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Question: Hey im writing a book please help!?
its about world war 3 (but it is really more of a cold war type of thing)!.all the fighting in the book is concentrated about an SAS squad who do vital but not heard of missions!. The SAS squad is a group of four but only 1 survives after about half way then this survivor links with the USMC and they go on to beat the enemy (which changes twice) and there are a couple of twists along the way!
what i really need help is with what person do i write it in!?i want all the characters to come about evenly and not just the survivor,sort of a narrative maybe!?
also how do i describe people!?i was thinking along the way as the story progresses and only bits at a time!.
any helpful comments will be much appreciated!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
My favorite point of view to read is omnipotent!. Or the narrator know the thoughts of all characters, but at certain parts, the way the world is looked at is through the eyes of a certain character!. For example:
If a 5 year old looks at a table, she may see "A tall, daunting table, with legs like a fortress, and a top as expansive as the plains of Tra-la-la Land!."
But when a mother looks at the same table she would see "A myriad of chairs set up to allow everyone to sit together and look at each other during dinner!. One chair was stacked with books, to allow the youngest to reach the food"
This is called focalization!. The narrator focuses on what one character is seeing and describes it in their point of view!. Each character would notice a different aspect of the same thing!.
also, when describing people, try to do the same thing!. Books can get a little boring when the author goes on for paragraphs about the color of a piece of cloth, so just give descriptions in little doses; tell the shape of someone's mouth after they say something, or describe them when they do a specific thing!. It sounds like you understand that concept well!. : )
My favorite author is very good at focalization, although he does tend to go into massive description!. His name is Robert Jordan and he wrote the "Wheel of Time" series if you want to check it out for more examples!. Hope I helped!Www@QuestionHome@Com
I usually just write in third person (i!.e!., "He did this!.")!. This is an especially good idea if you want it to be evenly spread out among characters!. First person (i!.e!., "I did this!.") centers the story on one character!. Second person (i!.e!. "You did this!.") is actually really fun to write in if you want a twist!.!.!.but it's not very common, and I probably wouldn't recommend it for this!.
In addition, if you want to spread it out, you could write each chapter from a different person's perspective, jumping back and forth to where the action is happening!.
For example, say chapter one starts out!.!.!. "Tom squinted into the blinding rays of the setting sun!. 'Where are they!?' he muttered to himself, clenching his jaw!."
Then, continuing the example, say chapter two continues the story from Bob's perspective, telling his thoughts and opinions on whatever is going on around him!.
Hope this helps! :) Good luck with the story!Www@QuestionHome@Com
Maybe tell it as though its "your life"!.!. things that "you" have experienced!.
Eg - "When I was a young boy!.!.!."
If not, write it as an outsider looking in!.
Eg - "When Bob was a young boy!.!."
As its a war setting, i think revaling bits about each character thoughout is a good idea, as you wouldnt immediately know everything about someone!.
Umm i hope this helps somehow!? lol
:) xWww@QuestionHome@Com
I am also writing a full length novel and if I were you, these are the things i would do!.!.!.
1!. Make the story through the focal point of the 1 survivor (make him the main character) but tell the story in 3rd person (eg: He, she, him, her, Tom, Jane, they, and them)
2!. Start with a high action scene (The four could be attacked in a jungle and all of them live) and then go into back stories!. (Just because the focal point is the 1 character doesn't mean you cannot tell the reader of the other characters background!. maybe they could talk about it over the camp fire) I would start off with the background of the 1 survivor and make it a few days before the mission!.
3!. after you make the reader care about the character, kill one of them off!. After that, kill off the other 2 in close succession!.
4!. Have the main character meet up with the USMC and then place them immediately into an action scene!.
5!. Have the 1 man and the USMC team work towards the final confrontation and then place them into it!.
6!. End the final confrontation climatically and send the 1 survivor back home to his family!.
Hope that helps you outline it a little bitWww@QuestionHome@Com