So what are you writing in, second? How can all the others fail? No, I am not writing in second. I said the others fail for MY current WIP.
And on the 3rd present, I get it. But I see it's not used often. And what I been shown really isn't my style either...
I honestly don't think you understand the subtleties, differences, and overlaps in point of view, voice, and tense. Please don't assume this. I have a very good grasp. I have written works in all POV and I, like many have some I prefer over others.
Interior monologue is almost always done in present tense, regardless of what tense the rest of the story uses. So changing from past to present and back again in this situation is quite common. To some, this 'switching tense' is not the 'proper' way, yet it is done by many a writer. So I will chalk acceptance of this style to personal taste.
But jumping in and out of heads, and from one head to another isn't. That's because it's almost always confusing, as your examples have been. As I stated earlier, short spurts, out of context, just plopped on a forum page is not the best host for what I write. And I can accept it was confusing to you.
It's easy if you know how to write well.
I will take the high road with this...
Well, you can jump us straight into her head and give us a one dimensional picture of what she is thinking, or you can paint a multi-dimensional picture using her facial expressions, her body language, her dialogue, and her thoughts. Yes, and I do throughout my work. Either way can be done NOW. I agree, but I like to take it a step further. One is a snack, the other a full course meal. Which one do you think most readers find more fulfilling? Depends on the moment and what I want the reader to see.
It's disconcerting to jump into her head and let us barely start feeling with her and knowing her, only to jerk us out and make us jump into someone else's head. I will agree if said jump happens within one character's moment. And if it's one sentence him, the next sentence her, one sentence him, one hers, all in the same paragraph, yes.
We all are aware of our own thoughts all the time. But I don't think any of us are privvy to our own and everyone else's thoughts all the time (those of you with special powers please jump in and prove me wrong).<<Ah, that's the beauty and the power of the written word... As a writer, you can let your reader in on anything you want. Wouldn't you just love to know what another is thinking at times? Of course you do, but you can't. My characters don't know what the other is thinking either, only my reader(when I want them to). My current WIP has two equally important MC's and I want you to know both of them intimately, inside and out. AND, I may interject a sassy ass remark in a minor character's dialog too, but once you get that's how I write, it's not a mind jarring experience, it's expected. But again, my way isn't for everyone. And I know there will always be those that cannot or will not accept this. Which is just fine.
If we were, it would be VERY overwhelming and confusing. It's the same as when you are in a group of people and everyone is talking all at once. To be honest, I love it when there are 5 lively conversations going on at once, and manage quite well in those situations, but I get that some don't.
You may not mean to be condescending, but you certainly come across that way to me. For that, I apologize to you. That statement was not directed at anyone involved in the discussion, not meant a dig. And definitely not meant to imply anyone, here especially, is 'stupid'. But I will say, people have been conditioned to think a certain way and some have a harder time breaking away from the 'norm' and exploring than others. Several times in this thread you have implied that the rest of us must be stupid if we can't see the brilliance of your technique. I have never touted my way is brilliant, just different. I have even admitted I wasn't very successful at 'showing' what I wanted you to see the way I wanted it to come across. You are certainly welcome to write your own works any way you want, and maybe someday you'll have some degree of publishing success doing it your way.But please don't imply that the others here who have already achieved that success don't know what they're talking about. Here I must defend myself. I have never said that those who don't agree or see my position did not know what they were talking about. Not once. As a matter of fact I have stated many times that all opinions given have valid points, have merit. I have expressed that I value those opinions too. I have taken all into consideration, even stepped back and re-evaluated my stance. I understand the purpose of convention. And I have contemplated for hours and hours everyone's position and traditional ways of writing.
But, for ME, stepping outside that box is a better choice for MY story, my style. I see things like this... Innovation, experimentation. What would the world be today without it? You don't know if something will work until you try it. You will always encounter the 'It will never work' naysayers, but sometimes, the light bulb flicks on, and all of a sudden things change to, 'Well, I'll be damned.'
Eh, maybe my way won't work on a grand scale. That's okay. I also know people are hard to budge off the "what it's always been is what it is, should be" wagon. At the same time, how can the world know if they like something if they've never been exposed to it? How can anyone know whether of not the world likes their concept if you don't expose them to what it is you have. If I don't try, I'll never know if it fails or succeeds.
I think of myself as aspiring to achieve a goal and working hard to make it happen. I will follow my gut and hope my instincts are right. I'm not afraid to go beyond the norm, not afraid of failure. Call it a pipe dream if you will, but so was the telephone, the microchip, going to the moon... All innovation starts out, 'I wonder? Is it possible? They'll think I'm crazy! But what if it works?' Dreams...we all have them.
And just for kicks and giggles. What if...what if, one crazy day, my way is embraced?
Stranger things have happened.
