The Right Perspective - IWSG January 2021

 

It's IWSG Day. The goal of this blog hop is to share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds. IWSG is the brainchild of Alex Cavanaugh. To find links to other IWSG contributors, click here. Thank you to co-hosts for January: Ronel Janse van Vuuren , J Lenni Dorner, Gwen Gardner Sandra Cox, and Louise - Fundy Blue

This month's optional question: Being a writer, when you're reading someone else's work, what stops you from finishing a book/throws you out of the story/frustrates you the most?

I get distracted when a writer takes me outside the “camera-eye” of a character. This may be a no-brainer, but rather than being told what a character sees or hears, I want to become the character—to feel what they feel in the moment, to hear what they hear, to experience it from their perspective.

I’m not sure how better to explain it, than to use examples:

Samantha heard the staccato of a bird in the distance. (This makes the reader “see” Samantha hearing the bird, rather than putting the reader inside Samantha’s head to hear it.)

A bird chirped a staccato rhythm.

Bill saw a rainbow form across the horizon. (In referring to Bill, the narrator pulls the reader away from Bill. This puts the reader at a distance from the action instead of being a part of the action.)

A rainbow formed across the horizon.

Alison knew Lexie would flip when she found out the cow had escaped.

Alison rubbed her eyes. Lexie would flip when she found out the cow had escaped.

She felt the heat of the sun as it burned through her blouse.

Her shoulders stung as the sun burned through her thin blouse.

I knew Bobby-Jack would be furious I lost the key.

Before I could grab it, the house key went skittering through the hole in the floorboards. Damn. At eighty-miles-an hour, it was long gone. I kept my mouth shut. Bobby-Jack was going to be furious.

Often, phrases like“she heard,” “he saw,” “she felt,” “he knew” may be eliminated. Rather than explaining to your reader what a character is experiencing, let your reader live it.

Wishing you all health, positive perspectives and writing success in 2021. What stops you from reading a book or throws you out of a story?