Point of View.

        One of the most important choices you have to make early on in developing your manuscript is who is telling the story. Is there a specific character narrating everything with only knowledge of what they can see or a third-person narration aware of everything that’s going on? Who is the voice that will relate the rest of the characters and the plot and the setting to your audience?
       You can draw someone in from the first page with a clear point of view or a unique perspective. You can also lose them just as quickly with a voice that is not very interesting or is difficult to follow. Make sure you are part of the first group and not the latter.
       Be consistent. If you choose to tell the story from the point of view of one of your characters, decide whether they are relating the events as they happen or reflecting back on something that has already passed. Don’t let them tell the reader anything they wouldn’t actually know. There are few things more distracting in a story than inconsistencies in voice.
      Be compelling. Even in a third-person narrative it is important to have a strong, clear sense of who is telling the story. It doesn’t matter if the story being relayed is the most simple, mundane task or the most exciting event to ever happen, the way it is told and who is telling will make or break whether someone reads on.
     Most of all, don’t be afraid to start over! If you realize halfway through that your story really would have been better served with a third-person narrative and you’ve been writing from the point of view of your main character, switch it up! The time it takes to rewrite those pages will be well worth it in the end if you have a more polished manuscript with a more compelling voice when you are finished. Don’t become so invested in your point of view that you let it ruin the rest of the story.

     As always, good luck!

      Intern Emily.

New Release: Download Drama by Celeste O. Norfleet

Instant fame. Instant drama.
Some people stand back when problems crop up. Kenisha Lewis steps up. And there's a lot that needs fixing, from her family's money worries to the run-down dance studio where she works part-time.
When the promo she makes for a dance studio fundraiser goes viral, Kenisha can't believe the response. Who'd have guessed she'd become the latest YouTube sensation--or be asked to star in a video with rapper Taj? And now Taj wants Kenisha to become her protegee, promising money and fame. Problems solved, right? Not quite. Her exciting new career is taking time away from school, family, friends and her boyfriend, Terrence. Kenisha is sure she is this close to having what she's always wanted. But how much is she willing to give up to get it?

Download Drama, Celeste Norfleet's latest in her young adult series is available from Kimani Tru for preorder now!
Be sure to also check out Celeste O. Norfleet's previous Kimani Tru releases: Fast Forward, Pushing Pause, and She Said, She Said.