Christine Johnson - Author Interview: Narrative Style

Which narrative point of view (first person, second person or third person) do you use most in your fiction, or do you often use different points of view for different stories, and why?

Traditionally, I've used third person past tense in my stories. I like the close third POV because it allows me to follow one particular character, but also to give a view of the book's happenings that is wider in scope than the protagonist's personal experience. Interestingly, I recently began a project that works best in first person, which isn't something I've done before. It's scary to shift POV when one feels so comfortable! Sometimes, though, the story or voice calls so strongly for a particular structure that it would be a disservice to the project to hammer it into a different style.

Do you use present tense or past tense most in your fiction, or do you often switch tense for different stories, and why?

In third person, I prefer to write in past tense, though in first person, I think present is the ONLY way to go. I dislike first person past tense a great deal. As a reader, it creates the foregone conclusion that the narrator came out of whatever story they're telling. It bothers me particularly when a story involves an actual life or death struggle. It feels like a spoiler in verb tense form.

Pick one of your published stories. What combination of point of view and tense did you use for this story, and why?

Both Claire de Lune and Nocturne are written in third person past tense. With the structure of the story (mystery elements, trope recreation,) and pace of the novels, they both needed third past's ability to fill things in with a few quick brushstrokes. It just felt right for the voice and the story.

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 think all of my characters/novels are in a different voice than my own. My characters don't sound like me. It's much like being able to hear how your best friends would say something - how they would react to the situation. It might not be exactly the words you would say, but it seems obvious when you know a person - or a character! - that well.

Did you tell this story with one narrator or multiple narrators, and why?

Claire de Lune has a main narrator with a number of asides from the rogue wolf in the story. Again, the mystery element made it necessary to break from Claire's experience, and the 3rd person POV allowed me to do it more smoothly, I think. Nocturne, however, is narrated entirely by Claire.

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 charcater in your fictional storyworld, and why?

I think third person automatically takes the narrator our of the main action, though a close third makes the reader feel involved enough to keep the story

What is one of your favourite fictional stories, in which you think is narration is written well, and how would you describe what makes the narration work so well for you as a reader?

I particularly admire stories with unreliable narrators, as it's so hard to keep the reader involved in spite of not quite trusting the source of the story. RJ Anderson's ULTRAVIOLET is a fantastic example of this style.

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?

Occasionally I do, though I feel it's important to limit it in a third person POV narrative structure, and then only for the character that is the focus of the close third. In first person, it feels more natural to me to have access to direct thought.

To what extent does the narrative style of novels you read have an impact on why you read them, and why?

Actually, it doesn't. A well-written book of any narrative style is enjoyable. Other than my gripe about first person past tense, I like books of all styles, and even books with that structure are worth reading if they're otherwise interesting. Perfect example? Meg Rosoff's HOW I LIVE NOW. Hate the tense. Love that book.

Author website: http://www.christinejohnsonbooks.com/



Susan Vaught - Author Interview: Narrative Style

Which narrative point of view (first person, second person or third person) do you use most in your fiction, or do you often use different points of view for different stories, and why?

I always try for third person, then end up back in first. It's just my natural voice, I guess. Sometimes I'll write a piece in first, then slowly switch it to third, if it just has to be third (like, say, for adult romance, where that's more the convention). I think first is my natural voice because I tend to see the story through the character's eyes.

Do you use present tense or past tense most in your fiction, or do you often switch tense for different stories, and why?

Present tense, usually. I have done some pieces where I switch tenses , but mostly I stay with first-person present--again, my natural voice. As I noted, I see the story through the character's eyes, and I also see and feel it unfolding in real time, and I ask myself how my character would react, what emotions they might feel, how they would express those emotions, what they might do, and lots of other questions. That's how I stay true to my characters, and let the characters drive the story.

Pick one of your published stories. What combination of point of view and tense did you use for this story, and why?

In Going Underground, my most recent release, I switch time periods, but the narrative voice stays the same. I chose to switch time periods but keep the point of view and tense the same so readers could see and feel the character's world before bad things happened to him, and after. I hope readers get a sense of his confidence and innocence and dreams in the past chapters, and then get a sense of what's changed for him, and perhaps more importantly, what hasn't.

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?

Since I tend to write in first person, my characters have their own voice and style of speaking, which is all different from mine. In real life, I have a Southern accent and I'm not fast with one-liners like some of my fictional creations. I tend to get distracted mid-sentence, but none of my characters do that. I think distinct voices and styles of speaking make stories crisper and more readable, make the characters more real to readers. I know I value those elements when I read.

Did you tell this story with one narrator or multiple narrators, and why?

One narrator. I've rarely done young adult fiction with two viewpoints, because the story belongs so much to the character who tells it. I've done adult pieces (mostly romance) with alternating points of view so readers get the interplay of each character falling in love or experiencing the big events. My son JB and I wrote a fantasy piece together, Oathbreaker: Assassin's Apprentice and Oathbreaker: Prince Among Killers, which alternates between three points of view because all three views were necessary to bring in the events and the richness of the otherworld JB and I developed.

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 charcater in your fictional storyworld, and why?

My point of view characters are always directly involved in the story's action, because of how stories develop in my head--through that character's eyes and experiences. My character filters the world and words I'm writing. I've never tried a narrator-type piece, where the narrator isn't involved in the action--but it miht be interesting!

What is one of your favourite fictional stories, in which you think is narration is written well, and how would you describe what makes the narration work so well for you as a reader?

Tamora Pierce's stories are among my favorites, probably because the narrative voices and female characters are so strong. Even when her characters have special powers or abilities, they have emotional reactions and weaknesses I relate to, and that comes through each sentence and paragraph when they're speaking.

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?

With first-person present, readers have as much access to my characters' thoughts as the character does, and usually only one character. This makes the stories as engaging and strong as the character, but also means that the reader will have the characters' blind spots. Even though readers know everything the characters know, they still don't know everything--because people are limited in what they see, hear, and understand.

To what extent does the narrative style of novels you read have an impact on why you read them, and why?

I usually read a sample and see if the voice/story/situation engages me, so narrative voice often determines whether or not I keep reading--and definitely whether or not I buy the book!

Author website: http://www.susanvaught.com/