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Writing 101: POV

Point of view is the most basic element to any book, and the first thing you're going to have to decide when you sit down to write (or stand, I'm not here to judge your style). Are you going with classic fly-on-the-wall, personal firsthand storytelling...or something even more bold? POV isn't something you should determine on a whim. Know who exactly is telling the story, and why.

Perspective

There are only three types of POV in book-writing, and that makes it easy to pick one. Perspective in books changes everything, so you have to make a decision when you pick your POV. Each option has its own advantages, and disadvantages that will limit you as a writer.

• First-person POV

When you're telling a story from the first person, a single character is relating the tale. You'll be writing lines like I looked her straight in the eye, or I took a deep breath before speaking. But when you're in a character's head, you've got to get inside their head. Know what they're thinking, feeling, experiencing every moment -- and put all of that on the page. Do it correctly, and you'll draw readers deeply into the head of a single character with the first-person POV.

Usually, the main character is the one telling the tale (think Twilight), but it's not unheard-of to write from the first-person POV of a secondary character. Doing this can be a much bolder choice, but difficult to write. When you write in the first person, you're immediately limiting yourself because the character you're writing knows only what they, themselves, are thinking and feeling. The character has to figure out every other character based on mere observation and interaction. Insights may be wrong, motives may be second-guessed, and the reader will be on the exact same journey with your character. You as a writer have to be in every character's head, but the character you're seeing through in the book probably doesn't have that skill.

• Third-person POV

When you write in the third person, you take a fly-on-the-wall perspective on everything that's going on. No one is "I," and every character must be described by their name or a pronoun (you know, she, he, all that good stuff). The third person you're writing through may be a Godlike person who sees and knows all, easily slipping in and out of the heads of every character to deliver insight on what they're thinking, or it can be someone who only clearly sees one or two main characters in the book. The third-person POV is usually removed from the events and characters of the book, relating the tale after the fact or as it happens -- but rarely, it may be revealed later that the third-person narrator of the book is actually a character within the story itself. 

• Second-person POV

The rarest of all perspectives in books, second-person POV is also the hardest to write. When you write in the second person, you are directly addressing the reader (as I'm doing now) with words like you and your. The second-person POV, also called second-person narrative, is most often used in self-help and spirituality books, but some bold writers have authored entire fiction books by actually maneuvering you -- the reader -- as a character in the story. Bright Lights, Big City is a famous example of this style. A line from the book reads as follows: You are leaning back against a post that may or may not be structural with regard to the building, but which feels essential to your own maintenance of an upright position.

It's incredibly daunting to write an entire book in the second-person POV, but you can sprinkle it into books written from another perspective. Directly addressing the reader infrequently can add a powerful element to any story, and further draw the reader into the book. Acknowledging that the narrator knows he/she has an audience can make the reader pay a little more attention to what they're reading, but don't overdo it.

Writing 101: Naming Characters

Writers are creative by nature, but that doesn't mean they can pull a thousand names from their heads without breaking a sweat. Naming characters can be pretty stressful, and we've all suddenly changed a name at the last minute for one reason or another. When you're drawing a blank, there's lots of resources out there that will help with naming characters.

 Name Resources

The simplest way to find names for your characters is to turn to sites designed for expectant mothers. Type "baby names" into any search engine, and you'll discover a wellspring of name resources that just won't quit. In fact, it can get overwhelming. Narrow the field by choosing a certain letter or combination of letters that speaks to you, and type that into a search string on the baby site itself. Baby sites are very helpful, and many of them will organize names by gender, origin, letter, popularity and a host of additional categories. If you want to write a character with Irish origins, for example, these resources are absolutely priceless. Use the sites to come up with last names as well, as many last names are derived from first names anyway. If you're struggling to find a suitable last name, try smooshing two first names together to create an melodic-sounding combination. 

Writing 101: Converting to eBook

It's an exciting feeling to finish a book, but once all the writing and editing are done you've still got more work ahead of you -- so don't start celebrating just yet. Your book might look great in a document file, but there's all sorts of things that can go wrong when you try to convert it for eReaders. Software really helps when you want to make your book look great electronically, not just on paper.

Get Some Software

Your book isn't going to look the same on an eReader as it does on your computer. But even if you don't have an eReader, you can find out what your book looks like to your readers (and make sure it's perfect before it's published). First, you've got to convert your book into a format that eReaders can actually read. For that kind of thing, having the right software really helps.

• Mobipocket is free, and it converts .html, .pdf, .txt and .doc formats into the Mobi format used by Kindle. Upload the book directly through the software, and you can edit the html file to remove any errors before the book is published. Add pagebreaks using the <mbp:pagebreak/> code and blank spaces with <br>. The software allows you to add the cover, author information and even the blurb.
• Calibre is an ebook management program that converts .txt, .pdf, .html and all ebook formats (but not .doc). You cannot edit the book's html with this program, but you can easily convert your books into additional mobile formats. I use it to change my Kindle-friendly books into ePub books, the only format that B&N accepts.

Viewing Your Books

Always, always take a look at your books before and after you publish them online. If you don't happen to have an eReader, it's no big deal. Amazon, B&N and lots of third-party sites offer free software that allows readers to view ebooks on their computers. You can even download add-ons for web browsers that make it possible to view ebooks. Once you've converted your book into the formats you want, give them a good once-over before uploading them to a bookstore. Once the books are published and live online, download them and take another look at them just for good measure. You cannot double-check your book enough times. Readers want perfection, and perfection takes a whole lot of attempts.

Bah! Who Needs Software?

Not everyone has a great computer system, or the skills to download and organize a bunch of different software programs. Free software is all well and good, but free doesn't make it easy to use. So if just can't download a whole bunch of stuff, don't panic. There are ways around the problem.

Smashwords accepts .doc files all day, every day, and they'll convert your books for you into just about every format any reader could ever want. You've got to list your books on Smashwords to take advantage of this, but you'll get a lot for creating a free account and adding your books to this site. Before you upload to Smashwords, take a look at their style guide because the site has extremely specific formatting requirements.

After you upload to Smashwords, you'll receive emails regarding any stylistic problems with your work, so you'll know what needs to be changed. When all is said and done, go straight to your Smashwords page and download ebook copies of your own work. Even if you can't use it, places like Amazon and B&N can. You can take your downloaded, eformatted book and upload that straight to the other sites where you'd like to sell.

Smashwords will allow you to view certain formats of your book online, but to see it in eReader format you'll have to wait until you're uploading to another site. When you upload to Amazon or B&N, for example, before you complete the publishing process you'll have the option of previewing your work. Do so to see exactly what your readers will see when they download your book -- no software required.

Start Exploring The Tower!

The writing is done, the editing is finished and the formatting has been (painfully) completed. Yes, the day has finally arrived -- The Tower is being released! Book 2 in the Deck of Lies series is now available at Amazon's Kindle store, so download your copy while the downloading's good.

Book description:

A Tower of Lies...

Death brings some families closer, but it’s ripped mine apart. I wanted to convince the police that they had the wrong suspect…but I never expected them to start suspecting me. Now, I have no choice but to keep searching for the truth, even if all my relationships fall to pieces around me.

Someone is trying to make me look guilty. I never thought my mission to prove my own innocence would lead me to more family secrets. I thought I had already discovered the truth about myself. But every answer raises more questions, and everything I think I know is about to change…again.

I have to find the truth, no matter how much it hurts -- before I get charged with murder.

New Review for Justice

"I very much enjoyed the story. It’s humorous, there’s a mystery to be solved...The story moves quickly and a LOT of stuff happens."

The lovely ladies at Quirky Girls Read have recently posted an in-depth review of Justice (Deck of Lies, Book 1).  Go to their site to read the full review, and find out just what it is I'm writing about, anyway.

Preview The Tower

The Tower (Deck of Lies, Book 2) comes out this week! Get a head start and get the first two chapters free at my official site.

Review: Anywhere But Here

When I got an early review copy of Sherri Fulmer Moorer's Anywhere But Here, all I knew about the book was that it's a YA story. This is not accurate by any means, but I'm happy to say I wasn't too disappointed to find myself caught up in a contemporary tale about the cutthroat corporate world -- and a fantasy novel filled with dream castles and dragons. Surprisingly, the two halves of the story come together well to create a cohesive whole, blending elements of female-centric fiction, romance and fantasy. But if you don't know what to expect, you may find this ride pretty confusing indeed -- even off-putting, at times.

Anywhere But Here introduces readers to a heroine on the brink of a new life, and on the brink of breakdown. Graduating from college and embarking on a new path should be an exciting time, but Jana finds her entire world crumbling to dust instead. The reader will truly feel Jana's confusion as the fabric of her life turns to tatters all around her, and sink slowly into the depression that colors the rest of the book.

Who can be trusted? Who cannot be trusted? I found myself quickly turning pages trying to discover the answers, moving in and out of different realities without knowing which was real. This book has a very strong and compelling plot, but I cannot say the same for the general tone and structure of Anywhere But Here. The formatting and editing are far from perfect, which can be extremely jarring at times, and some of the workplace scenes are even more unbelievable than those within the fantasy world that's populated by a seemingly telepathic dragon. This should not be the case. At times I found myself getting frustrated and mired in my own confusion, but perhaps this is a master stroke by Moorer -- the author's way of truly putting the reader inside the mind of the book's heroine. Are you strong enough to battle with Jana's demons? Is she? If you can stick with this one all the way through to the end, you'll find the conclusion answers most of the questions created in preceding chapters and most things start to make sense again. Despite all the errors and what I think is a real misconception of what it's like to work in an office environment, Anywhere But Here has a fascinating and unique take on something that a huge number of people must face every day: depression.