A friend and I have had a number of discussions recently about which point of view (POV) is preferred when writing. Of course there are a number of answers to this question and I believe it boils down to your writing style. During these discussions we talked about the advantages and disadvantages of writing in the first person as well as the third person. These discussions brought many thoughts and ideas to mind about writing. As I pondered on all that was said a question came to the forefront. Can a writer develop a writing style based on a POV from blogging?
That’s crazy; writing on your blog is for fun and its more like writing articles for a magazine then a novel. Besides, everyone write in the first person. Is that true? Are the fundamentals for writing articles for a blog really that different from writing a short story or even a novel? Do we really only write in the first person? I have not researched this topic as I feel it is based on the opinion of the writer; however, I believe there are important aspects of writing a blog that translates to an author's writing style. I also think a blog presents a very helpful opportunity to all of us. Like what for example? I'm glad you asked.
In my opinion, the POV we write with the most in our day to day blog is the POV we are the most comfortable with when writing our novels. That is a general statement of course but I encourage you too test this theory by reading one of your blog entries and then read part of your current project. Do you see any similarities in the two? If you are writing your novel in a different POV then your blog which was easier to write or did you feel more comfortable writing?
I think we can all agree that writing an article for our blog is easier then writing a portion of our novel; however, for this exercise we need to focus on the POV used. How smooth did the writing flow in your novel as compared to your blog?
I believe it is true that many of us write in the first person POV when it comes to blogging. For example, I am writing this article in the first person. It is easy to write in the first person on a blog. I suspect it is a little more comfortable to write in the first person for our novels as well. This is where the opportunity of a blog presents itself. Our blogs are so much more then that. This is our canvas, our chalk board to practice what and how we want too write. If you wanted to write a novel in the third person but seem to be having trouble with it your blog is the perfect place to practice. Pick your topic and write it in the third person or second person or whichever POV you want. At the end ask your readers about it. Their comments will be of great value.
Remember the advice of write every day? Well, writing for a blog counts in that it allows you to change your style in a practical way. By switching POV's from time to time we will become more comfortable with those POV's. We can also explore the inner workings of those POV's. The great benefit is that we have readers who can help along the way with their comments.
I am not sure if I have actually pulled this off but I have attempted the third person (kind of) when I write articles and substitute 'I' for the 'New Author'. Surprisingly enough, my first novel is in third person and I sometimes feel disconnected from it. Would that feeling be different if I were writing it in first person as I do the majority of these articles? I am not sure but I am excited to announce that my second novel will be in first person. I plan to share that journey and see just how much of a benefit the New Author has been for the development of my writing style.
To answer the beginning question, I believe a blog can help you develop a writing style geared for a POV. I also think a blog is a great place to get comfortable with multiple POV's. What do you think? Has your blog been a help developing your writing style with a POV in mind?
7 comments:
I see my blog and my novel(s) and short stories as two different entities, so that's hard to answer. When I'm writing a short or novel, I am in that character's voice, which has nothing to do with my voice, but my blog is "me" although some of my character's sayings or whatever may slip in if I'm being silly ... things my friends and I called VKisms - things she says...*laugh*
I do notice that my novels seem to be in first person, but my short stories are mostly in third person - I wonder about that.
Interesting post as usual!
I fully admit that my writing is almost always 3rd person. My blog is 1st person. This is a neat post though, and I think I'm going to challenge myself (because of you Brian) to write a post in 3rd person. I'll link you as always. Thanks for the thought-provoking information.
I'm not really going to answer your question. What I want to do is share with you and the readers what happened to me as an aspiring author...
My first novel (I wrote the rough draft--80,000 words in 17 days) was written in first person, present tense. I mean I really zoomed through it and gosh, it was a blast. I entered it in contests, and sent requested partials and full submissions into agents.
The remarks were all practically the same...
"Would have rather read this type of fiction in third person, past tense."
So instead of listening to my 'gut', I decided to change my entire manuscript to third person, past tense.
Was it a lot of work? You bet!
Did I have as much fun writing? No.
Writing in the third person, past tense seemed (like Brian pointed out--distant).
Now, when I write posts in my blog...I'm back. I can stick to my first person, and switch back and forth from past to present tense, if I so wish.
Am I having fun? You bet.
But what about when I go back to novel writing when after all this time I've been writing in my blog?
Kind of scary really.
Kathryn - I like your point of writing your novel in your characters voice and your blog in your own. What I find most interesting is that your novels are in first person and your short stories are in third. Is that because everything in condensed in a short story?
Eric - I look forward to reading the results of your challenge. Have you considered writing in the first person?
Jo-Anne - You did go on a journey with your novel. I have the impression that writing in the first person is fun and I look forward to giving it a shot. After revising your entire novel from first to third and back to first with your blog I can see why writing your next novel would be a little scary. You can do it though.
Thank you all for these great comments.
Brian - To be honest, prior to this post I really hadn't tried or thought about writing in 1st person. I think it maybe scares me, because it doesn't come easy. But I have been giving it a bit of thought, and I guess I probably could try something in 1st person, just to see how it comes out. So who knows, maybe my next project (after I finish the two I'm already on) will be in 1st person. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks for inspiring as always.
Okay Brian, I gave it a shot - writing something in 1st person. Its on my blog at http://workingmymuse.blogspot.com/2009/05/blog-chain-writing.html. Feel free to check it out. Now I just need to blog in 3rd person, which should be interesting.
Eric - Congratulations for testing new terrain. It is always important and helpful too try new things. I will check out you wrote. Don't get discouraged though because this is part of writing.
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