Meredith Mansfield, Author

Update:  I’m approximately 90% done with the revision of THE IGNORED PROPHECY.  The good news is that I’ve found almost enough material to cut in the last few chapters to offset the added material.  I won’t need as big a pair of scissors on the next go through.  After this, it will still need one more pass for consistency and to look for places to increase the tension still more.  Then it’ll be ready for more readers.

Today’s topic: Point of View.  Up to now, I have always written in third person.  I try to get into close third person, meaning I’m in the head of one of the characters, as often as I can.  Some scenes don’t lend themselves to that, for me.  Some do.

The new short story that I’m sort of working on during revisions to the novel is different.  Early this morning (you don’t want to know how early), I went through and changed the thousand or so words I’ve written to first person.  I’m going to try that for this one.  A good bit of the story involves the main character not understanding the world she finds herself in and not knowing what’s going on.  Her confusion may work best in first person.  If it doesn’t, I can always revise it and change it back.

That creates a problem, though.  Since the main character doesn’t always know what’s going on, I’ve got a few scenes in third person omniscient to allow the reader to see, and understand, what’s going on.  I’m not sure whether I can pull that off.

This will be a new experience for me and a bit outside my comfort zone, but if you never try anything new . . .