Second Chapter. Oh, and I would really appreciate some criticism or the like, because I have in all honesty no idea what I'm doing.
Hope sat in his seat as the rest of Mr. Greenshaw's students settled in the classroom. The virtual screen was on today, which was a surprise. Mr. Greenshaw nearly always taught through simple writing and lectures instead of using more modern technology.
Mr. Greenshaw announced, "Today, we are going to learn about points of view." Thankfully, he wasn't shouting.
Hope snapped to attention. This was actually interesting to him.
"In first-person," Mr. Greenshaw said, "we see the world through the eyes of just one character. We know only what he thinks and observes. This is much like third-person, except that the narrator himself tells the story."
I listened as closely as I could.
"People seem to instinctively flock to the first-person point of view. Maybe the young writer finds it easier to unfold a story from a personal standpoint. Or perhaps they feel that they can give additional insight that is unavailable when using 'he' or 'she.'"
I really, really hoped he wasn't going on a full lecture. No one would be able to resist the siren's call of the nap.
"One trademark of a first-person narration is the words the narrator uses to refer to the protagonist. He uses words like 'I', or 'me', or 'mine' and 'my.' This presents the readers with an extremely subjective narrative. Therefore, the narrator may deceive himself. This is known as the unreliable narrator."
I scoffed mentally. He clearly had no idea what he was talking about.
"Unlike in third-person, the very nature of the narration limits the information the readers can receive. The readers are not in the head of all the characters, just one. Since we see from the eyes and ears of one character, it is far more difficult to develop the plot and the rest of the characters. This can present problems to the unskilled writer." I just knew he meant me when he said that last three words.
What on Cocoon did I do to deserve this? He always picked on me!
"This often forces the writer to create contrived situations, like when the narrator eavesdrops on a conversation, or conveniently stumbles upon the villain's plans." Mr. Greenshaw held up a book with a disgusted expression. I couldn't see the title, but it was mostly black and had an apple on it. "Because of this natural limitation, first-person stories can be executed very poorly when it comes to unfolding motivations and plots."
You tried to recover from your humiliation and pay attention.
"Next numerically is second-person."
Mr. Greenshaw hesitated before continuing the lecture. "Second-person is an oddball. Instead of reading from a character's individual point of view, or being told through an omniscient camera, second-person tells you the story."
You wondered why Mr. Greenshaw talked like he was stepping on thin ice. No one used second-person! He should be raging about it!
"Most second-person stories are awful, plain and simple. It feels more like a gimmick than anything else, like the author writer it on a whim."
Sometimes, a skilled author can suck you right into the character so well you are almost unaware of the viewpoint. You open the book, and start reading. You feel like you're actually in the story. You roll with it. But you agree that it can be like a gimmick.
Mr. Greenshaw snorted. "One natural downfall of the second-person narrative is its tendency to sound like a self-help book."
"However, the second-person point of view can be used to great effect." You saw Mr. Greenshaw lift a remote and press a button. The virtual hologram popped out of the board, and you could see various works of literature. It was about time he used that, you thought.
Mr. Greenshaw pointed to a hologram of a bound book - an ancient relic from another age. "Sometimes," he said softly, "the novel can be a series of letters." He pointed at the cover picture of another book. "Other times, it can be a transcript or a one-sided conversation. In the latter's case, the author may purposefully omit certain sections of the narration to form a second-person point of view, which leaves us to fill the gaps in the conversation.
"Remember, one cannot perform such advanced tricks without knowing the basics. If you do not know the rules before breaking them, you are a fool, not an artist."
"And then there's third-person," continued Mr. Greenshaw. His voice had regained its former roughness. "The most common in literature."
"Third-person narration has many similar yet distinct forms. First is third-person omniscient." Mr. Greenshaw turned his gaze across the classroom. He had a good batch this year. It pleased him to have such a class. "Here, the narration can flit from person to person. This can be an interesting way of shifting focus to another character. However, it can prevent the reader from developing a bond with the characters. If handled poorly, it can even be jolting."
Nahtem Portant groaned. She was getting hungry!
Mr. Greenshaw proceeded to discuss other forms of third-person. "The last, and the most common, is third-person limited. The writer is unrestricted by the forced intimacy of first-person, but cannot switch around like the somewhat overbearing third-person omniscient."
Hope dutifully focused on every word.
"Besides the he-she form, the writer also has the luxury of having a wider viewpoint to develop the characters. This allows the narrator to use a simple description or hint of expression, or even a whole side scene to give the reader the information that the main character can't know, but which the reader must know in order to follow the story.
"Third-person is often seen as more difficult to new writers, since they have to deal with all the characters, instead of just one. If you think this, then you fail to understand how first-person works."
Mr. Greenshaw sipped from his water bottle. "Class dismissed. Tomorrow is an early-release day, so the lesson is going to be on Lavender Unicorn Syndrome."
The last bit about second-person was mainly from my experience with a single great fic, called Therapist Visit. It's a My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fanfiction, and has requires some knowledge of the show to understand.
Don't judge a book (or show) by its cover. It's pretty great.
Anyway, if you liked, please leave a review!
