The Head Hopper: Narration 101

We’ve talked about multiple POVs and the importance of treating them with love; each character is a distinct person who has a unique personality worth sharing with the world. We’ve talked about having too many characters and working on who to cut from the cast; we know so many authors who have created beautiful narratives with more than two characters as their MCs…but sometimes it’s not done well.

Taking things in a different direction but still referring to multiple POVs, characters, and consistency…let’s talk about your choice in writing style (if you’re taking the route we are going to be starting a conversation for.)

Being a head hopper is fun! As the writer, you get to explore different minds and see your plot unfold in your tale through the lens of diverse brains. Sometimes, you explore a single mind for one chapter, then switch to a new persona in the next. You can even write from a completely unbiased point of view…

Okay, you already know what we’re seguing into: your narrator.

narrator.jpg

It’s crucial to keep your narrating style consistent. Flopping between third omniscient to subjective/limited to objective to first person…all because it makes sense in the moment of the scene? No. Our brains hurt simply thinking about that. It’s a heavy example but it’s worth mentioning the most extreme of cases to get your editing eye trained on your work and how you’re choosing to narrate.

The question then becomes: Am I doing this?

If you are, you should further ask yourself which POV/narrator comes off the strongest of all. Whichever one it is: choose it. Stick with it. Rewrites are a pain but the goal, if this pertains to you, is to get the work recognized as worth for publication, so it’s worth the extra time…and love!

We believe in you!

Errors Be Gone

No matter who we are, what educational background we have acquired, or what prestigious literary awards we have won we all question our grammar usage from time to time. Sometimes you just can’t get a sentence to sound or look right or we are just having a fleeting ‘duh’ moment. Whatever the case may be, it’s always helpful to have some quick grammar resources nearby to help us out. I came across a helpful list of common writing errors on The Harvard Business Review website that you just might want to file away for future reference. It’s simple and basic, but we know we have all done at least one thing on the list- unintentionally or not.

Affect is a verb and effect is a noun.

-Use ‘all right’ not ‘alright.’

A lot is two words.

‘Between you and me‘ not ‘between you and I.’

Compliment is a form of praise, while complement is when things work well together.

Farther is for physical distance and further is metaphorical distance.

Gray is the American spelling, not grey (which is British).

Regardless is always the correct choice, not irregardless.

-Subjects lie down and objects lay down.

‘Please send the e-mail to Bob and me’ not ‘Please send the e-mail to Bob and myself.”

The article also mentioned a few helpful online resources when you are stumped with a writing error:

Google Ngram Search

American Heritage Usage Notes

Style Guides: AP or Chicago

Write On.