When I was an aspiring novelist I went to listen to a talk by an author of eighteen (wow!) novels. He was giving advice on how to write a novel and one of the first things he said was, “Don’t write in first person. It’s too difficult.”
Gulp. I’d already begun a novel, had about four chapters finished, in fact, and the way I heard the story in my head was clearly in first person. I didn’t find it difficult. Hmmm.
Lesson learned: What doesn’t work for another author may work for you. Each writer has different strengths; some are great at characterization, some can keep their stories going at breakneck speed, some use the language beautifully. Do what’s right for you. For me, I like first person and I think it's particularly good for teen novels.
***
US author of six teen historical novels, Diane Lee Wilson, at http://writingteennovels.com/2013/01/30/writing-narrative-point-of-view-in-teen-novels-by-diane-lee-wilson.
No comments:
Post a Comment