Author: Edwina Shaw
ALL THE FUN OF BLISSFUL BALI 2024!
HOW TO GIVE AND RECEIVE FEEDBACK
BLISSFUL BALI BLOSSOMS – Bali Writing Retreat Rundown 2024
Happy campers with our vision boards, freshly minted.
The magic of Bali and the kindness of the people worked their miracles again this year on retreat. With a small group due to some last-minute mishaps, (poor chookies, luckily we ask all participants to hold comprehensive travel insurance) we were able to spread out over the beautiful grounds of Bali Ecostay and enjoy the peace and privacy of our exclusive use of the unique open air bungalows, lulled by the ever-present music of the stream running through the property and powering our lights. With water drinkable straight from the taps, sourced from Bali Ecostay’s own spring, and all organic bath products as well as delicious food prepared with love and sourced from their own incredible permaculture gardens and food forest, we were able to totally relax into the Bali of days gone by.
Every day the local elder, dressed in traditional garb, prepared floral offerings and delivered them to our bungalows, the temples in the gardens, and to the sacred waterfall, making every day feel blessed indeed. On our first day the local women dressed us up in traditional kebayas with sashes and taught us how to prepare our own floral tributes then led us to the temple to offer them to the gods of the property, the river and the village, to bless us all, and all the staff. We even blessed the kitchen utensils! To close the ceremony, we daubed our foreheads and throats with grains of rice, tucked flowers behind our ears and scattered them through our hair. Such a beautiful ritual and an honour to be included in this sacred ceremony.
As usual on our writing retreats, our greatest joy is watching new writing friendships blossom. Writing can be a lonely business so connecting with other like-minded souls in a supported environment is a special element of these writing adventures away from home. From Victoria, with 35 books under her belt, to Carol, right at the start of her writing journey, to Kylie straight out of the outback sharing her hilarious stories about bulls, to Yvonne writing of her battle with debilitating illness, to Yuan fascinating us with stories of her great-grandmother who was a Chinese pirate of the south seas, we had an intriguing group, growing closer through the week, until we all felt like sisters by the last morning, sad to say goodbye. So much creativity and inspiration and many epiphanies about projects underway and new projects to begin. Because all activities are optional on our retreats you are free to create the retreat you most need – lots of learning or lots of writing time. Interaction or time alone.
Our mornings began with gentle yoga in the spectacular open-air yoga shala, a mandala of fresh petals at the centre, incense and flowers scenting the air. Then to a plentiful breakfast – fresh tropical fruit, coconut yoghurt, toast, eggs, tomatoes, fresh delicious greens, coffee grown on the property, ginger tea for me, plus pancakes with butter and sugar palm syrup and homemade jam and other sweet treats depending on the day. Yes, we were stuffed like Christmas geese! Luckily many scenic walks through the food forests to the waterfall and spectacular rice paddies are easy to find. And writing takes energy too!
The morning workshops were fun and interactive as well as informative and inspirational, incorporating guided meditations to get our retreaters writing up a storm. From freewriting to carefully curated prompts, to sharing craft knowledge and know-how on structure and all aspects of creative writing, these workshops incorporate sharing and discussion as all voices and input is valued and appreciated. It’s basically an entire university course on creative writing crammed into a week, so retreaters needed to put on their brain-caps, and wear their happy pants too.
Afternoons were reserved for rest, writing, adventures, swims in the waterfall, and one on one feedback sessions with Kerstin and I, plus tarot readings later in the week to offer new insights as participants prepare to move into a new phase of their lives after the retreat – empowered and believing in their right to tell their stories, rewrite the past and create a brave new future of their own making.
As the sun set each day, we gathered again in the yoga shala for some calming yoga breathing (pranayama) to clear our minds, relax deeply and prepare for a restful night. Cocktails and glasses of wine were ordered as our lovely kitchen ladies brought out our dinners, each one delicious and followed by scrumptious desserts. Everyone had their favourite. I love the black sticky rice pudding with hot coconut cream. Kerstin craved the lime dairy free cheesecake, or was it the dairy free chocolate gelato or chocolate pie? Let’s just say we feasted happily without having to lift a finger!
Collage by the very lovely artist and writer, Julie Parsons
On the final day we discussed publishing options and got our heads around submitting our work and, as is traditional in the final session, we left words behind and used collage to create vision boards for the future using images and colour. We shared what we’d created and our dreams, laughed and encouraged each other as we set intentions for the lives we want to lead, and the pain we want to leave behind. Our final night bonfire took our pain and our dreams to heaven as we stood together by the rice fields dancing with fireflies, creating light of our own. Our readings night saw both laughter and tears, with people sharing work and testing their voices, inspiring us all.
As always, I found this retreat richly rewarding, connecting with many special writing souls who gave as much as they received. So thank you my dear new friends for sharing this special week with Kerstin and I and for giving so much of yourselves, for supporting each other, for listening and for speaking up, for your writing, your inspiring creativity and your kindness, laughter and smiles.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it’s the people who come along on these retreats that make them so special. THANK YOU!
Are you ready for a grand adventure? Bookings are now open for Blissful Bali 2025 June 23 – 29. All the info here.
In 2025 we have Vietnam in February (10 – 16) also open for bookings, Bali in June, Italy in October and introducing our first Writing for Wellness Retreat in Byron Bay in November. You can book both Vietnam and Bali now and we’re working on getting the others up as soon as possible.
Super keen? Make sure you’re the first to know by joining the waitlist for your preferred retreat. Just drop me a line and I’ll add you to the list. And for all the latest retreat news, writing advice and publishing opportunities subscribe to my newsletter.
Put yourself in this picture and treat yourself to the writing adventure of a lifetime!
Now write like the wind!
Lots of love,
Edwina xx
Writing Buddies make everything better!
Relax and Write Retreat: Inspire Your Writing Spirit in Gold Coast Hinterland
RELAX AND WRITE MEMOIR AND LIFE WRITING RETREAT OCTOBER 18 – 20 2024
THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY RETREAT CENTRE. SPRINGBROOK, GOLD COAST HINTERLAND
Is your creative spirit crying out for a little TLC? Always wanted to write but don’t know where to start? Need to reboot your writing mojo and be inspired to tackle that project you’ve been thinking about forever?
Come along and regain your love of writing and life at the next Relax and Write Retreat From midday FRIDAY 20 October – 3 pm SUNDAY 22 October 2023
Join like-minded women in a fun and supportive environment discovering just how much some deep relaxation can ignite your imagination and get you writing again. Relax and unwind with gentle morning yoga sessions and be inspired by innovative workshops to help move those stories out of your head and onto the page.
“I feel transformed, as a writer and as a human being.”
Bianca Millroy – writer and retreater
The program includes two yoga sessions, four workshops to get you writing, plus advice on submitting your work. Two nights comfortable single accommodation with bathrooms shared between two women, plus delicious vegetarian meals and a special readings night around the fire are included.
“The fully-catered retreat environment was comfortable and stress-free. An atmosphere that encourages, motivates and inspires.” Gay Liddington – writer and retreater
Connect with other creative women in a beautiful, peaceful location and remember your creative self. No more putting your dreams on hold. Treat yourself to this special weekend nurturing your writing spirit. You deserve it!
RETREAT PROGRAM
All activities are optional
FRIDAY 18 OCTOBER 2024
ARRIVAL from midday
4 pm – Meet and Greet
4:30 – 6:30 WORKSHOP 1– Your Stories
6:30 DINNER
SATURDAY 19 OCTOBER
7:15 am – 8:30 – Gentle morning yoga and breathing
8:30 – BREAKFAST
10:00 am – 12:30 pm – WORKSHOP 2 – Character and Dialogue
12.30 pm – LUNCH
1 – 4:00 – FREETIME and FEEDBACK SESSIONS
4 – 6:00 pm – WORKSHOP 3 – Writing from start to finish – developing a plot and a plan
6:00 pm – DINNER
6:45 – 7:30 pm – Readings around the fire
SUNDAY 20 OCTOBER
7:15 – 8:30 – Gentle morning yoga and breathing
8:30 – BREAKFAST
10:00 – 12:30 – WORKSHOP 4 – Where and how to submit work, goal setting, questions and collage
12:30 – LUNCH
3 pm DEPARTURES
Editorial feedback sessions with Edwina available on request $75 extra for those needing advice on a project. Massages will also be available.
HOW MUCH?
COST for the weekend of writing, fun and feasting, including comfortable single accommodation, with bathrooms shared between 2, all meals, 2 yoga sessions, 4 creative writing workshops and a readings night. Transport not included.
Pay your deposit by August 31 for EARLY BIRD PRICES
UNWAGED: EARLY BIRD $550, Normal $600
WAGED: EARLY BIRD $700, Normal $750
All inclusive! For single accommodation and all retreat activities and meals.
Or contact Edwina for more info and to check that spaces are still available.
Renew your creative spirit and rest awhile in nature.
Hope you can come!
Lots of love
Edwina xx
HEAVENLY HOI AN 2024 Retreat rundown!
As the streets of Hoi An filled with flowers for Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) a group of talented writers from all around Australia, and from as far away as the Welsh mountains, gathered at beautiful An Villa on the river to write up a storm!
Every day started with yoga in a lovely yoga shala over the water, kept company by a turquoise kingfisher that flew around us encouraging us to also take flight, and enormous colourful Koi fish who swam below us, reminding us to be calm and flow with life. The kitchen staff at An Villa fed us so well we felt like geese being fattened for a French market. Even breakfast had dessert! Banana pancake with chocolate anyone?
After breakfast we had our daily workshop covering all aspects of the writing craft, with plenty of writing prompts to get people sparking. As always, we were blown away by the inherent talent of our writers and the depths that were being explored, right from the very first session. Groups of kindred spirits convened and connected. The greatest joy for me as a host of these retreats is watching writing friends connect and support each other in this writing journey. Stories made us laugh, while others brought us to tears. Heartaches shared felt less burdensome. Pain transformed into works of great beauty soothed the soul.
The afternoons were either free for solitary writing in our beautiful rooms, swimming in the pool, or on visits to the tailor (Hoi An – land of 1000 tailors!) and excursions. We visited old town and drank cocktails at sunset watching colourful boats rocking on the river and a passing parade of people, then got on a boat of our own (thank you Arek for helping us all get on and off safely) that took us upstream to a lovely restaurant where we feasted like happy fools. So much food! Because it was Tet we were continually offered all sorts of new year treats, the food just kept coming! I was stuffed but couldn’t resist the pandan crepes stuffed with ice-cream!
Another day we ventured to the Vegetable Garden Island for a tour of the amazing local vegetable farms, which included a foot massage and then a cooking class. We carved tomato roses and carrot daisies then cooked our own yellow Vietnamese pancakes. Watching Kerstin jumping up and down, more likely to flip herself than the pancake was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen! They dressed us all up too – first as farmers, complete with conical hats, then as chefs in bright lime green. We looked ridiculous and laughed a lot.
On the way home in the electric taxi bus we sang old ABBA songs and snippets of whatever else we could remember with our resident singer-writer, Kylie, making us all sound so much better with her beautiful harmonies.
On afternoons when we weren’t ‘writers running amok’ in Hoi An, we had one on one feedback sessions discussing projects and the way to best move them forward, as well as delving deep with tarot readings. Some napping and swimming may also have happened, as well as lots of chatting and sharing of life stories and writing tips, with beautiful hearts opening to each other through the magic of deep connection enabled when we stop talking about the trivial and venture into what really matters.
In the evenings we feasted, remembering to leave room for dessert, with the Hoi An staff plying us with ever more delicious New Year treats to try. Across the river, end of year parties sent Karaoke songs over the water, but by bedtime all was quiet. The beds were super comfortable, and I slept like a log, still recovering from a flu that had seen me confined to bed for most of the week prior to retreat.
I am constantly in awe of the magic that brings just the right people together at just the right time. This retreat we had two venues close to each other and we randomly assigned people to each place, then stood back to watch as this magic went into effect, with firm friendship groups building in each place.
The people who come along are what makes these retreats special. Yes, we provide heaps of information and useful guidance, but the true blessings come in the friendships that are made or deepened. Writers need other writers. It’s a silly business, with plenty of the joy of creation but then often the pain of rejection too. We need a tribe of writing buddies to cheer us on, help us polish our work, to commiserate with us when the rejections come, and to celebrate with us when our book babies see the light of day because only other writers know just how much hard work goes into every page.
So thank you my wonderful new writing friends (and some older ones too), Susan, Arek, Trish, Tallulah (Lorraine), Annie, Nicole, Kylie, Genine, Emma, Cindy, Lena, Yvonne, Belinda, Laurie and lovely Helen, who made this retreat so much fun. Thank you to the staff at An Villa who pampered us and went above and beyond to make sure everyone was safe, happy and well looked after in every way. It truly was a heavenly time. My favourite memory of the retreat is Emma saying over and over again, “I’m in heaven. I’m in heaven.”
Here’s what some of our lovely retreaters had to say:
“Regardless of where you are in your writer’s journey, this writing retreat is for everyone. Emerging, mid-career or professional, there is something to be gained personally and professionally. For me this retreat offered an opportunity to connect with creative and intelligent co-writers who share a passion for story-telling, in an inspiring location. The facilitators were warm, dynamic, generous, authentic and engaging.”
Kylie Ryan
“I loved coming together with diverse writers sharing our knowledge and practice, bonding and cementing lasting friendships for future writing adventures. I loved it! I feel so blessed to have been part of the 2024 Heavenly Hoi An Retreat.”
Helen Weder
“Edwina and Kerstin were great, expertise plus interpersonal warmth, enthusiasm, encouragement, inspiration and more! Nothing was too much trouble for the beautiful staff and the food was delicious. The other participants were so easy to connect with and the yoga was a great balance between yin and yang. Loved the excursions too.”
Retreat participant
“Thanks Kerstin and Edwina for a lovely, immersive experience. Great to refresh on some topics and get a new viewpoint on others. The encouragement and advice was so valuable and the companionship of other participants and the fun excursions and experiences in another country were the ‘toppers’ on a wonderful retreat.”
Annie Kemp
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, these retreats are only as good as the writers who come along and make them true magic. THANK YOU for coming beautiful people! Love you!
Thank you most of all to my dear friend and co-host Kerstin Pilz whose new book Loving my Lying Dying Cheating Husband is due for release imminently, launching in Cairns as part of the Tropical Writers Festival. The launch is FREE but do book your place. I’ve just pre-ordered my copy! It’s a great read. I know, I did a structural edit for Kerstin a while back now.
Now back to the real world, teaching at UQ, and the stifling Queensland summer heat after the very pleasant reprieve of the cool(ish) Vietnamese winter.
We’ll be back in Hoi An in February 2025, FEBRUARY 10-17, 2025. If you’re keen to join us in wonderful Heavenly Hoi An DROP ME A LINE and I’ll put you on the waiting list. All the details coming soon! And, just quietly, ITALY IS COMING!! October 10 – 17, 2025. In a beautiful medieval retreat centre on a hillside surrounded by autumnal forest, between Cortona and Assisi. I’ll keep you posted, but in the meantime, you can check out our glorious venue Terzo Di Danciano HERE. Find a buddy to share your room. Most rooms will be shared rooms to keep prices as affordable as possible and still get us to Italy!! Plan an extended holiday around the retreat – I sure am!
I so hope you’ll be able to join us soon at one of our uplifting, inspiring and informative retreats with kindred writing spirits. International retreats are open to all genders. Information on all upcoming retreats, both in Springbrook S.E, Queensland (April Just Write, August Second Draft and October Memoir and Life Writing)and internationally HERE.
Lots of love,
Edwina
MEMOIR MAGIC IN THE MOUNTAINS!
Once again the sun shone for us in Springbrook as our group of wonderful women writers gathered to relax, write, feast and connect at the beautiful Theosophical Society Education and Retreat Centre high above the bustle in the Gold Coast hinterland.
We wrote up a storm and shared our stories, connecting heart to heart, writer to writer, learning from each other and growing in our skills and abilities to get those stories out of our heads and onto the page.
The weather was so beautiful we even had a session outside on a picnic blanket, listening deeply to the stories of the ancestors of this spectacular country, the Yugambeh people, and our own ancestors with their own stories to tell.
Chief cookie, the fabulous Gay Liddington, whose own memoir will be published in 2024 – WATCH THIS SPACE – tempted us all with delicious treats, and what a treat it is to walk into the kitchen at the end of a long day writing to smell a feast ready and waiting. THANK YOU GAY!
This retreat, we saw many repeat retreaters reconnecting and other new friends finding their writing gangs. Writers need other writers. When we are deeply immersed in our own stories, we can’t see our way through what can seem like a tangled forest of words, but other writers can look at our mess from a different angle and clearly see the path through the trees for us.
We laughed and we cried together, wrote, talked and even sang. We relaxed and stretched our bodies with yoga and indulged in healing bodywork treatments by the amazing Monique De Goey of Reconnect Holistic Bodywork.
Each one of us, yours truly included, came away feeling refreshed and renewed, with new ideas for our stories, a clear path ahead and writing companions to cheer us on and pick us back up again if we fall.
As Heidi would say, “I knew the mountains would make her well!”
Here’s what some retreaters had to say.
“A beautiful space of learning, reflection, sharing and mutual honouring of our stories.”
Retreat participant October 2023
“This had been such a wonderful experience for me. I love being in community and experienced wonderful community this weekend. The writing workshops were inspiring, exciting and ignited my creative side again.”
Retreat participant October 2023
“Thank you for all the inspiration, warmth, listening and LOVE.”
Retreat participant October 2023
As is traditional, we finished our retreat with collages – here are some of the beautiful results!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, these retreats are only as special as the women who come along. I love how women come together and lift each other up. THANK YOU to all the wonderful women writers who made this retreat such a beautiful experience for us all, me included.
Sometimes I feel like the luckiest person in the world, getting to uplift and inspire others for my job!
Would you love to come along to the next memoir retreat? Dates are already set for next year’s Memoir and Life Writing Retreat – MAKE A NOTE – 18 – 20 OCTOBER 2024. You can book in HERE by paying your deposit. Hurry repeat retreaters are already signing up! Prices have gone up as retreat costs have risen along with everything else. I’ve created a tiered system for the waged and unwaged but if you’re still burning to come, but can’t see your way through to paying that much, DROP ME A LINE and I’ll see how we can help.
And, just quietly, a new JUST WRITE RETREAT of 4 or 5 nights is planned for early April, 2024. More on this soon!
Vietnam Relax and Write Your Journey Retreat is fully booked and we’re all getting super excited, but places are still available for Bali! I cannot wait to get back to the divine Bali EcoStay to swim in our own waterfall and fall asleep every night to the gentle lull of running water. Tempted? Check it all out here – you’ll have the time of your life!!
Remember to sign up for my monthly newsletter if you’re not on it already. A special treat is planned for Christmas! Only available to subscribers.
Lots of love
Edwina xx
One of the beautiful Enchanted Heart cards By: Alana Fairchild, Lindy Longhurst (Illustrator)
HEAVENLY HOI AN – More Than Just a Writing Retreat!
Are you ready for the adventure of a lifetime? Is your creative spirit in need of some TLC? Always wanted to go to Vietnam but don’t like traveling alone?
Renew your love of writing and life next February in stunning world heritage Hoi An in Vietnam for a yoga and writing retreat which will get your year off to an inspiring and uplifting start. HEAVENLY HOI AN 2 – 7 FEBRUARY 2024.
After the bliss of our Bali Retreat – see the rundown here – Kerstin Pilz and I are now set to explore Vietnam. Kerstin lived in Hoi An for years so we’ll have an, almost, local to guide us around. Kerstin is also busily preparing for the release of her first creative work, her memoir Loving My Lying Dying Cheating Husband which Affirm Press is launching in March 2024. WOOHOO! So we’ll have live access to all Kerstin has learnt about writing memoir and the publishing process, as well as my twenty plus years and five publications worth of experience plus over ten years teaching creative writing at UQ! Kerstin is an ex Uni lecturer in literature so you’ll have a wealth of writing experience to tap into.
Yes, there will be informative, practical, inspiring and useful writing workshops, but this is also a retreat to renew YOU as a whole person. This retreat also features YOGA!
I’ve been practising yoga daily for 30 years now, the greatest blessing of my life, and I love sharing the joys of this life-healing practice on retreats. Kerstin is an experienced yogin too, and has spent many months at meditation retreats as part of her own healing journey – hear all about it in her TED TALK. So every morning on retreat with start with gentle yoga in a beautifl open air shala over the river. How magical is that? And most evenings we’ll wind down from all the learning and writing with some guided meditations and pranayama (yogic breathing techniques) specifically designed to help you relax and calm your nervous system.
Writing and yoga, but wait, there’s more and no, it’s not steak knives. How about a Vietnamese cooking class after a tour of a local farm? Or would you prefer a slow boat ride down the river to the heart of the old town for dinner at the local night markets, lit up with preparations for TET (Vietnamese New Year). All the sights and sounds and smells and tastes of an exotic culture, full of smiling faces, in the company of fellow writers and kindred spirits. A tarot reading to help guide you forward and inspire your spirit. Fun and laughter with new friends and even the option to travel on and explore Vietnam further with other retreat guests!
Not only that, we’re staying in gorgeous resort-style accommodation at An Villa and Annica Villa, far from the bustling crowds, right on the river. Beautiful ensuite rooms, manicured tropical gardens, pools, delicious Vietnamese meals prepared especially for us on premises, lots of secret nooks to sit and write and everything is included! You can come along to all the sessions, or if you’d rather you can sleep for days, potter and journal in the over-river shala or hide away in your room and write like a fury!
Sound like the answer to your prayers? It is! I am so excited to be offering these international retreats with my dear friend Kerstin. Our Hoi An adventure is going to be truly heavenly! I so hope you can join us. Prices start at $2550 EARLY BIRD, ALL INCLUSIVE (except flights and transfers) but hurry early bird prices end soon!
For detailed info and to book see HERE.
Places are filling fast, so book your spot now by paying your deposit. I’m super excited about this one. I haven’t been to Vietnam in 30 years and I’ve never been to Hoi An, so come with me for the adventure of a lifetime and a life-changing, heart opening retreat guaranteed to get you writing! Whether you’re an old hand or a newbie, this retreat has something for everyone. ALL THE INFO HERE.
If you have more dash than cash we can work out a payment plan that makes it all possible.
Me!!
Lots of love
Edwina xx
WHO IS TELLING THIS STORY? Managing Point of View
But whose dream is it?
So, who IS telling your story? Whether you’re writing memoir, fiction or screenplay, you need to make important decisions about which characters you’re going to give a voice.
WHO IS YOUR PROTAGONIST?
Who is the main character in your story?
If you’re writing memoir, even though many writers try to avoid it, YOU are the main character.
If you’re writing fiction you need to decide whose story is propelling the overarching narrative – that character’s goals and battles to achieve them is what drives the story forward. They are your protagonist.
If you have multiple protagonists, one character must have slightly more say than the others – this is the character who begins and ends the story. Other voices can be almost as strong but the protagonist has the final say. In my book Thrill Seekers I have three protagonists, Brian, his younger brother Douggie, and Beck, their friend. Because it is Brian’s goal – to protect his brother – that propels the entire narrative, he is the protagonist. He has the first chapter and the last. So think carefully if you’re dealing with multiple character voices and decide which one is the main driving force.
If you’re not sure about who your main character is, ask yourself “WHO HAS THE MOST TO LOSE?”
HOW WILL YOU GIVE VOICE TO THESE CHARACTERS?
If you’re writing memoir, mostly you will need to write in first person, and learn to embrace sentences starting with “I” or learn to cleverly avoid doing so. However, you will also need to include a reflective voice that I like to call, “Wise you now”, between the scenes bringing to life the past, staring “previous you”. You could write the scenes from the past in past tense first person and the reflective sections in first person present tense, or past tense too, depending on how you feel about present tense.
Fiction can also be written in first person, past or present tense, but managing multiple voices like this can be tricky. Thrill Seekers is written this way, each character is in first person present tense. My Cambodian novel, Child of Fortune has two main characters – an Australian traveller and a Khmer survivor of the Pol Pot regime. Both of these women are written in first person, past tense. These days however, due to the Own Voice movement, I would recommend writing characters from other cultures only in third person. I also advise against having only two main characters given voice. This is difficult to manage and becomes a tennis match with one character often overpowering the other. To remedy this, add a third character voice to bring more balance, a plait rather than a ping pong match back and forth.
Most popular in modern fiction is writing in closed third person, past tense. This is the simplest way to manage multiple protagonists. In closed third person, you write using he, she or they in separate chapters that alternate. This method allows for multiple viewpoints and clashing perspectives that has lots of scope for adding interest to your story. However, with closed third person, as with first person, you are confined to what that character has seen and heard and cannot stray outside this perspective.
My latest story, “Shadowman” (Dear Madman in a different incarnation) a literary true crime memoir/novel hybrid, is told in three alternating sections in three different perspectives. The first section is the first-person voice of “the writer”, the second voice is the Shadowman – also in first person. The third section is told in omniscient third person, with the voices of multiple characters, members of the Williams family. Omniscient voice is the “God” voice, enabling the writer to move between character’s points of view within chapters, though I keep them in separate scenes. Modern audiences find this voice confusing, and I must say I found it difficult to manage as well, though I got there in the end.
You can choose to write a character in second person too – the “you” voice – but eventually it becomes synonymous with first person, so is best left to short stories or short sections within your longer piece. It can be used effectively in memoir to give another’s perspective, eg You didn’t say anything. You walked away.
MANAGING POINT OF VIEW
Now you have chosen your POV characters and the voices you will use and how you will animate them, you need to establish the structure and the voices you want within the first section of your book. If you have three POV characters, and you want these voices to interweave (not have separate sections of the whole book – eg Part 1 – Anne, Part 2 – Bob, Part 3 – Grace) you need to set this up right from the start.
For example, Shadowman starts with a chapter from the writer, which establishers her as the main protagonist. The second strand belongs to the Shadowman, and the third strand is the omniscient voices of the family. All three voices have a chapter within the first 10 pages. This lets the reader know what’s going on, who is telling the story, and the pattern to expect right from the start.
AVOID INTRODUCING NEW POV CHARACTERS AFTER THE FIRST ACT
All rules are made to be broken and you can find many examples of characters joining the fray in the second act, or even third, but it is best to avoid doing this. Set up your POV characters in those first 10 pages and then stick with these characters all the way to the end – well one or two may get knocked off!
Avoid introducing new POV characters after act one, this only confuses readers. If you want to bring in a twist that introduces this new POV character, then at least foreshadow this possibility in the first act. Give us a hint that this may happen, mention their name, make them a part of the story in some way, even if they aren’t yet in the action.
Point of view is important to establish early, so the reader knows which characters they are following. Introduce important characters first up so we know whose side we’re on. Keep the number of characters manageable or add a glossary. But who wants to be checking a glossary all the time – except maybe Tolkien fans!
And if you’re writing short stories keep the number of characters low. The lower the wordcount, the lower the character count.
Introduce all characters and the way you will be telling their side of the story early. If you’re a new writer, stick to one voice, at least to start with. If you want to include other voices, closed third person in alternating chapters is easiest to manage, but all this needs to be set up right from the start. Build trust with your reader by showing them your plan and sticking with that plan.
No randoms! No slipping between points of view without intention. Flag all changes in point of view so we know they’re intentional. No surprises!
Image by Jana Shannon.
Managing POV can be tricky, so think about it before you rush in, and have a rough plan about how you think it will work. It can be lots of fun writing in a few different voices, but make sure they are balanced, that they are each different and that your one main character has first say and the final word.
Hope that’s useful! GOOD LUCK!
Let me know how you go managing POV.
Lots of love
Edwina xx
RELAX AND WRITE 