More of the writing meme
Jan. 17th, 2012 02:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lenora_rose3: Explain your PoV and Style of writing used
Most of both Serpent Prince and Soldier of the Road is written in first person from Ketan's point of view, in what I call memoir-style. That is, the reader knows he's writing a record of events from somewhere, months or years, after they happened. (but not too many years, as`some things are clearly still raw for him.) It means, also, that he has the leisure to write things out carefully, to pick and choose what to say and how to spin it. (Which isn't to say he's lying. But, for example, if *all* you ever got was his point of view, there's one character you would never learn is gay.)
However, in Serpent, there are two sections, one the opening chapters, from other perspectives, both also first person, but both written more in the form of diaries, meaning that the entries are written only minutes or hours after the events, and the people writing them have no idea what's going to happen next, so it's a lot closer to heat-of the-moment. Ketan actually makes some reference to getting hold of said diaries, though he usually keeps those kind of overt references to the passage of time to a minimum.
In Soldier, there are also two other points of view, also both first person. One is written rather headlong, with no clue in his storytelling when exactly it was done, and devolves on occasion into mild stream-of-consciousness. The other is also memoir style, but makes far more overt references to the time in which it's written; she records actual conversations with the present-day Ketan about writing the memoir. She's also a much more casual writer in general.
And yes, it does matter what "kind" of first person it is. It makes a lot of difference what is and isn't said, and how much the supposed narrator can shape the narrative. A memoirist can plan to spring surprises on his readers, where diary-writers can't, because they literally don't know what's coming, so all they can do is react when a plot twist hits.
It's also important to have them simply for the things Ketan doesn't tell, and for an outside view of him. And to get some active females on stage while waiting for the princess to get awakened.
4: Describe your inspiration and what message you wish to bring across
Inspiration is easy. I was reading a picture book version of Snow White one day, and it got to the prince finding the glass casket, and I thought, "Wait. Princes have these huge entourages, and a whole pile of serious duties to perform. So what is one doing wandering around in the wilderness in someone else's country in the first place?" (Also a certain amount of wondering about what answers, other than necrophilia, make sense for why someone expected to marry to political advantage would confiscate a seemingly dead girl in her casket for love of her?)
An answer popped into my head at once (And for the second part, another obvious answer -- the one Disney used for the same question, though I don't think anything else I did was Disneyesque). The first book is figuring out the answer to getting him off into the wilderness. The second is getting him to the "Casket". The third book (and on, if it takes me two more to finish) is the rest of the consequences, because this isn't a fairy tale where waking the princess is the end of the problem, and all that's left is to give some witch some red-hot shoes. In fact, about when he wakes her is about when they realise how big the problem really is.
Message is trickier. There are a lot of little themes. I think the strongest is "No man is an island" - Ketan tends towards solitary, or says he does, but is at his least effective, and his least content, and least emotionally balanced, when he's alone or thinks he is, and he takes large steps, sometimes not even wholly conscious he is, to avoid being without allies or friends. And the climaxes of both books so far end up with him in situations he couldn't resolve alone. Another reason for the occasional outside point of view.
There's also - I'm not sure it's a theme or a message, or even successful. But, Ketan is blessed by the gods with several odd gifts and talents. And he's a Prince. I didn't want the story to be about him being the chosen one who saves the day because he has god-given gifts, or blue blood. (Though the world he lives in might see it as the latter). But without the gifts, several things break down. So. I started including imbuing other characters with powers and godly gifts a match for his -- there were already important non-noble characters, but some of them got bigger roles. The intent was to show it wasn't the gifts that made the story. I think the result ended up more assembling a super-hero-team instead, even accounting for the gifted people who go other ways, but it's what I was aiming for.
Most of both Serpent Prince and Soldier of the Road is written in first person from Ketan's point of view, in what I call memoir-style. That is, the reader knows he's writing a record of events from somewhere, months or years, after they happened. (but not too many years, as`some things are clearly still raw for him.) It means, also, that he has the leisure to write things out carefully, to pick and choose what to say and how to spin it. (Which isn't to say he's lying. But, for example, if *all* you ever got was his point of view, there's one character you would never learn is gay.)
However, in Serpent, there are two sections, one the opening chapters, from other perspectives, both also first person, but both written more in the form of diaries, meaning that the entries are written only minutes or hours after the events, and the people writing them have no idea what's going to happen next, so it's a lot closer to heat-of the-moment. Ketan actually makes some reference to getting hold of said diaries, though he usually keeps those kind of overt references to the passage of time to a minimum.
In Soldier, there are also two other points of view, also both first person. One is written rather headlong, with no clue in his storytelling when exactly it was done, and devolves on occasion into mild stream-of-consciousness. The other is also memoir style, but makes far more overt references to the time in which it's written; she records actual conversations with the present-day Ketan about writing the memoir. She's also a much more casual writer in general.
And yes, it does matter what "kind" of first person it is. It makes a lot of difference what is and isn't said, and how much the supposed narrator can shape the narrative. A memoirist can plan to spring surprises on his readers, where diary-writers can't, because they literally don't know what's coming, so all they can do is react when a plot twist hits.
It's also important to have them simply for the things Ketan doesn't tell, and for an outside view of him. And to get some active females on stage while waiting for the princess to get awakened.
4: Describe your inspiration and what message you wish to bring across
Inspiration is easy. I was reading a picture book version of Snow White one day, and it got to the prince finding the glass casket, and I thought, "Wait. Princes have these huge entourages, and a whole pile of serious duties to perform. So what is one doing wandering around in the wilderness in someone else's country in the first place?" (Also a certain amount of wondering about what answers, other than necrophilia, make sense for why someone expected to marry to political advantage would confiscate a seemingly dead girl in her casket for love of her?)
An answer popped into my head at once (And for the second part, another obvious answer -- the one Disney used for the same question, though I don't think anything else I did was Disneyesque). The first book is figuring out the answer to getting him off into the wilderness. The second is getting him to the "Casket". The third book (and on, if it takes me two more to finish) is the rest of the consequences, because this isn't a fairy tale where waking the princess is the end of the problem, and all that's left is to give some witch some red-hot shoes. In fact, about when he wakes her is about when they realise how big the problem really is.
Message is trickier. There are a lot of little themes. I think the strongest is "No man is an island" - Ketan tends towards solitary, or says he does, but is at his least effective, and his least content, and least emotionally balanced, when he's alone or thinks he is, and he takes large steps, sometimes not even wholly conscious he is, to avoid being without allies or friends. And the climaxes of both books so far end up with him in situations he couldn't resolve alone. Another reason for the occasional outside point of view.
There's also - I'm not sure it's a theme or a message, or even successful. But, Ketan is blessed by the gods with several odd gifts and talents. And he's a Prince. I didn't want the story to be about him being the chosen one who saves the day because he has god-given gifts, or blue blood. (Though the world he lives in might see it as the latter). But without the gifts, several things break down. So. I started including imbuing other characters with powers and godly gifts a match for his -- there were already important non-noble characters, but some of them got bigger roles. The intent was to show it wasn't the gifts that made the story. I think the result ended up more assembling a super-hero-team instead, even accounting for the gifted people who go other ways, but it's what I was aiming for.
