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💌 Mysty's Mailbox (#1-3)

In this bonus series, I answer user questions! All users are anonymous and often paraphrased. I also elaborate on the answers I gave.

💌 Question #1 (Regarding Internal Monologies) 💌

Anonymous: I have a hard time writing internal thoughts for characters. Readers have said that I'm good at describing what's happening externally (surroundings, mannerisms) but not internally, so it makes my characters seem unrealistic and not relatable. Can you help me?

Mysty: What do you find difficult about writing their thoughts?

Anonymous: It's the way they articulate ideas in their mind. Their dialogue. For me, writing thoughts is difficult because it's complex and could jump from one topic to another, and more so if the character thinks a lot or has anxiety.

Mysty: Do you write in the 1st or 3rd-person?

Anonymous: Mostly in 1st-person, but whenever I try to write in 3rd-person it seems lacking.

Mysty: Do you want help for 3rd or 1st-person POV?

Anonymous: I would like some help with 3rd-person POV please.

Mysty: So, I myself write in the 3rd-person omniscient POV, so I have to deal with this a lot. 

I try not to set aside thoughts as dialogue. I very very rarely write things like, 'This is a strange place, thought Fred.' For one, the conventions for writing internal thoughts is unclear. Second, I write enough dialogue already. Why make the narration like dialogue? This is why I blend narration with character thought, so the reader gets a different experience from dialogue-writing while also getting an idea of what the character thinks.

BUT BE CAREFUL. Don't switch subjects too much. Stick to a character a chapter, roughly, so that your narrator doesn't take on too many personalities at once. Note, this is tough to do. This is an advanced way to write, but I find that it's a strong way to write. It has a great word:idea ratio because narrative action and character thoughts can be intermixed, not requiring clunky, large format changes. 

💌 Question #2 (Regarding Fanfiction Fans) 💌

Anonymous: I am curious, how did you get so many followers? I'm really trying to find genuine readers for my writing and I'm having a hard time with it.

(Anonymous writes Mature, sometimes steamy fanfiction)

Mysty: Honestly, just doing a lot of stuff like this [doing R4Rs]. Then practicing writing a lot and getting noticed by Wattpad. 

I think it also helps to write something besides fanfiction, because people who enjoy such stories are there for the author and their story, not the person they're writing about. Fanfictions can get a ton of reads, but they rarely grow the author as an author.

💌 Question #3 (Regarding Changing POVs) 💌

Anonymous: I'm writing general fiction, so it has many themes. Can I change POV when needed, to write both in 1st and 3rd-person? I'm a newbie.

Mysty: I think you'll find "need" is a strong word. Tens of thousands of general fiction books have been written in one POV or the other. Probably, you feel it's easier or more natural to switch between the two. However, as writers, our job is to write what is more natural for our readers. And what is best for our readers? Being consistent is best, which means using just one: either 1st, 2nd, or 3rd-person POV.

And why is consistency the best choice when it comes to narrative voice? You have to remember that readers aren't you, so while you might think it's a good idea to switch POVs at a certain time, it has a very real chance to confuse your reader or take them out of story. So it's not an arbitrary standard. Novels have one POV throughout a story so that readers have fewer chances to be confused or disengaged.

Indeed, writers have a hard enough time harnessing their reader's energy and attention; there's no good reason to make it tougher by strange shifts in narrative voice. The narrative voice is too foundational to the story to juggle. It's the reader's window into your story; don't keep opening and closing it! Only do so if you're experienced, and even then don't do it frequently.

It's very common for new writers to want to toggle between 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-person POVs, but it really is best to use one per story and to keep it that way. In the English language at least, it's the storytelling standard. :) Good luck!