How many times do you stop and mentally edit another’s work while reading his or her books? I’ve concluded that knowing too much about the technical aspects of writing has diminished my enjoyment of the books I read. I’m not a grammar queen, but when I see a mistake or typo, I SEE IT, especially in someone else’s writing. I miss quite a few of my own. One thing I’ve noticed lately is head-hopping. POV switches are making a comeback―or maybe they’ve never gone away―but it’s driving me crazy. (Do not confuse head-hopping with omniscient POV .) This is happening with writers I’ve read before, both well-known and lesser-known. The writers of two books I’ve been reading lately have been guilty of head-hopping. Female comments, then she has an internal thought. Male comments, then he has an internal thought. There is no scene break to acknowledge the POV switch. It’s equivalent to watching (reading) a ping pong match. Photo: Pixabay When I first started writing, I knew nothing...

Point of View - What is it? It's the perspective from which a story is told. When writing a novel, an author must decide who is telling the story. Based on that decision, the author will write in either first, second or third person. FIRST PERSON - Using "I" throughout the manuscript. SECOND PERSON - Where "You" is the descriptive. THIRD PERSON - When He or She is used to describe the main character. Once you've decided which person you'd prefer to use, you'll need to clearly define what the person sees, feels and experiences. When that character takes the stage, everything should be from that character's point of view. He or she cannot see or hear or know about anything outside his or her realm. Example: A character can't see what's happening in another room with some other character without actually being in that room. The author should make it obvious to the reader whose point of view is being used in each instance or confusion and/or...