Point of View, Kombucha Update and The Little Free Library Project
The impact of point of view choices has been on the front of my brain.
There are basically two options for point of view, first person and third person. I think of them in terms of a camera angle in the the movies. First person is like having a GoPro mounted on the character's head. There are varying degrees of proximity for third person point of view, they range from a camera mounted on the character's shoulder, to a camera man standing next to the character, to a camera mounted in the corner of the room.
It's my opinion, the closer the proximity of the 'camera' to the character, the stronger the bond between the reader and the character. For example, the Sherlock Holmes mysteries are written in first person, from the perspective of Dr. Watson. As a reader you build an intimate bond with Dr. Watson, you're reading his diary, doesn't get much closer than that. The second example is Harry Potter, half of the content in those books are describing Harry's thoughts. Writing a character's thoughts is a great example of bringing the reader closer to the character while using a third person point of view.
In both Sherlock Holmes and Harry Potter, an intimate point of view was used to create a bond between the reader and the lead character. A strong bond between the reader and the lead character makes for a more memorable reading experience. It's part of what makes a character 'stick with you' as a reader. And that's what makes you start wondering what Dr. Watson is up to while you're staring at the computer screen in the office.
ReadingI finished reading The Attack by Jack Arbor. It's a solid, action packed spy thriller. I want to go back and read the entire series about the main character Max Austin. Max has a solid network of spies that he uses for his missions and each of them could easily have their own series of books. If you're planning on reading Jack Reacher #23, check out a Jack Arbor book first, you might be surprised and they're free on Kindle Unlimited. Tough to go wrong.
LifeI'm declaring that Pam is fluent in the language of human manipulation. She has developed very specific methods of letting us know when she wants to snuggle. At the core of her language is running around the house meowing loudly or banging on the closet door at 3 a.m. As an untrained human, you might think that when she's running around the house meowing she wants to play. You would be wrong. What she really wants is for you to sit down on the couch so she can snuggle in your lap.
Richard takes a different approach. When he sits next to you or in your lap, he's really just monitoring your movement for any sign that you might be moving toward the fridge for cat treats.
The Catranch is running smooth. I bottled the Kombucha this week and added some fruit for the second fermentation. I took a small taste test this evening, I have my doubts on whether the fermentation process worked, it tastes a lot like sweet tea with fruit added. Mehh, we'll see what happens, at worst I end up with fruit flavored sweet tea.
I donated several copies of Selected to the Little Free Library Project locations near the house. If you haven't heard of the Little Free Library Project, it's worth checking out. The description of the project from the project website is below.
A Little Free Library is a “take a book, return a book” free book exchange. They come in many shapes and sizes, but the most common version is a small wooden box of books. Anyone may take a book or bring a book to share.
Little Free Library book exchanges have a unique, personal touch. There is an understanding that real people are sharing their favorite books with their community; Little Libraries have been called “mini-town squares.”
Signing off from the Catranch with the glow of the fireplace in the background.
-jerad
