretations of events. Consider which characters will offer the most engaging internal dialogues and complex perspectives on the plot.
Balanced representation. Ensure that all POV characters have substantial roles in the story, with significant actions, consequences, and reactions to other characters' actions. Avoid including POV characters who appear only briefly or infrequently, as this can disrupt the narrative flow. Aim for a balanced distribution of "screen time" among your chosen POV characters, maintaining their presence throughout the story at fairly regular intervals.
2. First-person narration: Intimate but limiting perspective
The strength of first person is the voice of your narrator; make yours reflect his personality not only in what he says but also in how he says it.
Immediacy and voice. First-person narration offers unparalleled intimacy with the narrator's thoughts and feelings. It allows for a unique voice that reflects the character's personality, background, and perspective. This POV excels at conveying the narrator's immediate reactions and inner world, creating a strong connection between the reader and the character.
Limitations and challenges. However, first-person narration comes with inherent limitations. The story is confined to what the narrator knows, experiences, and understands. This can restrict the scope of information available to the reader and may require creative solutions to convey crucial plot elements. Additionally, first-person narration can be challenging for writers, as it demands a consistent and believable character voice throughout the entire narrative.
3. Third-person narration: Flexible viewpoint with varying distances
Third person has the advantages of greater flexibility, external range, and objectivity, but may be less immediate and individualistic than first person.
Versatile perspective. Third-person narration offers a range of possibilities, from close third person (which provides intimate access to a character's thoughts) to distant third person (which offers a more detached, observational view). This flexibility allows writers to adjust the narrative distance as needed, providing both internal insights and external observations.
Balancing objectivity and intimacy. Third-person narration can provide a more objective view of events and characters, allowing for broader context and multiple perspectives. However, it can also delve deep into characters' thoughts and feelings, rivaling the intimacy of first-person narration. The challenge lies in finding the right balance between these aspects to suit your story's needs.
4. Multiple third-person POV: Balancing different perspectives
If you use more than one POV character, it's important that readers know this fairly early in the story.
Diverse viewpoints. Multiple third-person POV allows for a rich, multifaceted narrative by presenting the story through various characters' perspectives. This approach can provide a more comprehensive view of events, reveal different aspects of the plot, and develop multiple characters in depth.
Clarity and balance. When using multiple POVs, it's crucial to establish this approach early in the story to set reader expectations. Introduce your POV characters within the first few scenes or chapters, and maintain a balanced rotation throughout the narrative. Ensure that each POV shift is clearly indicated and serves a purpose in advancing the story or deepening character development.
5. Structural designs for multiple POV novels: Organizing complex narratives
A structural design is a formal method of organizing a long multiple-third-person novel.
Organizational frameworks. Various structural designs can help organize multiple POV narratives:
- Regularly recurring viewpoints: Rotating through POV characters in a consistent order
- Chronological sections: Dividing the narrative into time-based chunks
- Parallel running scenes: Alternating between two or more simultaneous storylines
Enhancing coherence. These structures can provide a sense of rhythm and anticipation for readers, making it easier to follow complex narratives with multiple perspectives. They can also help writers maintain balance among different POVs and ensure that each character's story arc is developed consistently throughout the novel.
6. POV transitions: Maintaining smooth shifts in perspective
Smooth transitions between distances are necessary.
Gradual shifts. When transitioning between different POVs or narrative distances, aim for smooth, gradual shifts rather than abrupt jumps. This can be achieved by:
- Moving through middle distance to get from close to far perspectives (or vice versa)
- Changing paragraphs or scenes when shifting POV
- Rewriting sections to maintain a consistent distance or perspective
Reader orientation. Clear transitions help readers adjust to new perspectives without confusion. Use context clues, distinctive character voices, or explicit indicators to signal POV shifts. This maintains the narrative's flow and prevents readers from becoming disoriented or detached from the story.
7. Climax POV selection: Reinforcing the story's central meaning
What do you want your story to mean? What impression do you want to leave with readers? What, in your mind, is the heart of this tale? Give the climactic POV to the character who embodies it.
Strategic POV choice. The selection of POV for the climax can significantly impact the overall meaning and impact of your story. Choose the character whose perspective best reinforces the central themes, conflicts, or messages of your narrative. This choice can emphasize particular aspects of the story and guide readers' final impressions.
Emotional resonance. Consider which character's viewpoint will provide the most emotionally resonant experience for the climax. This might be the character who has undergone the most significant transformation, faced the greatest challenges, or whose perspective offers the most insight into the story's resolution.
8. Prologues, epilogues, and interim chapters: Expanding narrative possibilities
Interim chapters can be a good solution when you just have too much story for even a multiple-third-person novel.
Additional narrative tools. Prologues, epilogues, and interim chapters can expand the scope of your narrative beyond the main POV structure:
- Prologues: Introduce crucial background information or create intrigue
- Epilogues: Provide closure or hint at future developments
- Interim chapters: Offer additional perspectives or information outside the main narrative
Strategic use. These elements should be used judiciously to enhance the story without disrupting its flow. They can provide context, broaden the narrative scope, or offer insights that wouldn't fit within the main POV structure. However, they should be clearly differentiated from the main narrative and used only when their addition significantly enhances the overall story.
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FAQ
What's Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint about?
- Character Development Focus: The book emphasizes creating dynamic characters and effective viewpoints in fiction writing, offering techniques and exercises for crafting believable and engaging characters.
- Emotional Exploration: It delves into how emotions influence character behavior and how to convey these emotions through dialogue, actions, and thoughts, highlighting the significance of emotional arcs in storytelling.
- Point of View Techniques: Various narrative perspectives, including first-person, third-person, and omniscient viewpoints, are covered, explaining how they affect the reader's connection to the characters.
Why should I read Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint?
- Enhance Writing Skills: The book is a valuable resource for improving character development and emotional depth in stories, offering practical exercises that can be applied immediately.
- Understand Reader Expectations: It provides insights into what readers expect from characters in different genres, helping writers meet those expectations effectively for successful storytelling.
- Comprehensive Guidance: Serving as a comprehensive guide, it covers everything from character creation to emotional expression, making it suitable for both novice and experienced writers.
What are the key takeaways of Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint?
- Character Sources: Kress identifies four sources for character creation: yourself, real people you know, strangers, and pure imagination, allowing for a rich tapestry of character backgrounds and motivations.
- Emotional Arcs: The importance of emotional arcs is emphasized, stating that characters should undergo significant changes as a result of the story's events, crucial for engaging narratives.
- Point of View Matters: The choice of narrative perspective greatly influences how readers perceive characters and their emotions, urging writers to carefully consider whose emotions they are sharing.
What techniques does Nancy Kress suggest for character development?
- Mini-Bios: Creating mini-bios for each major character helps clarify their motivations, backgrounds, and emotional states, ensuring consistency in their portrayal.
- Dramatization of Emotion: Instead of simply naming emotions, writers should dramatize them through actions, dialogue, and bodily sensations, making emotions more relatable and impactful.
- Character Change: Showing character change through story events is important, emphasizing that characters should evolve in response to their experiences to keep the narrative dynamic.
How does Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint define emotional arcs?
- Definition of Emotional Arc: An emotional arc is the journey a character undergoes in terms of their feelings throughout the story, reflecting how they learn, grow, or regress.
- Importance of Change: Characters should not remain static; they must change significantly as a result of the story's events, essential for creating a compelling narrative.
- Connection to Motivation: The emotional arc is closely tied to a character's motivations, as what they want drives their emotional responses, helping create nuanced and believable characters.
What are the different types of characters discussed in Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint?
- Changers vs. Stayers: Characters are categorized into changers, who evolve throughout the story, and stayers, who remain consistent in their personality and motivations, serving different narrative purposes.
- Protagonists in Genre Fiction: The book explores how protagonists in various genres often have specific traits that align with reader expectations, aiding in crafting relatable characters.
- Complex Characters: Even stayers can have rich inner lives and motivations, adding depth to the story and engaging readers more effectively.
How does Nancy Kress suggest writers convey emotions effectively?
- Show, Don’t Tell: Writers should avoid simply stating emotions and instead show them through character actions, dialogue, and physical reactions, making emotions more vivid and relatable.
- Use of Dialogue: Emotional dialogue should reflect the character's temperament and situation, allowing readers to feel the weight of their emotions with authenticity.
- Bodily Sensations: Incorporating bodily sensations, like a racing heart or trembling hands, enhances the portrayal of emotions, adding a physical dimension to the character's state.
What role does point of view play in character development according to Nancy Kress?
- Influence on Reader Connection: The choice of point of view affects how readers connect with characters and their emotions, impacting storytelling.
- Character Insights: Different points of view allow for varying levels of insight into a character's thoughts and feelings, influencing narrative depth.
- Narrative Control: Writers can control how much information is revealed to the reader through their choice of point of view, creating suspense or empathy.
What common pitfalls in character writing does Nancy Kress warn against?
- Lack of Depth: Creating flat characters who lack complexity or motivation can disengage readers and weaken the narrative.
- Overly Predictable Arcs: Avoid making character arcs too predictable or clichéd, striving for originality and authenticity in character evolution.
- Ignoring Reader Expectations: Failing to consider genre conventions and reader expectations can lead to dissatisfaction, emphasizing the importance of understanding what readers look for in characters.
What exercises does Nancy Kress recommend for improving character writing?
- Mini-Bio Creation: Writers are encouraged to create mini-bios for their characters to clarify motivations and backgrounds, ensuring consistency and depth.
- Emotional Dialogue Practice: Writing scenes focusing on emotional dialogue helps explore character expression, enhancing authenticity in interactions.
- Point of View Exploration: Experimenting with different points of view can reveal how they affect character perception and emotional depth, leading to nuanced storytelling.
How can I effectively show emotion in my writing according to Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint?
- Use Body Language: Incorporating physical reactions to emotions, like trembling hands or a flushed face, makes feelings more tangible.
- Internal Thoughts: Characters' thoughts can reveal their emotional states, providing depth and insight into motivations and conflicts.
- Dialogue and Action: Emotional expression can be conveyed through what characters say and do, making feelings evident without explicit statements.
What are the best quotes from Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint and what do they mean?
- "Every character you create will be yourself.": This quote emphasizes the personal connection writers have with their characters, suggesting that their experiences shape fictional personas.
- "The body doesn't lie.": It underscores the significance of physical reactions in conveying emotions, reminding writers that non-verbal cues can be powerful indicators of a character's inner state.
- "Emotion is the heart of fiction.": This highlights the importance of emotional depth in storytelling, suggesting that relatable emotions drive reader engagement.
Review Summary
Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint receives mostly positive reviews, with readers praising its practical advice on character development, emotional depth, and point of view techniques. Many find it useful for both aspiring writers and experienced authors, appreciating the exercises and examples provided. Some reviewers note that while the content may be familiar to seasoned writers, it offers valuable insights for improving storytelling skills. A few criticisms mention repetitive content and occasional translation issues in non-English editions.
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