Young Writers Society

In some parts of the globe, camp NaNo has begun! In other places, our harried hikers are calling for the clock to make haste, with their fingers inching towards paper and pen (or keyboard, alternatively).



This thread is basically a motivation thread, along with a scattering of helpful articles. Every so often we'll be posting tips and other things to encourage you to survive impeding forces (like the idea-drought, scene stuck-ups, and other writerley disasters that might plod your way this month). Our motto for this month is: 'Get your butt on your chair and write like a wildebeest'.

Alternatively, you can also take the motto to be: 'Asklsfdgh WRITE'.

You can find the club for camp NaNo here.

And for YOU, day zero-ers, never fear the apathetic haze of pre-NaNo! There's still a lot you can do to get your brain ticking in the few hours before it begins~


Use the time on your hands to good purpose. Writing a high fantasy novel? Get some worldbuilding in! Take a piece of paper and make a rough map, or just jot down a couple of descriptory phrases that could prove helpful in time of crisis. If your novel is set in an actual place, try to read up on it some more. Look at some pictures of your chosen place, or scroll through some touristy websites.

Chant an 'I can do it!' song to yourself. Get pumped up. Drink some coffee if you're planning to stay up all night (although I've heard coffee doesn't really help you stay awake). Basically, do what all the cartoons you watched in your childhood told you to do and believe in yourself!

Figure out some last-minute details, like perspective and things you'll be wanting to keep consistent throughout the novel.

Doodle. (It helps!)


Good luck, everyone! And may the force be with you~

Week One-Two

What is it with perspective? (Part One)

One of the most important decisions a writer has to make is choosing a perspective to write in. Moreover, it is important that their chosen perspectives remain consistent throughout the course of their short story, novel, or novella. It doesn't do to jump from one character to another in a haphazard fashion, because writing from various, inconsistent point-of-views can get very confusing--both for the reader and the writer.

So, first things first: what do we mean by 'perspective'? And why is it important?

Also commonly referred to as 'point-of-view', in writing, perspective refers to the way in which the narrator sees things. This narrator may be a detached voice, recounting the happened events or events as they unfold; they may adopt a limited perspective from the character's eyes; they can even get inside the character's head! The narrator is important because they are the connection between the reader and the events in your novel.

To ensure that confusion does not result, it is, therefore, important to identify the PoV in which the reader will be 'told things'.

There are three main point-of-views, which can be further subdivided into different categories.

1] First Person PoV

This is a very common PoV, especially prevalent in teen-fiction and Young Adult writings. The story is narrated using first person pronouns, such as 'me', 'I', 'my', 'mine', etc. First person PoVs extend to:

A--> First Person Central: This is when the narrator is the main or 'central' character in the story, around whom all the important events revolve. This kind of narration can be very powerful, as it places the reader within the scene and allows them to experience events from the eyes of said main character. It also allows the reader to readily sympathise with the character and create 'connections'. Examples of books with First Person Central narration are To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Using this perspective instils a lot of reality and immediacy within writing, and allows the character to appear 'relatable' to audiences.

B--> First Person Peripheral: Less commonly known, first person peripheral also utilises first person pronouns. However, it differs from First Person Central in that the narrator is NOT the main character and so the reader occupies a position similar to that of a bystander. As such, the reader does not develop any immediate attachments, but this PoV is great for building suspense and intrigue. Examples of books utilising this kind of narration are Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, which are narrated by Watson, as opposed to Holmes; and The Great Gatsby.

Pros of First Person Narration:

~ It allows for greater characterisation and an in-depth look at the narrator's world.

~ It allows for the reader to create connections.

~ The narrator can misdirect the reader, i.e.: be unreliable. This allows great room for trickery, for plot twists and misinterpretation, which creates a more realistic and interesting experience if played well.

Cons of First Person Narration:

~ Dramatic irony, the effect that is created when the reader knows something that the narrator does not, cannot take place unless there are multiple point-of-views and other scenes are explored.

~ It can be hard to write in First Person without going on tangents: balancing setting, scene, and internal dialogue can prove to be hard, as can transitioning from scene to narration because we are inside the narrator's head. As such, you need to develop fluidity and balance out what the reader needs to know by giving the narrator an excuse to talk about these things.


2] Second Person PoV

This kind of PoV is comparatively rarely used as it is difficult to write consistently. It can also become very awkward and can result in disaster when wrongly used. It consists of the writer speaking directly to the protagonist using second person pronouns, and placing the reader in the setting of the 'intended' narrator. Basically, think of it as a 'one person speaking to another' kind of deal. Second person can be very charming, create an aura of mystery when properly used, and also allow the reader to become the character/s, which is an amazing experience in itself.

Second Person PoV utilises 'you' and 'your' pronouns.

An example of writing utilising second person PoV is The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.


3] Third Person PoV

This PoV utilises third person pronouns, such as 'they', 'them', 'he', 'she', and others as per the writer's discretion. Third Person PoV may be then further divided into:

A) Third Person Omniscient, which is told from the perspective of a detached narrator, an 'outside' or 'omniscient' author that can zoom in and zoom out of the picture as they please. Third Person Omniscient leaves the narrator free to enter the thoughts of any character. It also allows for the author to explore various settings in great detail, and is perfect for novels with complex plots and a wide array of characters.

An example of writing utilising TPO is The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater.

B) Third Person Limited, which is used to focus the attention on one particular character, and thus limit the 'scope' or view of things/information conveyed to the reader. The writer will sometimes enter the mind of the main character, usually the protagonist whose experiences we closely follow throughout the novel's course.

An example of writing utilising TPL is the Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling.

The pros of Third Person narration are that the writer is free to explore their world, unbound by the thoughts of their characters. As such, it is ideal for extensive worldbuilding.
~ Dramatic irony is also a possibility, because the author can take the reader to explore other places, and other characters, and therefore know things the main character does not. Suspense writing greatly benefits from this.

The cons of Third Person narration are that TPOmniscient does not allow the reader to connect to any one character, so the level of intimacy which is achieved by First Person narration is not attainable.
~ TPLimited, on the other hand, is limited to what the main character perceives, and does not delve into the thoughts and feelings of any other character. We can take Harry Potter as an example here, too. While we get to see what the evildoers are planning, we don't really get to explore their thoughts/feelings, etc.

So, that's the different kinds of PoV explored! Chances are that you've already got your PoV figured out; what's challenging in NaNo is keeping your PoV consistent. And that's where part two is at!

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