E.B. Roshan's Blog: This, That and the Other, page 23
July 21, 2020
Random Writing Tip #4: Point of View
If a story is being told, obviously, someone is telling it. Is that person you, the writer, or someone else? Several different points of view are possible. We’ll look briefly at the three most popular.
First Person:
If you’re writing a story about yourself, this is the voice/point of view that you will likely use. Of course, when writing fiction, it’s also popular to choose an imaginary character and tell the story through his eyes. When writing this point of view (POV) you will use the pronoun “I,” and you’ll only be able to convey information through the eyes of this character. If he didn’t see an event happen, or hasn’t somehow been informed of it, he can’t know about it. He also can’t know the inner thoughts of other characters in the story.
“Yesterday, when I went to the grocery store to pick up a dozen eggs, I saw a man wearing a Darth Vader mask. Who knows why? Perhaps he thinks it will scare off the germs.”
Third Person (Limited)
This point of view is similar to the one above, in that you can only convey information through the point of view of one character at a time, though of course your story could have more than one POV character. However, instead of using the pronoun “I,” you’ll use “he/she” and the person’s name, of course.
“Yesterday Damaris went to the grocery store to pick up a dozen eggs. She saw a man wearing a Darth Vader mask and wondered why. Perhaps it will scare off the germs, she thought.”
Third Person (Omniscient)
If you’re writing a story with a lot of characters, or a very complex story, this may be your POV of choice. Many fantasy or adventure stories are written this way. This POV is written as if the author is sitting on high, observing all the actions and thoughts of all the characters. He’s able to move into any character’s inner thoughts, or focus on any important scene happening anywhere in the story’s world. In the past, many stories were written this way, but if you read more modern stories, you will see that the Third Person Omniscient point of view has become less common.
“Damaris went to the grocery store to pick up a dozen eggs and met a man in a Darth Vader mask. He’d decided to test its efficacy at repelling germs.”
July 17, 2020
Le Mote Just
For those moments when English just isn’t enough…
https://getpocket.com/explore/item/38-wonderful-words-with-no-english-equivalent
July 14, 2020
Dreaming up Sevia (Preen)
I really wanted to write her story, and I felt it had to be told the way I chose to tell it, but I didn’t find Final Chance as easy or enjoyable to write as some of my other stories. When I would sit down with my computer and a cup of tea I wouldn’t say, “Ahhh, now I get to write!” I felt like more of a challenge than a relaxing activity.
At the time the story begins, the city of Dor has been engulfed in civil war for over two years. Rama had sent Preen and their daughter away when things first began to get bad, while he stayed to fight…for the losing side. When Rayad, the Tur faction, is crushed, the victorious White Horse party doesn’t stop, but sets out to systematically destroy the Tur community in Dor. Eventually, the European League intervenes to stop the violence and occupies Sevia.
When Preen and Rama reunite in Dor, they both have very different ideas of what the new peace will mean for them. Rama wants to get revenge for his dead friends, but Preen is sure she can make him forgive, forget and go home. And, as is generally the case when someone sets out to force a change on someone who doesn’t want to change, things don’t go as she hopes. In the end, Preen realizes that she needs a second chance just as much as Rama does.
Preen
Preen, the teenage protagonist of Final Chance, is a character who seems to inspire strong feelings in readers. Either they love her, or they don’t “get” her at all. She’s stubborn, wilful, determined, brave, and also very naive and sometimes downright stupid. Her conviction that she can rescue her husband, Rama, and bring him back to enjoy the life of peace they never really had, leads her to take risks that hurt her and her loved ones.
I really wanted to write her story, and I felt it had to be told the way I chose to tell it, but I didn’t find Final Chance as easy or enjoyable to write as some of my other stories. When I would sit down with my computer and a cup of tea I wouldn’t say, “Ahhh, now I get to write!” I felt like more of a challenge than a relaxing activity.
At the time the story begins, the city of Dor has been engulfed in civil war for over two years. Rama had sent Preen and their daughter away when things first began to get bad, while he stayed to fight…for the losing side. When Rayad, the Tur faction, is crushed, the victorious White Horse party doesn’t stop, but sets out to systematically destroy the Tur community in Dor. Eventually, the European League intervenes to stop the violence and occupies Sevia.
When Preen and Rama reunite in Dor, they both have very different ideas of what the new peace will mean for them. Rama wants to get revenge for his dead friends, but Preen is sure she can make him forgive, forget and go home. And, as is generally the case when someone sets out to force a change on someone who doesn’t want to change, things don’t go as she hopes. In the end, Preen realizes that she needs a second chance just as much as Rama does.
July 12, 2020
Book Spotlight: Edward’s Folly
Edward’s Folly is the engaging story of a young family finding their feet in a new community, thanks to the generous help of the local church.
Overall, I found the story fairly well-written and edited. Having it told from the point of view of two first-person narrators, both male, was a little confusing at first but I got used to it. The story moves at a leisurely pace, occasionally getting a little bogged down in the details of fixing the ranch house that Edward and his family are going to be living in.
The author also goes into loving detail about the care and maintenance of the cars in the story, but I enjoyed this, because the vehicles were almost characters in their own right and added a lot to the color and atmosphere of the story. It was a nice touch that Diane, the respectable and grandmotherly wife of Ray, the mechanic who initially helps Edward and his family, is a street racer in her spare time.
I’d recommend Edward’s Folly to anyone who’d like to read a pleasant, optimistic story of of a community church at its best. As Edward says, “If there is ever an example needed to show what (a church) is supposed to look like, I will hold this church up as that example.”
I received a free copy of Edward’s Folly in exchange for an honest review.
July 7, 2020
Dreaming up Sevia (Book Reviews and Author Interviews)
Of course, advertising opportunities about both on the Internet and in the Real World, but many are expensive, and not all are effective. One of the best ways I’ve found for spreading the word about my book is to share free copies with some of the many bloggers who regularly review books and interview authors. This is a great method because not only does your book get reviews on the sites where it’s being sold, it’s also getting publicity and (if the review is a good one) endorsement from the blogger who recommends it to his or her friends and followers.
Here are just a few of the bloggers who have helped and supported me. Go check them out, and see what else they’re reading, and who else they're interviewing!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://thebabblingbooksblog.wordpres...
https://reginawalkerauthor.com/2020/0...
https://pagesandpaws.com/2020/06/24/w...
https://reviews-redpillows.com/2020/0...
Book Reviews
No matter how good the book you’ve just written and published might be, if nobody knows it exists, nobody’s going to read it. But how do you let your potential readers know that there’s a new story out there that they are going to love?
Of course, advertising opportunities about both on the Internet and in the Real World, but many are expensive, and not all are effective. One of the best ways I’ve found for spreading the word about my book is to share free copies with some of the many bloggers who regularly read and review books. This is a great method because not only does your book get reviews on the sites where it’s being sold, public ones that any potential buyer can see, it’s also getting publicity and (if the review is a good one) endorsement from the blogger who recommends it to his or her friends and followers.
Here are just a few of the book bloggers who have helped and supported me by sharing thoughtful and gracious reviews for my books. Go check them out, and see what else they’re reading!
‘Wrong Place, Right Time’ Hits the Mark
Author Interview: E.B. Roshan
https://thebabblingbooksblog.wordpress.com/2020/07/05/review-final-chance/
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3409498543?utm_medium=api&utm_source=custom_widget
July 1, 2020
.99 Cents
Wrong Place, Right Time, my first novel, is on sale for .99 cents from now until July 30. This is to celebrate the imminent release of the next installment in the series.
Check it out here for a great cheap read: https://books2read.com/u/m2VkJr
June 27, 2020
Dreaming up Sevia (Random Writing Tip #3)
The beginning of your story has three main purposes:
1. To introduce your main character.
2. To introduce the problem the story is about.
3. To "hook" your readers, so they won't want to stop reading until the end.
The middle section also has three main purposes:
1. To develop the main character.
2. To explore the story problem in greater depth.
3. To make things complicated for your aforementioned main character. If it's all fun and games for him, you may have a nice piece of writing, but you don't have a story.
The final section and ending also has three main purposes, too:
1. To bring the tension of the story up to fever pitch.
2. To show how your main character has changed for better or worse. The character you leave your readers with at the end of the story should not be the same person they began the story with.
3. To provide resolution to the problem that the story posed for your main character.
This is only a brief overview of what it takes to write a good story. Over the next few weeks, we'll go into more detail on how to create each of these story elements. Stay tuned!
This, That and the Other
- E.B. Roshan's profile
- 88 followers
