Cat Fight In The Kitchen-Wattpad Rant

Point of View

Apparently people don't realize I've had this rant book for about four years now and they read it all in a day or two and get very confused about what exactly my best friend and I do these days. Y'all are so cute sometimes, I swear. The short answer is, I do a lot. I have a degree, but I'm working on two others and a certification. So currently I work as a content specialist at a junior high. And I waitress on weekends. And I work retail on holidays and times when there is no school or classes and such. You'd think I'd be making bank, but I got bills and shit.

And my best friend actually has four degrees and two certifications. And he's considering going back for at least his masters, but he has no time and no reason to other than the fact he just thinks he should. Right now he works three jobs too, so that's fun. But he's active duty status, so if he gets orders, that goes to one job really quickly. I like to just say he's a professional badass. 

So I'm not lying when I say we have no time. But, we're both insomniacs and instead of bitching about it, we do stuff. You should try it sometime.

But there you have it. A lot can change over the course of a four year long project, right? And if you ever wonder where I go when I take months off or whatever, that should be a pretty big clue.

Anyway, I meant to do this rant a really long time ago, but I forgot about it from putting it off too long, but I think it's important, so let's talk about: Point Of View

I guess it's been a big deal recently that you can gauge how good an author is by what point of view they use. It goes something like: Multiple First Person Points of View is complete amature, First Person is unprofessional, Third Person Omniscient is Young Adult Publication worthy, and Third Person Limited is professional.

I'm here to tell you, that's all bullshit. There is a time and a place for everything. And you can do anything you want in your writing. All the stuff I tell you not to do or you can't do, you can do it too. And under certain circumstances, in the right place and during the right time, it will work.

Don't listen to people that tell you first person is unprofessional. If your character has a really, really strong voice and they're dying to tell their story, let them! Don't do something just because you think it's publishable. Tell a story the way it needs to be told. Sometimes the characters decide. Sometimes the setting decides. Sometimes the plot. But ultimately, you have to judge which point of view you think will help you get the story out the clearest. If you can see it perfectly through a character's eyes, do it. There are plenty of published authors that write in first person and actually have literary merit on their side.

You know what I love doing? When I finish a story, if it's something that stick with me and I just don't want to let it go, I rewrite it through a different point of view. I've been working on rewriting Wilting Holly from third person to first, and it's been a challenge, but it's worth it. (Well, I say I've been working on it. I'm halfway through and haven't touched it in about three months. I was going to post it for you guys, but then life happened).

And since we all already know the actual viewpoints (first, third, second, blah blah, right? If you don't, tell me. I'll teach you. It's my job) this rant will be more about the viewpoint of different characters. You'll see what I mean when we start.

I just thought it would be neat to do this, because pretty much all the viewpoints I see are either first person for the "chosen one" or third person limited for the "chosen one" and that can get old. And sometimes it's not so obvious who should be telling a story, so I'm here to give you some people I hardly see telling the story, because maybe it's something you want to consider. Here you go:

1. The Side Kick

This one is probably the most popular "other" in the list, but it's still a good thing to try at least once. The side kick is the one that watches the action happen to "the chosen one", usually. The easiest way to explain this is by giving you direct examples, so imagine if The Hunger Games was told from Peeta's point of view. Yes, things still happen to him. He is his own character. He faces obstacles. He has to overcome the conflict. But he's not the most popular within his society. He gets to watch Katniss become the symbol of the revolution.