How did you get on yesterday? Did you write a story?
Remember, set your own rules, and stick to them. If you miss a day, don’t try to catch up. Just keep moving forward!
The Prompt
CHANGE YOUR POINT OF VIEW
We often get stuck writing in the same point of view or from the same perspective. Make an effort to write a story, today, that is different.
If you usually write in third person, try first.
If you usually write adult women, try a boy, or an alien, or a grown man.
Go!
Check back every day for more prompts, and don’t forget to come back and leave a comment to celebrate your writing successes, every day!
I usually tend to write more from a woman’s perspective and 1st person. But for this one I did it from a cat’s perspective. One of my mom’s cats actually who we just brought to our house. I have more to go on it but I am talking as how the cat is feeling and thinking. My mom loves what I have done so far. It is happening in real life so it is kind of funny to think of what this poor cat is thinking.
I usually write in 3rd person, so today decided to try first person present tense. Much harder than I thought it would be. My plot changed a few times until I met a character that seemed right – a middle school girl who wants to be popular and asks the coolest girl in school for help. I wrote barely over a 1000 words and used some dialogue. I think I’ll pursue this one later and delve into mother-daughter issues and societal pressures as main themes. This was a good exercise and forced me to think in a different way.
I can feel my brain opening up!
So happy to hear this!
My novel’s been collecting dust for too long so today I opted to put my StoryADay energy there. I completed 2 short “stories” about my characters that push the larger story forward. Only 1000 words total, so not quite Stephen King numbers, but progress none-the-less.
What I wrote in the first person turned out to sound more like creative non-fiction than a short story…but it’s written anyway! Lots of fun with the first two days’ prompts. Even made them the basis of today’s blog (which should’ve been posted yesterday, but hey–it was a holiday, right?} Linked to StoryADay on my FB Author Page, too–maybe it will inspire someone to take a look at what’s going on. But NOW–NOW (do you all hear me?} I have to do SOMETHING on the WIP (novel) just to be able to say I did!
I switched a little more than POV today, although I have been writing some first-person lately. Today, I switched from adult cozy to kids’ silliness. (https://sassyscribblerpjm.wixsite.com/pamelamartin/blog/just-a-little-fun-a-poodle-a-cheetah-and-a-cow-were-on-the-playground)
This one was also combined with a prompt to write a paragraph (oops!) with 20 words with double vowels, so it was both fun and a bit of a challenge!
This time I felt more confident writing from a different POV. I wrote as a man, who was a control freak and then as his wife. I wrote 800 words.
Thank you Marian and Andrew for your tips in May. I have found them a great help.
I always write in first person so played with 2nd this morning. I am not completely happy with it but glad for the experiment.
I found this challenge more difficult that yesterday’s challenge. Usually I write from the third person, but this time, my short story was from a 1st person perspective.
It’s a 650 word story, about a man trapped in a mountain. It’s very rough, but I think it could be expanded into something.
I found this challenge difficult, but it’s good to get out of your comfort zone, now and then!
I wrote from first person POV, a wanna be screen writer who attempts to break into a long running writing group. His goals and theirs are very different. What becomes immediately apparent is that he wants to run the show and change the group focus. He is met with resistance and within moments open hostility. He continues to dig himself in further and at the 40 minute mark there was yet to be a resolution. One possibility may be to kill him (only with words, of course.)
In the past two days, I’ve actually written two shells that have possibilities of becoming real short stories (later). My heart feels good to write again after a long dry spell. Having difficulty staying to the 40 minute timeframe; today’s story took about 50 minutes. But I plan to keep at it. Thanks, Julie
Willi
I don’t see any other Sept. 2019 comments; am I in the right place?
Yes! You’re just first!
My attempt was to write a first person, male POV, and I must say it was grim! The story or whatever kafkaesque thing emerged from the exercise left a big immovable lump in my throat. This was hard and I’m not sure I was fair to the character. This was an amazing exploration Julie and it forced me to look at my own prejudices as a writer. Thank you for this.
I’m so glad to hear this worked out for you. Isn’t it interesting when we finally see our own biases and ruts?
That sounds awesome. What a useful exercise!
I tried a 2nd person POV – it was strange to do. I prefer first person. I also changed a story about a cat but from the cats perspective. I don’t like to anthropomorphise pets but the story was interesting. Not actually a change of POV but certainly a change of perspective.
I normally write in third person, so I tried first person for this prompt. It felt like I did more than just shift POV: I wrote an 800 word story in a genre I never do: noir. It was a lot of fun—and a little scary. What a great way to try new ideas!
Isn’t it funny how changing the POV can shift the whole genre?
Usually write in 1st person and a woman’s pov. in this 800 word story, third person, male pov. One of my muses is Emmett Kelly, the clown, & so i wrote about a clown. i will have to do some research as i wrote in 1940’s era. also, i found myself including alot of dialogue which is unusual for me. Happy with it, excited to see what awaits tomorrow.
I love the idea of these stories. And glad to hear you tried something new.
Mission managed – aimed for the ‘dreaded first person’ for me.
My Day 2 went well. Proud of myself for getting started. I was able to finish the assignment
Got another story in the books! I wasn’t as in the mood today as I was the first two days but I went for it anyway and I’m so pleased with myself for keeping the streak going 🙂
I wrote in first-person, a PoV that continues to stump me. Last week I made a list of famous connections to Michigan in hopes of trying some out this month. So the story was a local talking interview-style about his connection to this dead rock singer. Only 900 words, but it felt like he said all he had to by the end.
I loved the idea of a different POV and it immediately came to me what I should write. I wrote from my daughter’s POV. She is profoundly disabled and non-verbal. I have often longed to be able to experience what a day is like for her, so I can better care for her. This was a way for me to try to “get into her head.” It was difficult to figure out at first how to write it, but once I got into it, it was hard to stop. I didn’t really finish the story, but probably 500 words. I will definitely be returning to it, if only for myself.
What a beautiful idea!
Fantastic idea. I recognize that phenomenon of initial difficulty that melts away once you get going.
Sheri,
That is impressive, I’d love to see what you come up with, I can also recognise it is something very personal.
My view re story a day, it’s not really to finish something everyday, it’s to start. I’ll be honest I often don’t finish and circle back later.
Cheers
Andrew
Andrew,
When I get back to it and finish and edit, I may share it. It is very personal, so it may depend on how it turns out whether I feel comfortable sharing. It was writing just in senses, feelings, perceptions. But I was really inspired once I started writing and I think there are at least 2 short stories if not more that could come out of this.
Thanks for the encouragement!
Sheri
That sounds amazing, Sheri.
I tend to stick with single perspective so today I wrote from the perspectives of five members of a heist team, all with fun nicknames.
I’ve managed to write in dialogue, which is new to me. I’ve written 200 words which I know I can develop. I feel I have progressed.
Well done for stretching yourself. Hope it was fun.
My story is complete for day 3. I wrote the story in first person. It is a story that has been after me for days inspired by Natalie Goldberg’s essay, “Spontaneous Writing Booth.” A story peppered with poems!
I just found out about this challenge so I am starting a little late but I am so excited to jump into it!
Welcome! There’s s lot of month left
Welcome to the tribe!
Incredible! I got down another 800 words!
This prompt did nothing for me so I re-used yesterday’s timed exercise combined with last Wednesday’s prompt to write something from the perspective of a non-human character. My piece is narrated by a melting glacier. (Come to think of it, that IS a different POV.)
I aimed for a (*he-he*) glacial pace, using longer sentences than usual, and did my best to avoid anthropomorphizing.
Oh that sounds fascinating!
Wendy, maybe try having a character tell a story. You can begin in third person, since you’re comfortable with that, then do something like, “He had told the story so often, listening to him retell it was almost like an audiobook.”
It was the year I mustered out of the Army (he said). I mustered out in Louisville, where I signed up, but that isn’t where I come from, so I had no friends, no family, no contact. The first thing I did was find a YMCA to park my duffle while I looked for work.
–and there you go, writing in first person!
My story today is in first person, with a couple of intentional shifts in tense. http://marianallen.com/2019/05/hunt-for-a-fresh-perspective-storyadaymay-fridayrecommends/
Marian,
Nice flip on the pretentious, to the sincere into the honest. I liked it, just wondering where my comment would sit.
Cheers
Andrew
Squarely in the Goodness seat!
Thanks Marian. I can see exactly the technique you were describing. I think it will help me.
Great advice and examples, Marian. Thanks.
I’m not quite sure if I did a POV. Interesting though, maybe not for everyone.
Day 3 – 10,000 or more is up http://afstoryaday.blogspot.com/2019/05/day-3-10000-or-more.html
I’d love some feedback on this one.
Cheers
I’m finding it hard to change my voice or POV. Has anyone got any tips to help me. I tend to write in the third person and I keep slipping back into that.
Wendy,
I have to be honest, I’m no expert on this. i.e. writing in the third/first or otherwise. One tip I’ve tried in the past is shifting out of my preferred style. Try entirely/mostly dialogue (see my day 3), or try the idea of vignette with no dialogue ( a sample http://afstoryaday.blogspot.com/2019/05/a-vignette.html ).
I do hope this helps a little.
Cheers
Thank you Andrew. Your piece really hooked me in. It was helpful too.
The easiest switch (sorry I’m responding so late in the month) is into first person. Think about how, when you see a friend, and they say “did you have any trouble finding the place?” you go off into a big long story about the series of misadventures that preceeded you arriving safely at their door. “I was doing fine until the GPS sent me off towards the lake and tried to make me drive off the end of the jetty! When I finally turned around…”
My Day 2 short. My first short story. I’m crazy proud of it. I wouldn’t be surprised if I ever came back to these characters and the vague story line that’s hinted at sometime in my future for a full novel. Idk.
https://londonlovell.wordpress.com/2019/05/02/twinkie-and-trixie/
Woohoo! You SHOULD be proud!
YES! Tremendously exciting! More! More!