How do you grab an editor’s attention? How do you keep readers from saying, “Wait…what?”
One of the most difficult writing skills to grasp is that of writing from the viewpoint of fictional characters. What distinguishes the novice writer from the pro? Most how-to manuals on writing skim over or skip entirely writing in viewpoint. Ken Pelham, author of two award-winning suspense novels, and a frequent presenter to writers’ groups on viewpoint, shines the light on the fundamentals and the essentials for bringing them to life. A must-have manual for writers of both fiction and nonfiction, Out of Sight, Out of Mind teaches through example how to spot—and more importantly, to fix--both the obvious and not-so-obvious errors in viewpoint.
I have eight books available for sale online as ebooks and softcover books, and two more currently in the works. My first novel, Brigands Key, was originally commercially published in hardcover by Gale Cengage, a highly respected publisher of mysteries and westerns. Over 7,000 copies have been ordered since first release in 2012.
This book, Out of Sight, Out of Mind: A Writer's Guide to Mastering Viewpoint was published in ebook and softcover in Summer of 2014, and has generally ranked between 50,000 and 350,000 on Amazon.
On this planet, there exist three basic literary points of view. I do not know how the terms were achieved, and they make little sense to me as labels. However, they are the conventions and we must live with them. You recall them from high school. I hope. They are:
First-person.
Second-person.
Third-person.
That's it. I've wracked my brain to invent a fourth-person point of view, and have failed to do so.
Only three to work with? Your creativity is hog-tied? The good news is, each of these three points of view possess variations and forms.
Nearly all modern fiction is written in either first-person or third-person. We'll cover those in depth, for good reason, and go into second-person just for the hell of it.
A key thing to remember is that the story may be told as if the viewpoint character is unaware that he or she has a reading or listening audience, watching his or her every move invading his or her thoughts. It's one of the great talents with which we, as readers, are endowed. We own this ability to suspend disbelief and hop aboard for the ride.
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Italian
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Already translated.
Translated by Eugenia Franzoni
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Author review: Eugenia Franzoni is extremely responsive and thorough. Couldn't be happier with the work she's done on this book. |
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Portuguese
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Already translated.
Translated by João Romão
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Author review: This translation is brilliant, capturing everything in my English-language edition and rendering it beautifully in Portuguese. Outstanding work, and I would recommend Joao Romao to every author. |
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Spanish
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Already translated.
Translated by Natalia Steckel
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Author review: Natalia is a talented and conscientious translator. I'm so happy to have gotten the benefit of her services for my book. |
