hm, I like this Point of View

Writers have such a hard job, and until sitting down and really focusing on my current WIP (like, for real this time, and not a flight of fancy like it was in the past), I never thought about little things like “Voice” and “Perspective” and “Point of View.”  I always figured they would work themselves out, as I wrote, no problems, since they would be a natural extension of The Story.

Well, all those things seem so little compared to the other things that come into play when writing, but when they don’t mesh well with the story, they become really BIG things.  As a reader, I judge a book’s readworthiness by how well the book kept me engaged.  If it was a breath of fresh air to read, then I know that book was ridiculously good.  (Yeah, I don’t buy into that stupid notion that if a book is hard to understand, or difficult to read, then the book has to be good.  Or, the flip side: if the book was easy to read, then it must not be good.  Who came up with that?  Stupid people who want to feel stupid, that’s who. Sorry for the harshness.  You can imagine me saying that in a cute little squirrel voice to lessen the blow.)

Part of what makes a book enjoyable to me, is a “Voice” that matches the “Point of View” and/or “Perspective.”  But, it’s these things that have me going around in circles recently (and honestly, I don’t know why.)

I’m concerned because I feel like my subject matter is supposed to be “bleak” and “serious.”  But, whenever I write “seriously” (imagine scholarly librarian here :)), I end up with a silly, sarcastic voice (which is probably just my own stupid commentary) that I keep needing to edit out. (Hm, maybe my pretty purple robe doesn’t set me up for a serious mindset…nah, that can’t be it.) 🙂

My initial instinct is just to keep writing and experimenting, and I know it will eventually work itself out once I know more of The Story, but I didn’t realize how “blocked” I am about it till I tried to sit down to work on The Novel today.  I actually thought to myself, “What if I get all the way through in third person point of view with multiple perspectives, and I actually should have gone with first person point of view, single perspective through the main character?”

I know, I know.  Little thing to quibble about, and as soon as I post this, I will go back and work my multiple perspectives, one perspective at a time, from beginning to the end of the plot chronology, working in my character biographies one person at a time.  I just needed not to feel like I’m crazy thinking about these “little things.”

Please tell me that you have felt this way, so I feel less crazy.  Thank you!