Holy molly... I'm gone two days and I come back to a closed thread and a brand new hang-out, complete with bits of inaugural ribbon and Grand Opening confetti still littering the floor... So this is what happens when I'm not looking, huh?
Sooo much to catch up on! From the final pages of the previous thread to the humble beginnings of the new one:
HoldinHolden - You've already gotten awesome thoughts on POV, but because I can
, I'll add my two cents:
For me, it totally depends on the book. I do find it easier to nail voice in 1st person POV, but I do find it limiting, because there's usually a lot of other stuff happening behind the scenes that the narrator/MC is not necessarily aware of, and sometimes I have a hard time weaving it in later in a way that it doesn't end up sounding like a massive info dump, or like I'm saying, "Here, have some exposition now!" It can totally be done, though. I personally just find it a little tricky.
On the other side of the spectrum, I find omni way too distant and very, very hard to do well. I think the most flexible POV, IMO, is third limited with 1 -4 POV characters throughout a book, but I always avoid the dreaded head-hopping by never switching POV in the same scene. Mostly, I like alternating chapters.
Mind you, at the end of the day, in my case, it really depends on the book. For the current WIP, I started writing in 1st person, but I realized about a week ago that the story may well need dual POV. I probably will still keep it in 1st person, but it'll be two alternating voices.
If I go that way. I haven't entirely sussed it out...
(I'm chicken: I find dual POV in 1st person very hard because you need to work a lot to keep your narrators' voices distinct from one another... So I'll see if I can get myself out of that one... I'm still hopeful...)
Roxxs - Sorry about the R on that short! Here's hoping the timing of the R is providential and that it means that you must submit to that other dream magazine and that you'll get an acceptance!
We're rooting for you!
noranne - I'm with Wendy here: I'd totally count that as a partial! Yay!
I think if she was rejecting you, she would have said so. As it is, it sounds more like she's warning you that it'll likely be a while before she can get to your material, but that she's interested anyway. I'll keep my fingers crossed.
RaggedEdge - Welcome back!
Nova, Hathor and Wendy - you slay those revisions! You go girls!!!!
Hathor - I agree with CCC and Liz (not that I have any personal experience with that): maybe send the MS back to the agent when you're ready describing your changes and how they relate to her suggestions/requests? And I wouldn't say anything about the additional language polishing, unless she specifically requested that. But that might be just me.
Australian River - I edit by reading the manuscript in my head, also! Not in David Attenborough's voice, though. In Morgan Freeman's sometimes, and sometimes in Meryl Streep's.
Wendy - I hope you saved some meringues for us... I woke up to another R (on query only) this morning. Sigh.
Funaek - Sorry about the R!
Just in case Wendy didn't save any meringues for us, here's a peanut butter cookie for you!
Also, I'm in the same boat on the whole #pitmad thing. I might throw my hat in and tweet once or twice, because why not? But I really have no expectations.
Anyhoo... Here's hoping everyone had a nice weekend and that this week brings us all good news, darn it! Getting tired of lameness and silence and Rs in my inbox!