Today, I am limiting you to writing in a point of view that you don't often use.
We tend to find that when we write a story, we're more comfortable in
a particular type of point of view.
Maybe you always write in first person.
Maybe you never write in first person, maybe you write a lot of third
person limited where you were in your character's head, but it's he said,
and she said, you know, he walked down the street, the air was cool.
It was a chill November day.
We don't need you to tell us.
He felt like the air was cool.
If you're in third person limit, did we know we're in your character's head?
You just have to say.
His spine tingle , you know, we're in his character.
That's third person limited, or maybe you write like Dickens and you write
omniscient and there's a narrator.
This is not fashionable anymore.
I love it.
I'm a big fan of that kind of writing and I think tastes are
different in different countries.
So I think that's still a lot more acceptable outside the U S than it
is inside the U S so if you want to write like Dickens and give us the
thoughts inside everybody's heads with no authorial commentary if you never do
that, you might want to try that today.
The reason I'm telling you to write in a point of view today, that
is a little uncomfortable for you is because I want you to stretch.
And I want you to discover the whole point of this month is to write 31 stories.
I want you to write with a Bandon.
I want you to try stuff and, and discover things.
I want you to allow yourself to write badly.
And so.
Putting this in week, one of the challenges, one of the ways that
I'm encouraging you to let go of the idea that this needs to be good.
There's a reason that you write in the point of view that you normally
write in because it's comfortable, and because you think you know how to do it.
If you're writing in first person and I there's a resource sheet for all of this
below, which you can click on and you can keep but you know, if you're writing
in first person, the rules are that we can never know anyone else's thinking.
We can only know what your character perceives them to be thinking.
We can never know what's actually happening offstage
what your character can't see.
We can't know what their best friend is doing right now.
We can know what the character suspects they're doing.
They can be told about it.
They can expect that this is what's happening, but we can't actually flip to
that scene unless you're doing a story like a novel with multiple first person,
but we're not doing that in a short story.
It can be done.
Let's keep it simple.
We're telling a story from one viewpoint today that may not be true
for the rest of the month, stay tuned.
But you know, so if you, if you.
If you're used to writing in first person, you know, those are the rules.
So if you start to write a third person story, you're going to have to figure
out ways to allow, you know, do a scene break and have another character.
Let us pop into the head of another character and they can
be doing something off stage.
This is very good.
If you're doing a mystery or a thriller not so much thriller but a mystery.
Because then you can see other characters doing the various things
that your detective can't see I'm not saying you have to write a
mystery to do this, that could be a little complicated for a one day short
story, but you see what I'm going, I'm going with what you normally write.
And you may not even be aware that you often write from
a particular point of view.
So I want you to look and think and like, maybe start a story and then
go, oh yeah, that's one of them.
And then change the point of view if necessary or meet with
decision before you start that.
Yeah.
I usually write in first person.
So I'm going to write a third person story today, or second person, which
is tricky to pull off, but it's kind of like a choose your own adventure.
You walked down the street and you think this, and you do that.
And you know, it's, it's very, it's an interesting style, but to pick
something you don't normally do, because I want you to be open to the idea
that you don't have to do your best.
Or any day this month or ever we're writing first drafts.
We have to find ways to get ourselves over that hump of thinking
it needs to be perfect or good.
It will be good.
If the story resonates with you and stays with you and excites you,
and you're interested in it, then next month, you're going to come
back to this and you're going to go, oh, that one, I love that one.
I'm going to make it better and you will make it better.
Promise you that.
Easy to make it better.
What's not easy is to make it written in the first place.
Cause you could invent everything out of whole cloth.
I don't, I have not heard for quite a strict and you know, you've got
to, no, I'm not going to go into a fiber arts and analogy because you
know, I could go on forever, but basically you're building something,
but you're not just building something.
You're sort of making the materials as well.
So it's different.
And today's story is going to teach you that it's okay.
That it's difficult.
You can make it any length.
You can make it about whatever you want.
I think you've still, probably got a lot of good ideas.
And if you are anything like me, you will be discovering at this point that the
more you write, the more ideas you have.
So I'm going to keep letting you pick your own topic, pick your own length.
Well, no, I'm not gonna do that.
I'm going to let you keep ticking, picking your own topic.
And your own characters I drew in dilemmas for this week, but the
restrictions I'm putting on you this week are other forms of restrictions.
Today is point of view, pick a point of view that you do not normally write in
and then come into the comments and talk about what was difficult about that.
What was liberating about that?
What did you discover?
If you don't normally, if you, if you kind of like right equally at first person,
third person trying to bring something a little more out there, like omniscient
or second person, or or jumping between, you know, if you normally write third
person, but you normally only have one point of view character, then try having
a couple of point of view characters in this story and jumping between.
So up to you, focus on point of view with the resource sheet download it,,
keep it somewhere safe, make a folder on your computer that says, or on
Dropbox, wherever you are, StoryADay resources and pile them all in there
because it's going to be more of them.
And yeah.
Keep writing, write your story, write as fast as you can.
Don't look back, just keep moving forward, get your story written and
then get on with the rest of your day.