Yours truly picked up a book on POV recently. While perusing it the last few days, I noticed how much it was needed. Funny how those subtle differences in narration can mean so much, or confuse so.
For those of you who are lost, point-of-view refers to the angle from which a story is told – whose head we are in. Narratives can contain multiple POVs, but to be done well, having some conventions to follow helps. I’ve begun to think of it like a framework or map.
BTW, in general: 1st (person) is I, 2nd is you, 3rd is they, omniscient is all-knowing. That’s the basics, but it gets more complex.
I have always struggled with head-hopping. This goes like:
‘Jane wished she could spend the whole day just smelling the flowers, as they reminded her of her grandfather’s garden. She intently showed one to George, who thought, What a silly creature. He was more of a horse man, like his father. She knew he’d run off to the stables as soon as he could.’
Thing is, when I lie asleep and dreaming, my inner narrator head-hops like a madwoman. My dreaming mind truly believes itself telepathic or psychic (or something).
Is this how a supreme being would think? That would be one schizoid thought environment. All those otherwise silent remarks disrupting everything. How exhausting!
While writing I must take special measures to ensure the “mere mortals” will understand. Yes. (Hint of sarcasm.) Some coherent motion to the intrusive nature of the ol’ mind recorder would do.
So, aside from all this, I am left with one curiosity. Has anyone else ever dreamt like I do? Do you dream like a camera-eye or omniscient creature?
Does anyone else dream in color but sometimes in pop art or sepia tones at times? I am assuming some adults out there still remember their dreams.
Am I alone?
Hopping along now…
Occasional Grue 