Most of my writing has been done in third person because I’ve felt that it has given me more room to breathe as an artist. Third person allows an omniscient flavor when it comes to what my characters see and feel in my created world. So it was an unexpected change when I began writing Dragonfly Eyes, switching from my comfortable third person to first person present, but that’s the way the story seemed to insist it be written. It’s been a challenge to retrain this new kind of ‘writing ear’ as I create from a totally different vantage point. To me, the benefit has been that Dragonfly Eyes reads on a more personal level – I’m literally seeing what Savannah sees and experiencing her pain as she tries to make sense of her new world. It would have been easier to stay in my writing sweet spot, but as an author, I’ve always felt that it’s good to push at my own walls. Viewing the world through Savannah’s eyes and reporting everything she experiences has been an amazing exercise, although I have to admit I’ve felt myself slipping back into third person on more than one occasion. Still, I’ve persisted in this new (for me) sound. The result has been a refreshing kind of intimacy in Dragonfly Eyes!
Do you use present tense or past tense most in your fiction, or do you often switch tense for different stories, and why?
I have most often written in the past tense, although the Dragonfly Eyes trilogy is set in the present. I switched to present tense to flex my writing muscles and to create a different kind of personal space for my character. It seems to be working!
Pick one of your published stories. What combination of point of view and tense did you use for this story, and why?
In The Christopher Killer I chose to use third person past tense with Cameryn Mahoney as my protagonist. I used Cameryn’s vantage point, but I felt third person allowed me to use a broader writing stroke.
To what extent is the vocabulary and manner of speech of the narration in this story different from your own everyday expression, and what does this contribute to the story?
I’ve been lucky in that Cameryn is an academic personality who loves to share unusual facts, such as the prime ingredient in dandruff shampoo or the delicacy required when creating a forensic ‘brain bucket.’ (My friends sometimes call me as Hermione, as in Hermione Granger from Harry Potter. Aren’t they hilarious?) The upshot is that Cameryn’s intonation is fairly close to my own. We both find people fascinating and we both know how to laugh, which means writing Cameryn’s speech is easy since she is more or less an extension of myself.
Savannah, on the other hand, is a character that ‘had it all’ before she was brutally murdered, so she is a departure from my real, more modest life. The protagonist I created begins her journey as a person with a deep sense of entitlement. Her character arc occurs mostly on the ‘other side.’ That means in the beginning of my book, Savannah’s ‘voice’ is very different from how I, the author, speak, so researching the voice patterns of that kind of girl became a fascinating journey. Fortunately, I present workshops to high schools around the country, which has brought me into contact with heretofore-unreachable echelons. I’ve observed the various social hierarchies among young women and have taken copious mental notes. Like an anthropologist in the wild, I’ve studied the way the affluent express themselves in both their speech and in their writing. I must admit to listening intently when these beautiful creatures whisper secrets about their lives. Access has allowed me to absorb their mannerisms and their cadences, all of which is translated into Savannah’s ‘voice.’ We authors have a bit of the voyeur that allows us to create dialogue apart from the self that rings through our own heads. It’s a joy to wear a new, metaphorical skin!
Did you tell this story with one narrator or multiple narrators, and why?
Every story I have ever written has been told by a single narrator (my protagonist) because I believe it gives my reader deeper access into how characters like Cameryn or Savannah see their world. To me, being hemmed into one point of view is somewhat limiting, but I guess that’s why it works: we all experience our lives through our own limited personal lenses, and the results are decidedly mixed. So many problems stem from assumptions we as individuals bring into our interaction with others – and everyone believes they are right! Miscommunication is one way to ratchet up the tension in a manuscript. While I enjoy the omniscience of multiple narrators in other authors’ work, I have stayed with the point of view that works for my style of writing, which is one narrator and a single point of view.
Did you make the narrator of this story a character involved in the main action of the story, or did you make the narrator one which is not a character in your fictional story world, and why?
Because it is told from a third person limited point of view, the narrator of The Christopher Killer is not a character in the story. In Dragonfly Eyes, the narrator is Savannah Anderson, who is the protagonist. I did this to achieve different flavors in my writing.
What is one of your favourite fictional stories, in which you think the narration is written well, and how would you describe what makes the narration work so well for you as a reader?
Once again, I’ll turn to the story “Dragonfly Eyes” in the anthology Fear. This is my favorite part of the story (spoiler alert!) which also happens to be its end: The police are running inside the building, and I know they are just moments away. When I look ahead I see there will be a huge funeral inside the gym for me, with thousands of flowers emanating their oversweet scent. Everyone will weep and secretly wonder if Claire should have been taken instead of me. The thought makes me sad. Because like a dragonfly, I perceive with a panoramic vision that reveals truth. Neither one of us should have been taken in that in that wasteful act of violence, but it is Claire, not me, who is destined to accomplish amazing things. The girl I ignored will leave her mark on the world in a way I never could. To know this helps me accept my fate. The understanding is bittersweet, a lesson learned too late on earth, and yet I see a new purpose in my lingering here. From this side I believe the right girl lived.
And I’ll be watching her, every day, until we meet again.
It is my hope that this narration brings out emotion in the reader, because when I initially wrote that last sentence I actually cried. I’d like to believe Savannah is still nearby, happy that I am writing a part of her story for others to share. It is my way of giving her immortality.
Do you usually provide direct access to the thoughts of characters in your stories? If so, do you usually provide access to the thoughts of one character or multiple characters in a single story or point of view, and why?
I do provide access to the thoughts of my protagonist, but my protagonist only. This is done purposefully, because many problems are caused by misunderstandings between people and I want my characters to be just as limited as the rest of us. Communication is a challenge for us all!
To what extent does the narrative type of novels you read have an impact on why you read them, and why?
The style of narration is not a factor on whether or not I choose to read a novel – it’s the characters and conflict I’m after! Variations of style are just the cherry atop the reading ice cream!
Author Website: www.alaneferguson.com
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