Workshop: An Introduction to Writing for Children and Young Adults
The strong advantage to a first person
narrator is the personal connection. Sometime it is a deeply told personal
story or is spoken as a witness or observer. However, even when shared as an
observer the personal connection to the narrator informs the details and emotions.
For example, there are two children looking
up at a roller coaster ride. One narrator finds it exciting so through his
viewpoint the description has more positive and active details. The other
potential narrator finds it frightening and although gives the exact visual
information the tone and atmosphere may be completely opposite.
A first person view can add intensity and
intimacy and explore a broad emotional mood spectrum. However the emotional
relationship can also become a detriment to the reality of the story or
situation if the main character is so personally involved that he cannot be
discerning. Or if the character is acting from misunderstandings or information
then as narrator he is also feeding the reader a ‘mistaken’ interpretation. And
yet if it’s done on purpose the impact can be stunning. Katherine Paterson’s Jacob Have I Loved is an excellent
example.
Another advantage of first person though is
that the reader is experiencing the unfolding story right alongside the main
character and experiencing the tension, and curiosity, and unexpected twists.
It’s like sitting on Tinker’s Bell’s wing while she flits from scene to scene.
We are immersed.
Action Steps:
1.
Take
the following two excerpts from Because
of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo and rewrite them as third person limited.
Her name is India Opal Buloni.
“All the
Winn-Dixie employees turned around and looked at me, and I knew I had done
something big. And maybe stupid, too. But I couldn’t help it. I wouldn’t let
that dog go to the pound.” (page 10)
“I found a
dog,” I told him. “And I want to keep him.”
“No dogs,” the
preacher said. “We’ve talked about this before. You don’t need a dog.”
“I know it,” I
said. “I know I don’t need a dog. “But this dog needs me. Look,” I said. I went
to the trailer door and I hollered, “Winn-Dixie!” (page 17)
Share: What got lost in the viewpoint when you changed it,
both in each scene and to the reader?
Read deep, marcy
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