Category Archives: Point Of View

Falling In Love With Omniscient Narration

  By Eleni | January 16, 2013 - 09:32 | , , ,
6 Comments

As I’m now going through my official edit of Sunrise, I’m falling in love with omniscient narration. While I was writing the first draft, I had some ambivalence because of my decision to go with a named narrator. I reflected on a previous post I’d written about the subject. My initial worry was about pulling the reader out of the story. However, I now hold a different view as I’m reading through the manuscript. 

STORY TONE

The narration has a mystical quality to it, and this was the effect I wanted. When I analyzed what made it so—even as the dark events began to play out, I realized it was the narrator that added this otherworldly, ethereal quality. It was through this acknowledgement that I started to understand the dynamics of using an omniscient voice. I pondered over why it had fallen out of favor. I’ve read hostile remarks and some people even  refuse to read any book that has an omniscient narrator. I was concerned that I’d limit my readership by using the voice and even considered switching the P.O.V. But then I remembered the reason I write…to tell a story the best way that I can. If I limited myself because of some dogmatic comments, I’d fail on both measures. The type of readers for my books would be those who  are interested in the story, irrespective of what voice I choose to tell it.  If I can pull that off,  I’ll be a very happy author.

If I could take a stance for something in writing, omniscient narration would be my cause. 

Narration is dependent on the type of story you want to tell. As a writer, I don’t want to limit myself to one type of narration.  I prefer to tell the story in the way it presents itself to me.  For Sunrise, I chose omniscient voice for two reasons:

I have a large ensemble. While Unison also has a large cast, Sunrise is different in that there are several main characters. While I could’ve used a close third and broken up each thread by chapter, I wouldn’t have been able to dig deep into the characters as intimately as I could in first person. By using one consistent voice, I was able to tie the characters together with one view point.

With close third, my book would’ve ended up being over 1000 pages. Yikes! With omniscient voice, I was easily able to change perspectives within the same scene, and I even kept that at a minimum. At present, Sunrise is at 90,000 words—up from 86,000 words at the start of my edit.  As  I started off as screenwriter and outline, my writing is usually very terse. I project I’ll end up with a 100,000 word novel. My first draft of Unison moved from 93,000 words to almost 137,000 words! So I’m the type of writer who always ends up adding. 

LEARN SCREENWRITING

I can understand how a beginning author would be guilty of head hopping with this voice.  However, if the narration is focused and well thought out,  it shouldn’t confuse the reader. Learning the craft of screenwriting helped sharpen my writing, and I recommend it to all writers who want to sharpen their dialogue, description and point of view. When writing a screenplay, you learn how to view each scene through the lens of a camera. And because thoughts aren’t part of the story, you have to rely on the description and dialogue to get your point across.  When I write a novel, I think of each scene exactly the same way, and it makes it easier to detect when I mess up my point of view.  A screenplay also makes a great outline in which to base your novel!

GIVING AWAY TOO MUCH

The other main problem with omniscient voice is giving away too much information. How I avoided this was by focusing on what I wanted each scene to accomplish and what I wanted to remain secret until the reveal. I did spot one area where I said too much about the antagonist, and I removed it. The trick is knowing that although an omniscient narrator knows all; he, she or it is also a storyteller who wants to keep the reader guessing and not confuse them with too much details or cause them to shut the book because they already figured out the ending.  

INSECURITIES

When I first wrote the ending for Sunrise, I realized it was going to be difficult to pull off. I toyed with the idea of switching to a close third voice. I’m so glad I stuck to my instincts. Now that I’m sculpting my story, I can see the beauty of allowing it to tell itself. I see storytelling as an organic process.  It sometimes freaks me out when I get ideas that challenge me by pushing me out of my comfort zone, but after I’m finished I realize all the effort was worth it. This is why I write…to challenge myself. Without that feeling, writing would cease to satisfy me.

TIPS ON USING OMNISCIENT NARRATION

As a newbie I read every article I could find on this P.O.V. I thought I’d end with some lessons I learned during the process.  

  • Know who or what is narrating—even if the narrator is neutral. The viewpoint must remain consistent throughout the story, or it will confuse the reader and possibly enter head-hopping territory. 
  • Be clear on why the narrator is telling this story. As opposed to using a close third, what is the importance of having a seeing all narrator?  I found this question to be important because it allowed me to see what motivated the narrator. This demonstrated a personal stake in the story…even though the narrator wasn’t in the story. 
  • What is the tone of the narration? Is it humorous, serious, a combination of both? This also adds more personality, consistency and flavor to the narration.

  • Reveal only whats important to the scene. Sometimes it’s okay to tease the reader, but ensure when you do that, you don’t give too much plot away.  Ask yourself what parts of your story do you want to surprise your readers and go back in your manuscript to ensure you haven’t tipped them off.

The thing that helped me most was to read and analyze books with omniscient narration as I was writing my first draft.  I learned what worked and what pulled me out of the story.  

Well, that’s all for now. I have to get back to my editing.  And as a reminder, if you appreciate visionary fiction, please visit the Visionary Fiction Alliance for interviews, book excerpts and all things visionary.

A Lesson About Voice From Donna Summer

  By Eleni | May 19, 2012 - 07:55 | , ,
Leave a comment

The last two manuscripts I wrote were in first person, which was a new point of view for me to write in.  They had their challenges that I may blog about at a later date.  I chose omniscient point of view for my work-in-progress because I’m following several characters, and a single narrator seemed like the ideal choice to tie the individual story threads together.  I  initially planned Sunrise  as a novella—something I could write and get out quickly—but being true to myself I had to go and complicate things.  Having Unison as my guide, I didn’t worry too much as that started off as a screenplay with only two characters, and now it’s a full blown epic with a large cast and three more installments I’ve all ready outlined.  Go figure.  Anyway,  by the time I finished the outline to Sunrise, I could see it was going to be another full length book. I’m currently at 147 pages and haven’t reached the mid-point yet that I suspect will fall somewhere between 160-200 pages. I’m currently forecasting a manuscript of  roughly 400 pages—double-spaced—which makes Sunrise a pretty lean novel in comparison to my work to date.

When I chose the omniscient point of view, I asked myself:  who’s doing the narrating? This was important as I wanted to maintain a consistent voice throughout the narrative. The easiest route would’ve been for me to pick a nameless narrator—which was my first choice. Then I had to go complicate things once again by making the narrator into another character. This didn’t affect my point of view choice because my character isn’t in the story. That’s all I’ll bring up this early in the stage of my writing. Suffice it to say, this voice is challenging me in that I don’t want to pull the reader out of the story. I’m finding there’s a delicate balance between action and the narration.  Too much narration, and you pull the reader out of the story. The same goes with too little because when the narrator finally pops in after a long absence, the reader more than likely forgot he or she existed.  That’s jarring as well.  I love Kindle’s text to speech.  When I hear the narration read to me, it’s easy to hear when it’s over the top.

OMNISCIENCE TAKES A LOT OF BRAVERY TO PULL OFF

Last week I wrote the denouement.  After I’d finished, I realized it’s going to be difficult to pull off.  My first instinct was to change to  a distant third person, but that would’ve meant changing the ending that tied everything together, producing all the expected emotions.  I cried my eyes out when I wrote it—and not because I was depressed. As I freaked out over what to do about the point of view, I realized I wasn’t in my calm space.  Since writing has evolved into a spiritual exercise for me, it’s important I write as free from ego as possible.  If I’m not plugged into the light within me, I take a break, and that’s what I did.

QUESTIONS I ASKED MYSELF POST FREAKOUT

  • Is the ending really the best it can be?   Oh Yessss!  

Then we can move on to the next question...

  • Why don’t I think I can do this?  I’m afraid I’ll come off sounding too pretentious. 
  • Is it because I’m trying to pull off something trendy?    Slock no!
  • Am I good enough a writer to pull this off?  I can finally say yes.  And it took YEARS of bad writing and studying my craft  for me to get to this point, and I STILL never view any of  my work as finished.   Most writers will attest to this one.  Don’t feel  bad if you find yourself answering no.   Just ignore yourself, and  continue  writing and learning.
  • Who the hell do I think I am to even attempt this?  I could write a book on this topic alone!



WRITING IN THE RIGHT SPACE

Since the ending of Sunrise is the best it can be, I was forced to deal with  the typical writer’s insecurity. At times like this, I’m grateful I’ve been on my spiritual path long enough to realize insecurities are driven by the ego. I meditated, calmed myself down and then scolded myself for whining like a baby.  I then reminded myself that every good writer experiences moments of self-doubt  and that writing is a challenge that never ends. I knew that if I expected to continue to evolve as a writer, I couldn’t give in to my fears.  I had a crisis in everything I had written, and once I stepped away from my work, I came back stronger. Using my past successes as a guide, I’m now confident I can do this.  My reward will be having a book I’ll be proud to have written.  Anything less would be a compromise, and if I compromise that would not only leave me unsatisfied but leave the reader unsatisfied as well. They can pick up when a writer rushes through a story or takes the easy way out.  I don’t want to be that type of writer. I want my readers to trust me and know I’ll deliver the best story I’m able.

For me, writing is a humbling experience.  Each book brings with it new trials and seeing it through to the end is my reward.  There aren’t any words that can effectively describe  how it feels when I finish a book, but I call it my metaphoric climbing of Mt. Everest. The journey itself is such a thrill I’m currently journaling my writing of Sunrise  and plan to release it as a free ebook.

 

OWN IT, THEN YOU CONTROL IT

So if you find yourself at a point in your manuscript where you want to shift gears because you don’t think you’re capable of executing your idea…don’t give in to your insecurities and fears. You’ll be selling yourself short and never realize the masterpiece you gave up. Think of this part of your writing journey as a way to hone in on your weaknesses as a writer.  Ask yourself why you think you can’t do this.  Oftentimes it has something to do with a technique you’ve yet to master.  For me, it’s writing in the omniscient voice.  Rather than give up and sacrifice my story, I’m immersing myself in this technique until it feels natural.  I did the same when I wrote in first person.  By the time I finished my first book, I became the character I was narrating—which was  a surreal experience as the main character is a male!  And then I did it again with my second book!

 

LEARNING FROM DONNA SUMMER

I planned on ending this blog with the last paragraph, but serendipity struck while driving my daughters to school.  I tuned in to an old school radio station here in Oahu where the DJ was playing an interview clip of the late great Donna Summer—one of my main influences as a vocalist. Donna mentioned how she adjusted her voice to fit the music, so she wouldn’t have to turn down a song for not being in her style. I’m paraphrasing her here, but it explains why I always marveled over how Donna Summer could change the character of her voice, and it still sounded like her singing.  From I Feel Love and Sunset People to McCarthur Park and Love in Control , you hear a perfect example of her proclamation.

What can we, as writers, take from Ms. Summer’s impeccable wisdom?

Never shy away from a style of writing  because you think it’s not your style. Don’t lose out on an opportunity to expand your horizon as a writer.  Adjust yourself to fit the style, but maintain your own unique voice.  This is how I view my writing in the omniscient point of view.  I have to play by its rules, but I don’t have to give up my voice to make it work.