Point of View
As a fiction writer, I consider point of view a lot. How do I know which point of view to use? Which is most effective?
Yesterday, before the storm, I walked around the yard and admired my crape myrtle from different points of view.
Here's the view as I stood on the deck and looked into the middle of it:
And from a little further back and a bit to the right:
This view is from the side yard, just past the big maple. The crape myrtle looks like it's hiding behind the boxwoods and the maple. It doesn't look very big here:
Further down the side yard, the view changes to reveal that the crape myrtle is a lot bigger than it first appeared. It towers over the house:
But even further down the side yard, past another crape myrtle, the size changes again. Which crape myrtle is larger?
From the courtyard (aka the septic field), I can stand back and look at the whole crape myrtle. It's one BIG crape myrtle.:
But which point of view is the right one? Which is most effective?
I ask myself that a lot when I write.
Yesterday, before the storm, I walked around the yard and admired my crape myrtle from different points of view.
Here's the view as I stood on the deck and looked into the middle of it:
And from a little further back and a bit to the right:
This view is from the side yard, just past the big maple. The crape myrtle looks like it's hiding behind the boxwoods and the maple. It doesn't look very big here:
Further down the side yard, the view changes to reveal that the crape myrtle is a lot bigger than it first appeared. It towers over the house:
But even further down the side yard, past another crape myrtle, the size changes again. Which crape myrtle is larger?
From the courtyard (aka the septic field), I can stand back and look at the whole crape myrtle. It's one BIG crape myrtle.:
But which point of view is the right one? Which is most effective?
I ask myself that a lot when I write.
~
posted by Becky Mushko | 1:36 PM
6 Comments:
That crepe myrtle is beautiful -- from ANY perspective!
Seems to me each POV has something to offer but you get the whole picture when you're standing far away from it...maybe that ties into our writing somehow.
BEAUTIFUL plant! I have one that has been growing since I was 6 years old. My father ordered it for me and when it came we thought it was dead! But, after planting it, it soon grew and now is well up over my head, even though it's always been in a pot. It has exactly these same color blooms. They are beautiful and rewarding plants. Since then, I've always taken it as a symbol of my own life. Even though it's confined to the pot (as I have been confined by various things over time), it never fails to grow and bloom every year!
I agree with what Ms. Faris said, that the whole picture is best seen from far away, but doesn't it show more personality when it's hiding behind the other trees? What an interesting way to discuss POV in writing!
What a creative little piece you wrote. And that IS some big crepe myrtle!
All the points of view are interesting and tell stories that are valid. I like the one with the chair in it. It says something to me.
www.GreenerPastures--ACityGirlGoesCountry.blogspot.com
Wish I had one in my yard... It's lovely!
Di
The Blue Ridge Gal
What a great way to demonstrate point of view. No wonder you were a teacher!
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