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for The Writer's Attic, Issue 13

2/12/2006 c1 9Lawson Grant
W/regards to the second person and literary gems, check out Bright Lights, Big City by Jay Mackinerney. A coke fiend in NYC, in the 80's. OK, maybe not a gem, but I liked it.
10/14/2005 c1 9Just Jenita
Wow. I didn't think anyone else had heard of Robert Jordan. And I agree, his tales to get a little long-winded. He he, yes, I'm a hypocrite.

"Unlike dramatic monologue, were the protagonist" Did you mean where?Sorry, I like to point out everything. I'm that kind of person.

"Democracy (not to be confused with hypocrisy)" lol, that's funny.

True, I don't really see what else to do, but several paragraphs of italics (as you yourself(intensive pronoun... nevermind) or maybe it was someone else, mentioned in a previous issue), get in the way, and are really ANNOYING! *deep breaths* I'm okay. =D

Okay, that's it, just keep writing, cuz you're one of the only people who are actually still writing columns... watever. Nevermind.

~j
10/12/2005 c1 12Ivan Rathe
I've never read any of these "Writer's Attic" issues, but I thought this one was very interesting. I've only thought about POVs a little before this, but this made me evaluate my own style.

In response to Muffers's post...I believe that a third-person character can become just as close to a reader as a first-person character - maybe even more so. When you read first-person works, sometimes the character's biases will influence you, and affect your opinions. This isn't necessarily a good thing. Third-person (at least, neutral or omniscient) allows you to view all the characters equally, and formulate your own opinions on them. (I personally like to use third-person limited, with a hint of omniscient...i.e., I generally focus on the main character, but sometimes I'll write from the point of view of a supporting character for a short time.) This is just all my opinion, though.

...Where was I going with all that...? Now I'm not quite sure. Hm. Oh, well...
10/3/2005 c1 lmirabeau
I think you should really put separate paragraphs in, to make this easier to read.

While I'm writing this, what on earth is going on with fictionpress? I am exceedingly puzzled. The columns on the side have been there *for ages* without being updated (i see you've taken the intiative, and put yours as an essay).

The ones that are there are, to put it bluntly, stuffed up. It's annoying, I quite liked reading them.

Anyway, i appreciate yr thoughts on different persons. (My fav is limited 3rd person.)

I have had difficulties with deciding which tense to use, and, embarrassingly, I've never thought of trying what you suggest and rewriting a scene both ways.

I'd love to rewrite the first marriage proposal scene in pride and prejudice from darcy's point of view, but i'm too lazy. ah well. i'm sure someone's done it before.
9/23/2005 c1 ChichiX
Although your style is very dry, and you are prone to very large paragraphs, with little break up what you are trying to say, the information you have selected for public viewing IS useful.
9/18/2005 c1 Raptor7435
Ur a snob!-raptor
9/18/2005 c1 1muffers-person
I love tinkering around with POVs. Honestly, it just amuses me to no end and is usually a riot to do. My favourite is doing a first and second person mix, where I (as a tormenter, usually) play with a "toy" (or you, the poor victim). That mixture is wonderful for horror/suspense fiction, simply because it gets the reader involved in the thoughts of both viewpoints because they're being told at the same time. When I find fiction like that, I swoon. :D

When considering the POV to use in my fiction, I usually tend to go with third person. I'm not sure if it's just me, but first person seems like immature writing to me. Like, not that the writer is lacking in skill, but just that it's hard to sound ethereal in the way that third person characters can. I think it's because contractions are used a lot in first person, and because the reader and writer both can do so much deeper into the character's emotions and thoughts. I've started to question something regarding to that. Perhaps, is it possible to be drawn in a close to a third person character as a first person character? Or will third person characters always have that slightly detached feel to them? Even switch it around; can a character ever really be written as impassively in first person as they could be in third person? These are questions I've never really gotten proper answers to, even with all the columns and articles I've read. I suppose it really depends on the writer/reader, but there's always that general advice lingering around there somewhere ... :P

Well, I'm done. Wonderful article. I look forward to your next one. Always a pleasure. :D

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