Weekly Writing Boost #5: A Different Viewpoint

Try one on for size

Mindset, motivation and inspiration for novelists—with a dash of instruction about writing craft added in.

Photo by Denys Nevozhai on Unsplash

A Problem With Finishing

I have a hard time finishing things. I’m sure a therapist would say that I have a fear of being judged and if I don’t finish things then I don’t have to put them out in the world. And then they won’t be judged. I’m working on changing this issue because I know that writers who finish things and get them out in the world are the most successful writers. I mean, duh. It makes sense.

It’s not that I hang onto my WIPs on purpose. I am just constantly aware that I could make them better. In the case of my current novel, it was more than that. It was a strong sense that something about it wasn’t right. It didn’t feel right to me. And if there is one thing I have learned in my life, it is to trust such feelings. This feeling manifested itself in a complete refusal to work on the novel. I have plans to publish it this fall and time’s a wasting. I knew that, and yet I kept putting off doing one final look-see. I blamed it on procrastination.

But it turned out something else was going on.

Photo by Thomas M. Evans on Unsplash

Light Dawns

This particular novel was written in two third-person viewpoints, the protagonist Bridget’s POV, and her love interest Cade’s. There has always been something that bothered me about proto* Bridget’s viewpoint.. She’s reserved, rigid, repressed (tough one to write about relatably) and a very cool customer. In third person, I never really felt I had access to her full character. And if I don’t have access, the reader certainly will not. So one day, while reading a novel written in first person, it hit me—if I rewrote Bridget’s POV** in first person, it might give us more access to her inner thoughts—show us why she is so rigid and repressed.

So when I got the idea to change the point of view of the protagonist in my long-time WIP from third to first, I had to wonder if it was yet another stalling tactic. Maybe so. Probably so, even. But the idea would not let go of me. But. And so I told myself to commit to changing the viewpoint in one chapter. Only one chapter. And see how it went.

Third to First

After finishing the first page, I knew immediately it was the answer I had been searching for. The answer that had been right on the edges of my mind. But so on the edges that I hadn’t even known to ask the right question to uncover it. Switching viewpoints made Bridget come alive. Because first is so much more confessional, almost as if the proto is telling you one long story. And because of this, Suddenly, I like Bridget. She’s still rigid and repressed, but now I get why. And hopefully my readers will, too.

And so I committed to rewriting her viewpoint in first person. This should be somewhat of a daunting task, and yet, surprisingly, it’s not. I’m enjoying it. Loving it, even. Because suddenly, it feels right. It feels fun again. I don’t have to try to convince myself to work on it, because I love working on the novel. It’s like I’ve breathing new life into a relationship. I’m on the honeymoon with my novel again. And this time, I’m damned well going to finish it.

Some helpful caveats about this process

—You have to go through every line, you can’t do a global search and replace. Years ago I tried this on a project with disastrous results. It’s amazing how many words have “she” and embedded in them. And then, of course, you end up with messes like this: instead of “shelter” “Ilter.” Or instead of “shelves” you get “Ilves.” Or “sherbet” becomes “Ibert.” You get the idea. It’s a mess.

—But the fact you have to go through every line is a good thing! Because you’ll change more than pronouns. Because writing from a different viewpoint is, well, different. What your character might think in third doesn’t always translate to first. First person by its nature is more intimate and gives you more access to your character’s thoughts. (Not that you can’t in third but first is closer.) And so how she talks to the reader on the page will be different.

A Different Viewpoint for You?

You might not want to try such a radical change. But looking at your story through a different viewpoint can be helpful in a variety of ways. Let’s think about that. If, say, a scene isn’t working, you might try changing the setting. Sometimes in manuscripts I read the writer uses the same setting over and over again. That can get stagnant fast. Try moving your characters outside, or vice-versa.

You could change gender. I know, I know, another big one. But I knew a writer who discovered she had assigned her proto the wrong gender partway through a novel. For her, it was a mind-blowing epiphany on the order of my shift from third to first.

You could add new characters who held us to see the proto or protos in a different light. You could add new plot points that slew the story in a slightly different way. There’s lots of ways that looking through a different lens can shed new light on a story.

The Boost

Several options here. Remember, with all of these you don’t have to commit to redoing the whole book or outline at first. Try it with a page, a scene, or a chapter, and see how it feels to you.

1. If you are brave, or more to the point foolhardy like me, experiment with changing the viewpoint of one of your characters. Third to first, first to third. Warning: only do this if you are desperately unhappy with how you’re feeling about the character. Because it is a big job for sure.

2. Choose one of the other options listed above—change location, change gender, add a character, add a plot point—and try it.

3. Still stumped and in a slump? Try one of these prompts;

   —How can I see this story differently?

   —How can my character see things differently?

   —What am I not seeing here?

   —What is my character not seeing here?

   —What’s a small change I can make that might have big results?

I hope one of these options works for you. And remember—if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. But also, it’s always good to try to see your work in a new light.

Have you ever made a major change to a story when you though you were finished?

*I adopted the term proto as shorthand for protagonist, which I can never spell right, courtesy of Heather Demetrios.

**I use the terms point of view, POV, and viewpoint interchangeably.

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