Vonda Skelton - Christian Speaker, Author, and Funny Lady

When I wrote my first book in 1993, I had no idea what I was doing. All I knew was that I loved to write, my high school and college teachers said I was good at it, and my mother assured me the book I had created was a masterpiece. I was confident fame and fortune would soon be mine! There was only one little problem (Well, actually there were many problems with that first book–which might explain why it took so many years for it to be published–but today we'll just talk about one of them).

The problem was, I had never heard of point of view, or POV. I wasn't alone. Lots of new writers have no idea what POV is and how important it is to the publishability of their work. But the problem with point of view isn't limited to new writers. It can trip up even the most experienced among us.

The first step to successfully handling POV is to be sure you understand what it is. Consider this fictional scene:

A guy and a girl enter a nice restaurant and are seated by the maitre d'. They face each other and the guy quickly takes the girl's hand. Wow. She's gorgeous! Wait til the guys hear about this!

The girl smiles at her date. He sure dresses nicely. I wonder how much money he makes.

They both look up to see the waiter coming toward them. He takes in the scene and mentally begins to calculate his tip. Yep. This is going to be a good night.

Okay, besides the fact that this is a boring, poorly-written scene, there is a huge, glaring problem–POV. Do you see that within those few short lines, we've heard the thoughts and felt the emotions of three different people? In other words, we've been in three different heads. It's generally accepted that you should only be in one person's head per scene. And it's usually the person whose thoughts and views would generate the most emotion, the person who has the most at risk in that scene, or the person who has thoughts and feelings you want the reader to know.

Confused? Join the crowd. POV can be a very confusing issue. But I'm going to share what I think is one of the simplest ways to understand it. Imagine that you're in a room with lots of people and you have a video camera. As you scan the room with the camera, you can see that Rachel and John are across the room and that John has just said something and Rachel is laughing. If Rachel has a crush on John, you might assume Rachel is laughing at one of John's worn-out jokes. But you can't know, because you can't hear the conversation.

Then you walk over to Sarah and Lisa sitting on the couch. As the camera is running you see that Lisa is wiping her eyes and Sarah has a concerned look on her face. You can hear Lisa lamenting her husband's latest betrayal. You see the concerned look on Sarah's face and you watch as she pats Lisa's arm. You assume Sarah is afraid the truth will come out–that she is the other woman. But you can't know for sure, because you can't know what Sarah is thinking and planning.

Then you meet up with your next-door neighbor and you ask if she likes your new hair cut. She says she does, but you don't know whether to believe her…because you can't know her motivation or her heart.

In each situation, you can describe what someone does, what their facial expressions look like, what you think their motivation might be, but you can't know for sure because you can't know what someone else is thinking or feeling. And you can't hear a quiet conversation across a crowded room.

That's point of view. It's the view of what that person can see, hear, feel, and know–like she's filming it with a camera. Whoever has the camera in each scene has the point of view.

Many experts recommend that you limit your novel to no more than three or four POV's–and for good reason. If you have too much input from too many characters (too many points of view), the reader has difficulty forming an emotional connection with any one character. It's hard to decide whose story it is and who to cheer for. So decide who has the most at risk in that scene and who can generate the most emotion, and that's whose POV you should be in.

It's also confusing to have too many points of view. I've read stories where we know what the main character, her hair dresser, and her mechanic are all thinking and feeling. So then we expect the main character, her hair dresser, and her mechanic to each carry his or her weight in the story. When some of them end up being minor characters, the readers feel cheated that you engaged them with people who have no real bearing on the story.

And if you don't get anything else from today, get this: If you're writing in first person, everything must be in that character's point of view. You can only write what that person can see, hear, think, feel, and know. You can never say what someone else is thinking or planning or motivated by. And you can't let the reader know the bad guy is hiding in the basement if the first person character doesn't know he's there!

Before you write each scene, decide who will carry the point of view. After you've written it, go back and ask yourself, "Could the POV character know this?" It's a question all writers, whether new or experienced, have to ask.

(Scene-frame photo courtesy of Michal Marcol at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

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Do You MoGo? You Could Win $100!

Wow! I'm blown away by the response to MoGo7000! I believe this is something many of us needed in order to complete the book God has laid on our hearts. And if you have no idea what I'm talking about, check out MoGo7000 here.

To clarify some questions that have come up:

1. In the first post of every month, I'll ask those of you who reached the monthly goal of 7000 words to post a comment stating your word count. Those who write at least 7000 words will have one entry into the drawing for $100 at the year of the year. If you meet the goal once during the year, you'll have one entry. If you reach it every month, you'll have twelve entries!
2. If you didn't reach the goal, you DO NOT have to post that you didn't. 🙂
3. Remember, you can miss the goal one month or more and jump right back in the next month–so don't quit just because you miss a month. That's the good thing about MoGo7000…you can't fail!

And if you haven't started writing this month's words yet, don't feel bad. I haven't either! But I can promise you I'll have 7000 words written by the end of the month! (That's the good thing about having a monthly, rather than a daily or weekly goal.)

Please feel free to pass MoGo7000 on to all the writers you know. This could be the difference between a book in your head and a book in your hand!

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We Have Another Winner!

Eddie Snipes was one of the winners from last week's drawing for a f
ree Rebecca Barlow Jordan book, but he wants someone else to have an opportunity to win. So the new winner is #16–Barb Winters! Barb, contact me with your mailing address and your book will be on its way!

Also, Mattie Medina, I need you to contact me with your mailing address so you can receive your free book!

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It's Time for Kudos Again…

Yes, I admit, I forgot to call for kudos last week. Thankfully, I've heard from several of you who have a lot to celebrate! Remember, you can always send your good news any time and I'll hold it until kudos week. This month we're celebrating with these Christian Writer's Den readers:

1. Cathy Baker (SC)–Cathy has had THREE devotions accepted by ChristianDevotions.us. All three are scheduled for publication in the spring.
2. Liz Welsh (SC)–Liz has an article in the January issue of Georgia Magazine. She'll also have an article in the May/June issue of Worldwide Challenge.
3. Delores Liesner (WI)–Delores has several publications to celebrate. In December, she had articles published in Rooted Living Magazine and Prime Magazine. She also had stories published in three books: Chicken Soup for the Soul Christmas Magic, True Stories of Extraordinary Answers to Prayer in Times of Need, and True Stories of Extraordinary Answers to Prayer Unexpected Answers. Delores was also interviewed in TheJournalTimes.com. You can read the JournalTimes.com article here.
4. Abbey Cooler (GA)–Abbey has an article in the January/February issue of Stepping Stones Magazine. You can download an electronic copy of Stepping Stone here. "Why Does Infertility Stink?" appears on page 5.
5. Cynthia Lovely (NY)–Cynthia's story, "Miracle on First Street," was published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Tales of Christmas. She then had the opportunity to participate in a booksigning at her local Barnes and Noble. Cynthia pointed out that she got the lead for that submission right here on The Christian Writer's Den!
6. Kimberli Buffaloe (NC)–Kimberli had a short story published in this month's Christian Fiction Online Magazine . Be sure to check it out here.
7. Ellen Andersen (SC)–Ellen has had another devotion accepted by ChristianDevotions.us. It is scheduled for posting on August 25, 2011.

Congratulations, writers! You're doing what it takes and it shows! Thank you for letting us celebrate with you.

And if you have something to share, please feel free to send it any time by contacting me. And please remember to use this format:

• Your name
• Your state
• Link to your website or blog
• Your good news
• Any links to your good news, if available
• Lo res jpg of book covers, if available

Thank you! We love celebrating what God's done in our writing lives!

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Don't Forget…

…to check back next week for new writing opportunities, collected just for you. Follow through and we could be celebrating with you soon!

…to join us in MoGo7000. You could have a finished book this year!

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Parting Words from the Word

As we consider point of view, let's remember there is only one point of view that really matters.

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

I pray God's blessing on the work of your hands and your hearts,

Vonda

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