For a long while, my book was told from first person. Then, after about three years, it switched to third person. Recently, I switched it back to first person-rotating perspective, and now I'm changing it back to third person.
To me, the perspective a story is told from is highly important to the storyline. If the storyline is told from first person, you have a bit more insight into the plot and the main character. For instance, take The Hunger Games for example. The main character, and narrator, Katniss Everdeen, tells the story from present tense and first person. You never know what's going to happen, because you witness the events, literally through Katniss's eyes as she experiences them. That increases suspense in a type of novel that thrives on suspense. In Harry Potter, the story is told from third person-omniscient. We see things only from Harry's perspective, not through his eyes, but we focus in on his thoughts. It's like there's a secretary in his brain, feeding the reader information. Say Hermione tells Harry she is going to research something about a hippogriff, we won't know that information until Hermione tells Harry.
With perspectives that tell from the future-tense, reflecting on the past, it can be assumed that a character may live, or suspenseful events may have a positive outcome. Some event-outcomes may be predicted through prior knowledge, as can present-tense ones.
I am changing my novel to third person-omniscient, as I desire to keep the reader locked on the main character, Will, and his thoughts, feelings, and memories, without actually being in his shoes.
No comments:
Post a Comment