Norman Green

BASICS

First person or third?

I’ve done both.  There’s plenty of reasons to choose a point of view.  If I write in first person it limits my story somewhat, because the bulk of the story needs to be seen through one set of eyes. There are ways around that but they can make the flow kind of lumpy and I hate that, I don’t like to have to stop and think, ‘oh yeah, we’re doing this now.  I like smooth, like your grandmother’s gravy.

The Phillies have a pitcher named Bastardo.  You gotta be kidding me.

Third person, I’m omnipotent, I see all, know all, I can choose every character’s inner dialogue…  I always need to be careful when I’m writing third person.  Too many points of view, you lose immediacy, you run the risk of confusing your audience.  Easier to write, maybe, at least for me, but I think I am too easily tempted to wander when I write third person. There is something to be said for a meandering story line but I think I probably write better stuff when I have a stronger focus.

Okay, next, who’s the protagonist?  A crook?  I like crooks, I sure have met plenty of them and I bet you have too.  I think I do crooks pretty well, and my fascination with bad guys goes way back.  I remember reading ‘Robin Hood’ when I was a little kid. ‘A rush light, which costeth nothing but a groat…’ Funny, the useless things my brain hangs onto.  I do recall being curious enough to go to the dictionary to find out what a ‘groat’ was.

In olde England, a coin of little value.  Like a nickel, say.

Okay, next, what’s the story?

Yeah, well, that is the question.  I already know the theme, which is not the same thing at all, the theme is more general and ethereal and having a nice grasp on it is not as helpful as having the bones of the story fixed in your head.  I usually start in working before I have much of an idea where I’m going and I always wonder, at this stage, if I wouldn’t be better served if I could have a bit more patience and try to map out in some detail where I would like to go. I have never been successful at it, but I am going to try, again.

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