Point of View Choices

The other day I had a fantastic conversation with my students about point of view. Specifically we were comparing first person and third person pov.

I'm currently reading aloud The Hobbit and one of the students commented on the story-telling voice. Another compared it to the voice in The Giver (which was our previous read aloud). One student is reading The Hunger Games and commented that it's all told directly from Katniss' pov.

Soon everyone was checking the novels they're reading and one commented that she was reading an older book (Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume) & she wondered if when the book was written had an impact on pov. Cue the checking of copyright dates and a discussion about why and how styles have changed.

After we'd delved into it for a bit, I asked them which pov they prefer to read. Very few students had a distinct favourite - the almost universal answer was "It depends on the story."

I LOVE MY JOB!!!

We proceeded to list the advantages of both povs. Here's a synopsis of their thoughts. Remember I'm dealing with 10 - 12 year olds.

Advantages for 1st:

• you get to really feel what the character is feeling
• you get to see everything that affects the main character
• you get to feel like the story is happening to you at the moment you're reading it
• the pace usually seems faster & it's harder to put down

Advantages for 3rd:

• you get to see & know more than the main character sees and knows
• you can get to know more characters really well (they like stories told from 2 alternating povs)
• it's cool to see the same events from different perspectives 
• you can get that cool story teller voice that works for some stories
• it's easier to have different styles of stories and voice

Once again, I think they hit the highlights!

So, how about you? Do you prefer 1st or 3rd, or do you think it depends on the story as well?

(The) Hobbit

As a writer, my A to Z challenge is going to be about books, characters, TV shows and movies that have impacted me somehow. Enjoy! Be sure to check out Lee’s blog to find more bloggers taking on this challenge!

The Hobbit

So hard to choose for H! (Harry Potter & Hatchet were my next two top picks!) 

The Hobbit was my first venture into the world of high fantasy. My parents gave me a beautiful boxed edition when I was in grade 5 or 6. I fell in love. Bilbo is a fantastic character and his journey (both internally and externally) is a lot of fun to follow. Tolkien's words and lyrical phrasing enthralled me. I've just finished reading this aloud to my class - in anticipation of the movie coming out this year. I love the trailer - looks like this movie is going to be just as good as Lord of the Rings - and that's saying something in my opinion!

Are you waiting impatiently for the movie version of The Hobbit?

Through Me

When KD Lang sang her amazing version of Hallelujah at the Olympic Opening Ceremony, one of the comments I heard was, "I felt like she was not only singing to me, she was singing through me. She filled me up to overflowing." Wow. What a compliment!

As a writer, I'd like to do that one day. Write so someone feels like I've written to them, through them. Filled them up to overflowing.

Again, wow.

I think some books have done that for me. In all different genres, at all different points in my life. The Hobbit was life-changing for me. It was the first fantasy I'd read. It opened up... well, everything. About the same time I discovered Star Trek reruns on TV. Between the two, entire worlds (literally!) opened up. My imagination opened with them.

As a teen, I remember reading Fahrenheit 451 in high school. Another wow for me. Book burning, wall sized interactive TV sets, loss of imagination and intelligence.

Then I read Flowers for Algernon - which I always call Charly. My heart broke. The author's control over the language amazed me. Charly's growth and deterioration throughout the book shattered me. How could they? How could he bear it?

Shakespeare. Even though I found Hamlet a wimpy dolt, the power of his 'To be or not to be' soliloquy riveted me. The deep thoughts. The beautiful cadence of the words to express such sadness, such worry. Then the power of one over the mob in Julius Caesar. The agony of Othello. The trickery of Iago.

Anne McCaffrey & her world of Pern and her ship who sings. Nora Roberts/JD Robb and the incredibly human characters she creates - full of such passion and depth. Suzanne Brockmann and her wonderfully diverse band of troubleshooters - where love, loyalty & justice are the most powerful weapons against hate.

Finally the power of few words fills me. At least when those words carry weight.

• Be the change you want to see in the world. - Gandhi

• Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that. - Martin Luther King Jr.

• Imagination is more powerful than knowledge. - Albert Einstein

• It's kind of fun to do the impossible. - Walt Disney

So, what books fill you up? What authors write not only to you, but through you?

Comfort Books

Comfort books - what a great concept. Just like comfort food, only better. No calories, and they last a lot longer :)

My friend Belle over at Ms. Bookish is hosting the 42nd Bookworms Carnival. Her theme, you guessed it, is comfort books.

I can literally disappear into a book. I'm sure many of you are the same. The world, with its worries and despairs, just goes away. I'm whisked off to a new world. Sure, its got its own share of worries and despairs, but that's okay. I suspend my disbelief and fly with the characters.

The first book I fell into was Anne of Green Gables. I'd never met anyone quite like Anne. As a shy, serious girl, I wanted to be Anne's friend. I wanted her nerve, her imagination and her joy.

The Hobbit was probably the next book to completely capture my imagination. Bilbo is such a great character - and the magic! I couldn't get enough Gandalf. When my parents bought me a boxed set of the Lord of the Rings, I didn't resurface for weeks. I tend to reread these books every few years. Love them.

Anne McCaffrey's Dragon Riders of Pern series is another one I can't get enough of. I've read all of the books at least twice. The planet is perfectly created. The mix of science, fantasy, vivid characters and a unique society combine to make this one of my favourite comfort reads. I can slip into their world and wonder what it would be like...

Agatha Christie's mysteries are kind of like chocolate for me. Sweet, even when you know what the taste is and there's no surprise. I try to leave them for years so that I won't remember the murderer, but the writing is so strong, I tend to remember the clues. I've read "And Then There Were None" to several classes and they loved it. Such a great writer!

Those are a few from my list. What about you? What are your favourite comfort books?