“So, You see,” He, She, They Said

 

John Clark staring up from the bottom of the Well of Delusion and Despair at current reality. This month, we’re tackling one of those creatures designed by committee, the infamous point of view. It brings to mind one of my favorite writing exercises from What If? : Writing exercises for fiction writers by Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter, a book I used when teaching creative writing.

Create a meal and people it with various family members and/or guests. Have readers/aspiring writers take a look inside the minds of each person to see how differently they perceive what’s going on, who likes whom, and their takes on the dishes being served. When I used this exercise, I encouraged my students to experiment with their fictional diners sitting around the table, changing emotional dynamics, past experiences that might drive/effect individuals/relationships. More often than not, one or more students would come away from the exercise with sufficient material to write a short story.

At its simplest, POV refers to how and what is in the mind of the main character, but wait, there’s more! YA fiction seldom has just one major player, and even when there are multiple ones, how boring would it be if they talked and thought in lock-step? As far as I’m concerned, point of view can do a number of interesting things. It can highlight conflicting beliefs (think romantic attraction between teens from markedly different faiths, or more contemporarily political views. (We’re gonna see a LOT more of this beast. For example, my younger daughter has two friends she graduated from high school with in the early 2000s who are joining us for Thanksgiving because that holiday at their parents’ houses will be a war zone).

POV also gives the writer the opportunity to play with economic, educational, and regional disparities. I tend to set all my fiction, whether short, or novel length somewhere here in Maine, although it tends to wander into other mythological realms, or spatial dimensions. As a result, many of my players use expressions unfamiliar to those from away, or have habits/rituals unique to our state. When I introduce a new character who grew up elsewhere, their point of view can help illuminate or define that ‘Maine’ colloquialism or cultural aspect as they try to wrap their head around it.

For example, how many of you are familiar with scouse, a slab city, someone vaccinated with a phonograph needle, or wound up tighter than a teddy bear? How about someone getting over a Hot Supper, filling their tag, or harvesting ‘wrinkles? The majority of real Mainers know these and more.

What kinds of cultural and colloquial realities might bubble up through your characters’ points of view?