One of the tips that one of my betas gave me was to read books in third person limited told in the voice of the MC in order to get a sense of staying within the eye of the voice and keep it authentic. That’s a no brainer, right? That’s how you learn, by learning from others. I’m reading a book now, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, that’s told from the third person limited of a nine-year-old boy. Perfect example, right?
Wrong.
There are things in this POV that no nine-year-old would say or think. Definite deviations from the POV. Not to mention the head-hopping that happens roughly every other chapter. And then I go *headdesk*. How can you try to learn from others when the others are doing the things you’re trying not to do?
This then, inevitably, plays into the “why can they break the rules and I can’t”? I don’t have an answer. Yes, it’s a good story but when my manuscript is getting red-penned for things that are happening in the already-published book I hold in my hand, it’s a little frustrating. All I can say is at least my head-hopping isn’t as bad.
I know the noobs are supposed to play by the rules when they’re first starting out since rule-breakers that make it are few and far between but seeing stuff like this doesn’t make it easy. Do I have a choice but to just stuck it up and eliminate all traces of an escaping voice?
I think there’s a fine line between being breaking the rules and bending the rules in a new and refreshing way. I guess it just depends on how good you are, how well it works in the story, and how brave you are to go through with it.
As for why some get away with it and not others — I’m just gonna go with it’s who you know, now how well you write.
I’m thinking along that line too, Sonja. The more money you’ve proven to bring into the publisher, the more they’re going to willing to let you get away with.
I feel that too. In the latest book I’ve finished Hater, there’s heaps of instances of telling and not showing, and the character explaining things through internal monologue. I was told not to do that, yet it worked for the story.
(My crit is coming, should be to you by the end of the week).
Unless I’m really, really oblivious (possible), I haven’t noticed anything that is jarring about the third-person limited used in the book. There’s nothing that seems out of place for the MC.
The only possible exception would be the reference to Shakespere, as I wasn’t convinced at that point in the manuscript that a 14-year-old boy would be able to source “a rose by any other name” so readily, but the more I learned about him, the more I dismissed that. Other than that, nothing.
And you don’t have to worry about head-hoppping. I think that’s one of the things you look for when you read something (if I remember your reviews on WFG properly), so it’s not something you’d fall victim to yourself.
Funny thing about the so called “rules” of writing. In order to break them you first have to master them, and in order to do that you have to follow, bend, twist, stretch and even ignore them.
Counter intuitive but true.
I can’t wait to see what you had to say, Stormy! Yeah, I’ve pretty much eliminated the head-hopping thing in my writing. I still have my weaknesses though!