Whose Point of View? (Most of what matters…)

Viewpoint is a tricky beast. I like reading both single and multi-viewpoint novels. If an author has done her job, I’m happy. But when it comes to writing, I go for multi-viewpoint because it gives me the opportunity to tell it how it is – for him and for her and for him and for her… Everyone sees things differently and this is pretty fascinating, I find.

But. How many viewpoints should an author use? Is there a rule? (No – and if there was it would only exist to be broken…) Is there even a guideline? Well, I’d say that every story has a ‘right’ number. I’d also suggest that we can have too many. Too many viewpoints, like too many timelines could be sooo confusing. Instead of allowing a reader to empathise with a different perspective it could have the opposite effect and a reader might end up not empathising with anyone. The story might become too jumbled, too disparate, too unfocused.

So. Who should be a viewpoint character? Definitely the character whose story you’re telling. (Unless you are using omniscient narration and that’s a whole new subject!). And anyone else who might have a (albeit slight) story of their own which you (the author) fancy exploring. It could be a sub-plot of your main story or another angle/ aspect of your main plot. Question: What do you want your reader to know? Answer: If you want her to know what someone is thinking and feeling, then that someone has to become a viewpoint character. (You could use dialogue to express their feelings but do we always say exactly what we mean and feel…?)

And then. How to decide which character should be the viewpoint character in any specific scene? This is easier. Questions: Where do you want the emotional impact to lie? Whose thoughts and feelings, reactions and responses need to be experienced first-hand? Whose motivation should the reader be trying to understand? Answer: This will tell you who should be the viewpoint character.

So now we’ve made three big decisions, we should be ready to make the author-leap. Go. Leap into your viewpoint character’s head and heart. If you do that so completely that you even forget to have lunch, then you won’t be making any viewpoint ‘mistakes’ (like changing viewpoint in the middle of a scene). You are there, really there in their skin, and that, in the end, is most of what matters…

Winter Book Reviews 2016

Is it just me or do lots of books with lots of stars end up being a bit disappointing? (No names mentioned). Well, it’s the end of November and time to think about items with lots of printed pages that can go into Christmas stockings and introduce the lucky recipients to the wonders of lots of different worlds. Here’s my latest recommended reading list of books which were not disappointing in the least…

I Found You by Lisa Jewell

Yes, it’s another gem from Lisa Jewell. (Apologies). Alice, a brave, blowsy and generous mother of three and shelterer of canines, finds a man on the beach. He is suffering from amnesia and she feels sorry for him and takes him in (did I mention she was brave and generous?). He seems like a nice guy and Alice is drawn to him, but she knows nothing about his real life – and at the moment neither does he. Gradually things come back to him. He could be married, he could (he thinks) have killed someone. Great… Both characters are warm, believable and rather lovely.

In scenario 2, Lily from the Ukraine reports her husband missing. She barely knows him (sounds familiar) and soon she finds out things she would really rather have not known at all. But where is he? Could he be the man on the beach – or is that way too obvious?

Enter scenario 3 (I love the structure of this book). This is a past story which introduces Gray and Kirsty (brother and sister) and a plot line which will reveal the truth. Lisa Jewell is very good at keeping her readers guessing, which makes this book as compelling as ever. Her characterisation as always is excellent and there is something about this brilliant novel which makes it impossible to forget. My favourite read of 2016. Highly recommended.

Falling by Julie Cohen

Anyone who reads this blog regularly will know that I’m a big JC fan. She’s just so good – there’s a natural quality about Julie’s writing that pulls you in and she tackles thought-provoking subjects too with great sensitivity. Looking at the cover of Falling I would have guessed this to be a fairly light romantic comedy, but of course it’s not. There is romance, there is love, but at the heart of this novel there are three women from three different generations all with a secret and all falling – in different ways (not just in love). That’s the concept and although it seems fairly simple, the writing is complex as ever. Usually I fall for a JC novel right from the start, but this one was a slow starter for me. I quite like that though. The author gradually develops the three characters of Honor (I adored Honor)  Jo (slightly irritating, but maybe I was seeing her through Honor’s eyes) and Lydia (Cohen does teenager POVs very well). OK, there were a few slight implausibilities (the gorgeous neighbour next door for one) but who really cares? The three journeys were all very well handled, and so compelling to read. Julie Cohen has great insight as a writer. And at the end..? There was a tear. Yet another brilliant Julie Cohen book. How does she do it?? Highly recommended.

What Doesn’t Kill You by Laura James

This book is set in Dorset – it’s part of the Chesil Beach series, so I’m already hooked in by wanting to read more about my favourite landscape… But there’s a lot more to this book than first appears. This is a romance, yes, but it’s a dark one and while Griff and Evie battle to keep their relationship alive, other compelling issues are being played out; issues of abuse and self-harm, guilt and loss, which make for an intense and sometimes challenging reading experience. But these subjects are handled with compassion and integrity, and while the book is dark, it is also positive and uplifting too. As the title suggests: what doesn’t kill you makes you strong (and more interesting); this is also a story of survival.

Personally, I love multi-viewpoint novels as this allows the author (and reader) to get involved in different perspectives and can make a novel more complex and insightful (IMO). Laura James makes good use of this technique. I liked the character of ‘gruff Griff’, a man who wants to save others and his relationship with the woman he loves. Evie is torn by the secret she holds which creates such a wedge in her marriage and Tess is utterly believable. A great cast of characters and a compelling storyline. Well written and highly recommended.

The Sea Between Us by Emylia Hall

Have just realised how many of my favourite books feature the sea. Coincidence? Nah! Emylia Hall’s sea is in Cornwall, and an enchanting, atmospheric cove it is too, capturing all that is intriguing and beautiful about that county. When Robyn’s parents first move to Cornwall, she is not so sure, but she is soon seduced by surfing, almost drowns (but is saved by local boy Jago) and proceeds to fall in love with the place. And with Jago? Well, that would be telling.

I usually want a bit more from a book than romance, character journey and an atmospheric setting, but I’m happy to make an exception in this case, because the author is so good at those three elements. The drama and moodiness of Cornwall comes over in all its colours and textures in the richness and vibrancy of Emylia Hall’s prose, and the romance and emotion is well handled and doesn’t sink into cliché which is admirable. I found the characters authentic and likeable too and was especially impressed by the descriptions of Robyn’s artistic career. The story of their journeys is well-paced (and actually quite a relief after all the domestic noir I was reading this summer) with lots of twists and turns and obstacles, but perhaps the real star of this show is Cornwall. This book will make you want to go there – even in the winter! A lovely and very enjoyable read from an author who is completely new to me. I will be reading more. Highly recommended.

I hope you get at least one of these lovelies in your Christmas stocking… Enjoy! x

The Flavour of the Place

As I often say – it has to be done. Someone has to visit all these glorious and sometimes exotic locations in order to write about them, why not me? But it’s not all lolling about on the sand writing beach scenes into the latest novel, oh no. It can be walking the streets of Bristol in the rain in January (for Last Dance in Havana) or sleeping in a hotel foyer for a quick getaway during an earthquake in Mandalay (for Return to Mandalay). All hard work, but fortunately it has to be done. And this year it was the turn of…

Belle Ile en Mer. I wanted to write about France – I know parts of it very well and many a holiday has been spent touring the West Coast , the South West and the Dordogne in our camper van in years gone by. But I also wanted to write about an island. Small islands have a charm of their own. (I once spent several weeks on the magical island of Elba – not exiled like Napoleon, definitely there of my own accord.)

Islands fascinate me. Is there such a thing as an island mentality, an island person? People travel to islands in order to escape (sometimes). Other times they find islands so insular that they need to get away. Islands encourage strong communities; it’s not easy for an outsider to be accepted and this is one of the ideas I want to explore in my next novel. (Working title: Daughters of Belle-Ile). What happens when you live on an island and something bad happens there? Do you want to cover it up and get away? Will you ever be able to return? Or will your return end up being a journey you have to make in order to resolve other issues in your life?

I’m not going to blog about this new novel any more until I have written it! But I can tell you a bit about Belle Ile en Mer. It’s situated off the southern coast of Brittany and it’s stunning. When you arrive by ferry from Quiberon you come to Le Palais with its impressive old fort and picturesque harbour lined with ice cream parlours, bars and cafés. Hop on a bus to Sauzon; the pretty painted houses and Mediterranean vegetation will make you think you’re in Italy.

There are only four villages on the island, but they all have something interesting to boast of, whether it’s Sarah Bernhard’s famous retreat, an ancient church, the tallest of lighthouses or the prettiest bay on the island. But we only have ten days – and in that time I have some big decisions to make: where are my characters going to live, eat, work and play? Where is all the action going to happen? And I have to find a place where a tragedy might occur… (Fictional tragedy, that is).

There’s no substitute for staying in the place you’re going to write about and finding its flavour. In Sauzon we spotted a man in an orange sou’wester and a pink bowler hat sitting in the harbour eating oysters. (It could never go into the book if it hadn’t actually happened.) When you visit a place you can explore it; you will make startling discoveries, find material and layers for your story. In the place you are writing about you can breathe in the saltiness of the air and feel the breeze against your skin. You can smell the food cooking in people’s houses and you can touch the texture of the stone on the quayside. You can hear the dull clang of the church bell and the birdsong in the trees, see the harbour master, the fishermen and the oyster catchers, and sample the goods that you find in the local markets. I hope that the flavours of Belle Ile will eventually be part of the tapestry of the book and sewn within the characters who live there.

It’s early days. But I have a full notebook and 600 photographs. It’s time for the real work to begin…

http://www.belleileenmer.co.uk/activities/what-visit/unmissable/136127-le-port-de-sauzon