Creative Writing 101

Lesson 7: Basic Style.

Viewpoint.

VIEWPOINT.

I have already mentioned viewpoint in the first section of this lesson, but it is an important subject and forms an important part of basic style.

Viewpoint is the effect of seeing the action through the eyes of a particular character.

In omniscient viewpoint, the writer's viewpoint is used. S/he assumes the godlike stance of knowing what all characters are doing.

"Catherine and Toby were walking down the lane, hand in hand. In Catherine's opinion, they were very much in accord, but Toby was wondering how it was possible to hold a girl's hand and feel as if she were light-years away.

The trees were just about to lose their leaves, and the sun was flushing the stubble with gold. Old Man Garrick was eyeing the stubble contentedy. Soon, he would have to run the harrows over it."

In this short passage viewpoint is partly with the characters. Readers know that Catherine and Toby have different views of their relationship, but the authorial viewpoint is also with the countryside, observing the field and speculating on possible future action.

Some editors (and some readers) would be perfectly happy with this passage. Others would be quite disgusted at the lack of tight viewpoint.

Now, here is the same passage using tight viewpoint from Catherine's point of view.

"Catherine and Toby were walking down the lane, hand in hand. Catherine smiled, delighted that the two of them were in such accord.

She noticed that the trees were just about to lose their leaves, and that the sun was flushing the stubble with gold. Old Man Garrick was eyeing his field with apparent contentment. She supposed he would soon have to run the harrows over the stubble."

Everything is filtered through Catherine's eyes. She "knows" she and Toby are in accord, and the reader has no reason to think otherwise. She sees the countryside, and notes Garrick's contentment. She supposes he will be harrowing the field, but she can't be certain.

Here is the scene from Toby's viewpoint.

"Toby was walking down the lane, hand in hand with Catherine. She seemed perfectly contented, but Toby was wondering how it was possible to hold a girl's hand and feel as if she were light-years away.

The trees were just about to lose their leaves, and the sun was flushing the stubble with gold. Toby saw Garrick eyeing the stubble. He supposed the old man would be doing the harrowing soon."

And here it is from Garrick's point of view.

"The trees were just about to lose their leaves, and the sun was flushing the stubble with gold. Old Man Garrick eyed the stubble contentedly. Soon, he would have to run the harrows over it.

A boy and girl were walking along the lane, holding hands. Catherine Brooks and her boyfriend, Toby. The girl looked pleased with life, but the boy seemed to have something on his mind."

Writing an entire novel from a single viewpoint can present some difficulty. What happens, for example, if Catherine and Toby have a brisk quarrel at the end of the lane and go their separate ways? Author (and reader) could stay with Catherine (for example) and see what happens to her next. The quarrel would be shown from Catherine's point of view, and she would know only as much about Toby's reasoning as he cared to tell her.

This is fine if the story is all about what happens to Catherine, but if Toby is equally important some information will be missing.

Maybe Catherine goes home and spends an unhappy evening waiting for Toby to call her. He doesn't call, and finally turns up a week later, claiming to have been kidnapped. Some readers are going to feel cheated because Toby's kidnapping would have been interesting to "see" whereas the sight of Catherine moping about the house was not.

If the novel is all from Catherine's point of view, the readers can know nothing that Catherine doesn't know. They can speculate, but they can't know for sure.

Some writers would tell Catherine's and Toby's story using dual viewpoint. The scene would begin from Catherine's point of view, follow the quarrel and then go home with Catherine. The viewpoint would then leave her at a convenient moment - perhaps entering her house at six, or going to sleep at eleven, and go back to Toby.

When the viewpoint ball lands in Toby's court, it could take off from the moment of parting (thus going back to half past five) or from a later point.

There is no need to write, "Meanwhile, Toby was..." to show change of viewpoint. You can simply open into a new scene or a new chapter.

End of Catherine Scene...

"Catherine's head was aching, and her eyes felt stretched with refusing to cry. I give up! she thought. She punched her pillow and rolled to face the wall."

Beginning of Toby Scene...

"Toby stared at Catherine's retreating back. He could feel the familiar distaste bubbling inside him. He hadn't meant it like that - well, maybe he had, but she hadn't had to take it so badly! Grumping, he stamped off to fetch his bike."

Or-

"Toby was slumped in the chair with his feet propped on a stool.

'What's up with you?' asked his sister.

'Nothing.'

'There is. You're in a snit.'

Toby scowled. He'd been home for two hours and he still felt bad inside..."

Using single viewpoint for a whole novel does have one advantage. The reader learns facts only as the viewpoint character does, so there can be lots of surprises. Consider a love story in which the hero dumps the heroine for no (apparent) reason. The heroine, and the reader, will be quite in the dark and both will feel the hero is acting like a heel.

If dual viewpoint is at work, the reader will learn about the hero's true reasons long before the heroine does. There is still suspense - when will he tell her? How will she react? but it is a different kind of suspense.

Multi viewpoint is at work when several different characters take their turn at being the viewpoint character. Suppose Catherine and Toby storm off home, and Old Man Garrick...

"...stared after them. How very odd. One minute they'd been holding hands like babes in the wood, the next they'd gone charging off like rabbits. What it was to be young!"

This is either multi viewpoint at work, or else head-hopping, depending on (yes!) your point of view!

THE FIRST PERSON SOLUTION.

If you want to write in tight viewpoint, the easiest possible way is to use first person. If Catherine is telling the story, she can't possibly know what Toby is doing or thinking, and using her tone of voice will be a constant reminder.

Remember, tight viewpoint means that not only can Catherine not know what's going on in Toby's mind, nor what he is doing when he's out of her sight, but she can't see herself.

"I turned red with anger."

"Catherine turned red with anger.

"My green eyes sparkled."

"Catherine's green eyes sparkled."

None of the above can be used in true tight viewpoint. However, you could put;

"Catherine felt her cheeks growing hot with anger" or "I bet my green eyes were sparkling!"

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