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Exercise #633: Craft
Posted 8/7/15
Today's exercise comes from Richard.
This exercise explores perspective in fiction. Simply stated, perspective refers to who tells the story. It is usually the protagonist, but it can be a minor character just as well, as in F. Scott Fitzgerald's “The Great Gatsby” where Nick, a minor character, tells the story of Gatsby, the protagonist.
Do not confuse Perspective with Point of View. Point of View, simply stated, means how (in what manner) the story is told.
There are 4 Points of View:
1. First person POV - told using the pronoun "I". Example: I came to California to find a rich husband, and now I am working in a thrift shop. [This version is told from the "I" (protagonist's) perspective.]
2. Second person POV - told using the pronoun "You" Example: You came to California to find a rich husband, and now you are working in a thrift shop. [Told from the Reader's perspective, probably the reader is the protagonist.]
3. Third person LIMITED POV - Example: Mary came to California to find a rich husband, and now she is working in a thrift shop. She accepted a donation of a tuxedo from a well-dressed man who asked her to dinner. After he left, she noticed extensive blood stains on the inside of the jacket. [This version is told from Mary's perspective.]
4. Third person OMNISCIENT - Example: She came to California hoping to find a rich husband. A well-dressed man liked her looks and thought she would fit his plan, so he asked her to dinner. Little did she know, this would change her life. [Told by an all-knowing narrator's perspective.]
Any character could tell any story, but First Person POV and Second Person POV limit the PERSPECTIVE to the "I" character or the "you" character. The same may be true of Third-Person Limited POV.
However, the protagonist may not be the one who tells the story, as in the Gatsby example. Another character can be the storyteller.
Example: Ted, the owner of a thrift shop hired Mary as a sales clerk. He wondered why such a classy girl would accept such a lowly job. Then one day he saw her talking with a well-dressed man who donated a tuxedo. Ted overheard the man asking Mary to dinner. Later Ted inspected the tuxedo and found blood stains inside the jacket.
Note: Mary is the protagonist, but the story is told from Ted's perspective.
For today’s exercise: Write a short piece of fiction using the perspective of a character OTHER THAN the protagonist. You may use any POV that works EXCEPT for Third Person OMNISCIENT because you will be limited to what the storyteller knows.
Using First-Person POV or Second-Person POV may prove a greater challenge than using Third-Person Limited, but it can be done.
Keep in mind that you are limited to what the storyteller knows, thinks, feels and observes.
Why this craft exercise? To gain experience with an alternative style; to use a perspective popular in journalism, biography, and mysteries, where limited knowledge builds suspense.
Critiquers, along with a technical review you might answer these questions:
* Was this exercise helpful to you as a writer?
* Why or why not?
Word limit: 1200
Please use the subject line
SUB: Exercise #633/yourname
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