Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Point of view choices: David Madden

Image from Amazon

Originally published in 1988, David Madden's practical handbook was reissued in 2002. Here is his advice on making the right decision about what point of view your story needs.

"To test the first-draft point of view on paper, identify the scene in your story that is giving you the most trouble. Try rewriting the scene from two other points of view.

If the draft is third person, avoid simply transposing "she" to "I." Imagine the possibilities posed by each point of view; explore the possibility of using multiple point of view techniques. You may see clearly that point of view is a mode of discovery; you may find the true emotive and thematic centre of your story." (27)


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