Search

The author reflects on writing in a second-person perspective. Topics discussed include writing the beginning and the middle of the author's love story except for the ending, the emotion of people about second-person perspective, the opportunity for the author to replay the beginning after the fact, and editing and revision in the second person.

The article offers tips for knowing how and when to use multiple point of view (POV) characters in a manuscript, according to authors who regularly use multiple POVs. Jessica Goodman discusses how multiple POVs can help create suspense. Ellen Meeropol explains the advantages of multiple POVs. Adrianne Finlay uses multiple POVs to handle plot, character and theme sufficiently.

The article focuses on how fiction should be able to keep the reader interested. It discusses how language and communication is critical for authors and why setting a tempo and pacing is important, detailing the story elements like plot, how a slow-paced prose could create a character sketch. It also talks about the role of point of view in the narrative.

The article offers suggestions for world building in fiction writing. Topics discussed include the need to develop the world around the characters in the story and to take an ecological perspective on it; the importance of the point of view used in the narration of the story in world building; and the need to figure out the culture, society, and politics of the fictional world created for the story.

The article provides advice to writers on two topics, how to write a point of view (POV) character who is drastically different from oneself, and whether permission is needed to mention celebrities in fictional writing.

The article offers miscellaneous information on the short story contest along with its winner and the story. Topics include the story Leviathan and an interview with the author in which he states his inspiration from the experiences as an animal rights supporter. He explained using an anonymous character for first person plural account as a difficult point-of-view to write a story on a leviathan in the sea and mentioned the sense of urgency by pacing and active verbs storytelling technique.

The article discusses how the teachers in the U.S. empower and encourage their students to own their subjectivity. It states the need to develop historical thinking skills and remain in center of spectrum with evangelizing and accomodating all points of view. It mentions the importance of owning morality and demanding rigor in the classrooms.

A literary criticism of the book "The Collected Poems of John Crowe Ransom" by Ben Mazer is presented. It examines the concept of the nearness of death, the inconsistency of viewpoints in the poems and the narrative frame of the poem. It also discusses the depiction of God's unmitigated malevolence and the human attitudes toward the divine.

The article discusses several misconceptions when writing children's book and how these can be corrected. Misconceptions or mistakes discussed include cluelessness in the difficulty of writing children's books, using the book as a means to teach good behavior to children, and stereotyping kids. Also discussed are the lack of importance given to point of view (POV), and the absence of suspense and conflict.

The article presents questions and answers related to writing, including short fiction and designation of change of point of view within a chapter.

A literary criticism of the book "The Brothers Karamazov," by Fyodor Dostoevsky is presented. It explores the personages and the claim of the heart in the book, with particular focus on the declaration by Martine de Gaudemar in her book "La Voix des Personnages" that personages incarnates a form of life and the way it manifest in language is not a statement of fact, but rather a declaration. It examines the characters in the book which include the brothers Dmitri, Ivan and Alexei.

The author views that authors must be explorative and spontaneous in the process of creative writing and suggests his approach of writing without intention or plan. He shares his experience of writing his memoir including the problems of fitting his narrative into a structure and his struggle with point of view. He favors rewriting over revisions of drafts to eliminate unimportant sections and to expose insights without being constrained by unachievable plans and predetermined structure.

An interview with Richard Todd and Tracy Kidder, co-authors of the book "Good Prose: The Art of Nonfiction, Stories, and Advice From a Lifetime of Writing and Editing," is presented. Topics include how they started in writing, the issue of point of view, which they addressed in their book, and how they manage to shape a story from a vast amount of research. They also mentions the qualities that should be possessed by writers to sustain their career including perseverance, talent, and practice.

An interview is presented with author ZZ Packer. She discusses her use of traditional narrative structure in short stories such as "Brownies," her technique of using symbolic detail to elicit emotion, and her creation of realistic minor characters in short stories such as "The Ant of the Self." The article also discusses her short story collection "Drinking Coffee Elsewhere" and the outline for her upcoming book about the American Civil War. INSET: The ZZ Packer File.

The article discusses what the author claims are common mistakes made by fiction writers. These include not having an interesting story opening, lacking an active plot, and not portraying characters as under pressure. Other pitfalls mentioned are sticking too closely to one's own experiences, using an unclear point of view, and rushing to submit one's unpolished writing to publishers.

The author discusses unreliable narration as a factor to find a writer's voice. He presents two sample passages to show the real voice of author Holden Caulfield. He states that unreliable narration pertains to the way a writer build a disparity between the characters' belief and the real case. He notes that unreliable narration necessarily involves characterization, point of view and theme. He explains that a clarity of purpose allows some authors to have voices with confidence and ease.

The article presents the author's views and his experience after reading the novel "Les Bienveillantes." He says that in the novel, the author has explained history and fiction in a first person narrative. He opines that the history was the most captivating part of the novel. He was surprised because there was nothing to learn from the novel still he could not stop reading the novel.

Presents an interview with author Antonya Nelson. When asked about whether she prefers to write novels or short stories, Nelson praises the short story form. Nelson discusses her approach to the writing and revision processes and compares herself to her husband, author Robert Boswell. Nelson also answers questions about why she often uses the third person perspective in her writing and about writing from the point of view of both male and female characters. INSET: THE ANTONYA NELSON FILE.

This article focuses on the literary work of the author's daughter that had hardly begun after her death due to allergic reaction and how it provided her with a new perspective on a literary foremother. It provides an overview of the life of her daughter as a teacher and writer and states that her theme is the exploration of an artist's ability to survive in the modern time using cross-cultural love affairs to compare their lives in different societies and old-world sensibility.

An essay is presented on the conflicting realities of literature in the book "The Alexandria Quartet" by Lawrence Durrell. It mentions Durrell's writing styles that represent how he understands the world and his capability of constructing theories that extends beyond his own understanding. It talks about Durrell's viewpoint regarding the narrative of partial truth in the world of the exotic and the complexity of love and psychosexual matters in human life.

An essay is presented on the work of Anthony Trollope and Henry James on the issue regarding the representation of reality in fiction and literature representing superficially trivial subjects with dramatic intensity. It discusses the issue of the point of view and sensibility among authors of fiction that sustains the paramount of the narrative. It talks about the challenge of providing hidden information behind the narrative that drifts toward sentimentality.

This article offers a checklist of items a writer can use to solve common problems in their writing associated with character, plot and story. Advice is given on how to spice up characters who are flat and boring, or who are passive rather than active, and how to add conflict when there is none. Inconsistent point of view, awkward shifts in the point of view, and adding tension in dialogue is also discussed.

This article discusses several ways that writers can revise their work so that the settings are more important. Tips and examples are given related to different ways a writer can use place or setting in their work. Point of view, selective details, perspective and using all the senses are all things that aid in the development of a setting that readers will be interested in.

This article offers advice to authors who are experiencing writer's block and need to become unstuck. The article advises against deserting your manuscript for more than a couple of days and suggests changing the point of view in which the story is being told, and to concentrate on which character interests the author the most.

A personal narrative is presented which explores the author's experiences building the boat that he will sail around the world in.

The author suggests reasons students should read books. He suggests books such as "Skulduggery Pleasant," by Derek Landy, offer students characters they can consider friends. He comments that books such as "Elijah of Buxton," by Christopher Paul Curtis, can help students understand other people's points of view. He recommends books such as "Darkwing," by Kenneth Oppel, that allow readers to visit other times and places.

The author focuses on three of the six most common errors in fiction writing. He states his experience as a teacher and editor in determining these errors. He talks about what he calls "default omniscience" or a failure to properly use point of view in a story. He also talks about failures in effective use of flashbacks. He comments on withholding information and the use of false suspense.

The author discusses folktales and their publishing possibilities. Some stories change the setting or the points of view. Shorter tales are retold as longer versions with more character development, detail, and background. The retelling of old stories can add new life to them. Young readers like the idea that stories can be played with and given a new twist to the plot, states the author. INSET: ON THE WEB.

The article presents the author's writing strategies related to author's write in the second person. It mentions the things that should be focused on while writing as spend some time poking around the second-person point of view and also highlights the challenges that faced by writers during second-person point of view writing as immediacy.

The article relates the author's perspectives on the state of the contemporary art and artists in Shanghai, China, 13 years after the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution transpired in the country. Based on his visit in the city in 2006, the author admitted that Shanghai is the most dynamic city he had ever visited, because of its vast transformation. From his observations, the author believes that there is more interesting art being made in Shanghai than in Manhattan, New York City.

This article provides steps on how to analyze a short story. The elements that must be considered in analyzing short stories include character, point of view, setting, symbols and voice. Other factors to bear in mind include the plot and structure of the story. Summarizing stories can also be done. INSET: Favorite stories lead to a successful rewrite.

This article provides the steps in writing stories for children. To develop an appropriate plot and decide on a word count, writers must identify their target audience first and then choose the narrative style and point of view to use. In the beginning of the story, writers should establish the main character and introduce the conflict of the story. Create the dialogues and recognize the best ending. INSET: Easing her way into an article.

The article reports on how to rise to the occasion with the first-person plural. Most first-person writing is done in the first-person singular, the I or me point of view. But some experiences are too big to affect just me. As in all good writing, a first-person plural essay needs conflict. It does not have to be a serious conflict, like the one experienced by the people of New Orleans last year, which was against nature. It can be a comedic conflict, one might find on a camping trip with his/her family, a dramatic one and even a cultural one.

This article discusses the essential elements needed in building suspense into the premise and structure of a novel. Presentation of the story's plot as a question; Efforts to create a likeable and competent but flawed protagonist with highly-motivated antagonist characters; Selection of the story's point of view to maximize suspense. INSET: Editing for suspense.

This article focuses on the use of third-person narration in contemporary fiction. Reasons for the overuse of first-person narration by a majority of contemporary authors; Difference between first-person and third-person points of view; Information on the four major third-person variations; Capabilities of a third-person narration to control the psychic distance between the narrator and the point-of-view characters.

The article discusses the author's experiences of poetry and how it reveals things that are already there to people. She comments about a businessman who asked her why he had denied himself poetry for so long. The author remembers her usually distraught mother and how she would sound calm when reading poetry to her at bedtime as a child. Details are given about the death of Scout, her family cat, and how each person can have a different perspective on the same thing.

The article analyzes the distinction of young adult (YA) literature from adult literature, including a distinct point of view and a climactic epiphany. The author analyzes the central themes and actions of YA fiction. Several books are mentioned, including the Horatio Hornblower series by C. S. Forester and "The Cather in the Rye," by J. D. Salinger.

Focuses on the importance of point of view in writing mystery novels. Universal requirements of the mystery novel; Reasons mystery novelists write from the single, intimate point of view; Problem with multiple point of views.

Explains the importance of the author's point view in story writing. Success of 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' by Harper Lee as example; Use of flashback strategy.

Presents an interview with American author John Irving. Background on Irving's autobiographical new novel, "Until I Find You"; Thoughts on the novel's central character; Narrative of the story; How Irving researched the novel; Topic of child abuse; Humor in the book; Discussion of the ending of the book.

Discusses ways on how to help children become critical readers and engaging writers in considering the author's point of view. Questions that will motivate children to think about the author's point of view; Activities to pique the ability of the child; Books where one can find the other perspective of common fairy tales; Use of story skits.

The article discusses whether white authors can write multicultural characters. Some like author Dianne Johnson-Feelings argue that having white voices tell non-white stories no more promotes multiculturalism than having a cast of all white characters. The article argues that where novels by minority writers are scarce, authors like Gary Paulsen and Sherry Garland have represented minority experiences well. African American characters present more complex issues for white writers.

The article offers suggestions on writing epistolary novels in the modern age. Topics discussed include less dialogue-driven, with more emphasis on thoughts, feelings, and emotions; authorial decision on use of letters, journal entries, ephemera throughout book or just in part; and using a first-person point of view in epistolary novels.

The article focuses on the book "Bernard Shaw," vol. 1, "1856-1898: The Search for Love," by Michael Holroyd. It states that anyone who has ever tried to penetrate playwright George Barnard Shaw's own accounts of things to the man himself can only greet Holroyd's new biography with relief. Here the biographer is a kind of omniscient narrator, dipping into and pulling out of the subject's consciousness at will. The same method is used in other ways to introduce an independent point of view while still allowing the subject and others to speak for themselves, as where Holroyd juxtaposes Shaw's version of a letter he received from a woman to whom he had been attached announcing her engagement to someone else.

The article presents lesson plans for levels including primary, elementary and middle school education which teach concepts about point of view in art and Medieval art using an image of the painting "Saint George and the Dragon" by artist Peter Paul Rubens.

This article presents advice for writing a thriller novel. Ten thematic maxims are provided describing typical characteristics of successful suspense fiction, including the use of multiple points of view, the central importance of misery and dread as a driving force in character development, and being deliberate with pacing. INSET: More on pacing.

The article discusses the significance of epistemology of online encyclopedia as well as its impact to traditional notions of accuracy in the U.S. It further explains the connection between the Wikipedia, the community-written encyclopedia, and the meaning of the word truth. It is stated that the articles in Wikipedia are the first-or second-ranked results for most Internet searches which means the result of article really matters. It reveals that Wikipedia has evolved a basic different set of epistemological standards. It cites the core content policies of Wikipedia which include the Wikipedia's Reference Policy, Wikipedia's No Original Research Policy, and the Wikipedia's Neutral Point of View Policy.

The author discusses using the second person singular in narrative fiction. One successful example is the novel "Bright Lights, Big City" by Jay McInerney. Second person is an intimate, alluring voice. The very distinctiveness of second person narrative is one of its liabilities. Being rare in fiction, the "you" voice commits the sin of drawing attention to itself and away from story and character. INSET: 'You' in modern literature.