I admire people who can pull off drabbles. I seem to have been born to be long-winded. :-P
Heh. Good skill to have. There's a very popular community in SSHG, grangersnape100 that's friendly and review rich if you ever want to try your hand. It's for true drabbles, which are 100 words exactly or multiples. As a purist, I'm rather annoyed sortinghatdrabs is calling what are more properly ficlets or flash fiction drabbles.
Getting awards was something I took for granted in Trek actually--and I wrote more first person there than not, mostly gen, often the more neglected figures. First person came naturally to me, third person didn't. And if you look at the 10 drabbles I was competing against, none of the others were first person, yet it was mine that won. Lots of bestselling novels--and celebrated classics are first person too--so no, obviously not usually a turn-off.
It's definitely the one that comes most easily to me, too. And even though QoM was third person, it was a tight third person that stuck with Hermione through the whole novel, so it came pretty close, too.
The one POV actually I'm not comfy with I'd love in my toolbox is omniscient or multiple rotating--you see the last a lot in novels.
And I'm a stickler in limited third person about not having POV glitches or "head hopping" all over the place. AFAIC, POV is a contract with the reader, and you break it you can't really trust the narrator. IOWs, if it's in Hermione's POV no you can't talk about her not noticing the monster stalking her. If she doesn't notice it, it doesn't belong in the narration, unless you're writing in omniscient--consistently.
And I love seeing someone use something like second person well. Someone I know who has sold dozens of shorts, and several of those say it's the best POV she knows for conveying damage.
Maybe Renita will drop by and illuminate her first-person hatred for the rest of us...
If she can articulate it for herself beyond ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
I really hate omniscient because, as you stated farther down in this thread, too often it comes across as sloppy rotating third, and it makes me want to whip out my red pencil.
I've used rotating tight third quite often as well, especially in stories where you need to know what a fairly large group of disparate people are doing.
It's funny but the only HP character I ever considered writing in the first person actually was Pansy. :-P
I think even few pro writers realize omniscient refers to more than just occasionally throwing another point of view in at whim--that you're supposed to do different POVs consistently from the beginning and keep it up all through--and it depends on a authorial voice with attitude--that's really hard to do consistently and well in a long story.
And head hopping just drives me nuts. Especially the tendency in romance for hero and heroine to bounce thoughts back and forth during a love scene like a tennis ball...
Btw, Renita did comment above about first person: "evil squint" *sighs*
I've already ranted about head-hopping in an old LJ entry of mine, so I won't bother with it here.
But seriously? Seriously, editors at these romance publishers? You couldn't figure out that you're at least supposed to stay within P.O.V. within a single scene? Oy.
But seriously? Seriously, editors at these romance publishers? You couldn't figure out that you're at least supposed to stay within P.O.V. within a single scene? Oy.
Ah, see, you give the wrong impression then--compared to most in this ship. See, your Hermione actually loved Ron in Quality of Mercy--grieved for him. In SSHG, that's being extremely kind to Ron--by the time most shippers get through with him, you wonder why Hermione didn't kill him herself.
Ah, sorry for giving the wrong impression! I don't hate him, but I don't find him to be a very interesting character, and I don't believe the R/Hr relationship is at all believable. I guess I was just trying to be respectful of canon in QoM before I cheerfully tore it to shreds. ;-)
I think Ron can be interesting in his own right--I rather liked the little boy who won that game of chess and told Harry sometimes you have to make sacrifices--and then sacrificed himself. And he has some interesting fault lines--the insecurity from being last in the line of talented brothers especially, the discomfort with poverty, the jealousy--but linked with a deep loyalty.
He just needs a girl of his own--one NOT Hermione. (Because I agree with you, they're about as ill-suited a couple emotionally as...well Hagrid and Flitwick would be physically. They just don't fit...)
...nah, still don't like him. :-P Actually, I'm mostly neutral. He has his good spots, but he also acts like an arse so much of the time that I just want to smack him in the head.
Also, word on how ill-suited he and Hermione are. You know, I'm a smart girl (OK, woman, but whatever) who has dated a few not-so-smart guys over the years. I'm not saying they weren't nice people, necessarily. I'm just saying that I got completely bored within a short amount of time. I can't see Hermione lasting more than a few years, and that would be more out of loyalty than anything else.
Ah, see, I don't see Ron as not-smart. He did win that chess game. Chess prodigy does not equal dumb. His interest even in Quidditch is expressed in terms as strategic as it is athletic. He's the one who thought of the Basilisk tooth, and apparently has enough ability (an endemic memory?) to get them into the Chamber.) He got as many OWLs as Harry, doing well enough it seems he didn't have any limitations as to what classes he could take (that is, he got at least an E) He's often as much the voice of sense in their adventures as Hermione (look at OotP for instance where he knocks some sense into Harry, with Ginny's help about his being possessed by Voldemort.) Snape never goes after him for being a dunderhead and he was chosen as a prefect over boys like Dean and Sean. He also comes from a very bright, accomplished family who keeps finding themselves headboy, captain, prefects, creating and owning their own businesses. (Percy had more OWLs than Hermione)
I'd argue Ron is not just not-not-smart--he is smart. But he's also insecure, lazy, and intellectually incurious. Jealous of others' achievements w/o really being willing to work for them. He's dismissive often of Hermione's achievements and interests (and she of his). Banter, repartee, I love--it's part of why I adore Snape/Hermione. But it's a different dynamic than bickering, and that's what we see between Ron and Hermione all the time.
And I hated that book and all it implied in DH--the one given him by his brothers. Implied volumes that at bottom Ron isn't comfortable with who he is, and that being able to get Hermione--so he pretends--in a way ultimately manipulative and self-defeating.
And yeah, I wrote an essay. LOL But it's seriously a problem in the ship--all the Ron-bashing and even just Weasley-bashing. I've seen it ruin for me otherwise outstanding stories (Ron is routinely written as unfaithfu. and just a general arse too stupid to breathe. Thing is, if he's that bad, what does it say about Hermione she was ever in love with him? And she clearly was)
In reaction, the Ron-bashing in the ship makes me want to see the good things in Ron--and ship him with someone other than Hermione. Maybe if such a secondary pairing can catch on shippers will feel less threatened by the poor bloke and let up on unrecognizable characterizations.
Or just be merciful and kill Ron off before the story starts ;-)
I think that all the things other people do not like about him endear me to him, so I'm a bad person to argue for his sake. I am pleased that you have taken up the torch in my stead.
Now, now--before I knew you I wrote "Gambit" with a sympathetic Ron POV--and I'd remind you that in the prompt you got from me in the Exchange that led to our bootiful friendship--I asked for no Ron bashing.
And then you did a spontaneous little ficlet in a comment where Ron is killed due to drunk broom driving.
I submit I corrupted YOU
The Pansy thing though. That's totally your fault...
Heh. Good skill to have. There's a very popular community in SSHG, grangersnape100 that's friendly and review rich if you ever want to try your hand. It's for true drabbles, which are 100 words exactly or multiples. As a purist, I'm rather annoyed sortinghatdrabs is calling what are more properly ficlets or flash fiction drabbles.
Getting awards was something I took for granted in Trek actually--and I wrote more first person there than not, mostly gen, often the more neglected figures. First person came naturally to me, third person didn't. And if you look at the 10 drabbles I was competing against, none of the others were first person, yet it was mine that won. Lots of bestselling novels--and celebrated classics are first person too--so no, obviously not usually a turn-off.
It's definitely the one that comes most easily to me, too. And even though QoM was third person, it was a tight third person that stuck with Hermione through the whole novel, so it came pretty close, too.
The one POV actually I'm not comfy with I'd love in my toolbox is omniscient or multiple rotating--you see the last a lot in novels.
And I'm a stickler in limited third person about not having POV glitches or "head hopping" all over the place. AFAIC, POV is a contract with the reader, and you break it you can't really trust the narrator. IOWs, if it's in Hermione's POV no you can't talk about her not noticing the monster stalking her. If she doesn't notice it, it doesn't belong in the narration, unless you're writing in omniscient--consistently.
And I love seeing someone use something like second person well. Someone I know who has sold dozens of shorts, and several of those say it's the best POV she knows for conveying damage.
Maybe Renita will drop by and illuminate her first-person hatred for the rest of us...
If she can articulate it for herself beyond ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
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I've used rotating tight third quite often as well, especially in stories where you need to know what a fairly large group of disparate people are doing.
It's funny but the only HP character I ever considered writing in the first person actually was Pansy. :-P
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And head hopping just drives me nuts. Especially the tendency in romance for hero and heroine to bounce thoughts back and forth during a love scene like a tennis ball...
Btw, Renita did comment above about first person: "evil squint" *sighs*
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But seriously? Seriously, editors at these romance publishers? You couldn't figure out that you're at least supposed to stay within P.O.V. within a single scene? Oy.
I was ignoring Renita's comment, actually. :-P
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Or even a single paragraph?
I was ignoring Renita's comment, actually. :-P
*snickers*
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Well, you can't blame me for trying...
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He just needs a girl of his own--one NOT Hermione. (Because I agree with you, they're about as ill-suited a couple emotionally as...well Hagrid and Flitwick would be physically. They just don't fit...)
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...nah, still don't like him. :-P Actually, I'm mostly neutral. He has his good spots, but he also acts like an arse so much of the time that I just want to smack him in the head.
Also, word on how ill-suited he and Hermione are. You know, I'm a smart girl (OK, woman, but whatever) who has dated a few not-so-smart guys over the years. I'm not saying they weren't nice people, necessarily. I'm just saying that I got completely bored within a short amount of time. I can't see Hermione lasting more than a few years, and that would be more out of loyalty than anything else.
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I'd argue Ron is not just not-not-smart--he is smart. But he's also insecure, lazy, and intellectually incurious. Jealous of others' achievements w/o really being willing to work for them. He's dismissive often of Hermione's achievements and interests (and she of his). Banter, repartee, I love--it's part of why I adore Snape/Hermione. But it's a different dynamic than bickering, and that's what we see between Ron and Hermione all the time.
And I hated that book and all it implied in DH--the one given him by his brothers. Implied volumes that at bottom Ron isn't comfortable with who he is, and that being able to get Hermione--so he pretends--in a way ultimately manipulative and self-defeating.
And yeah, I wrote an essay. LOL But it's seriously a problem in the ship--all the Ron-bashing and even just Weasley-bashing. I've seen it ruin for me otherwise outstanding stories (Ron is routinely written as unfaithfu. and just a general arse too stupid to breathe. Thing is, if he's that bad, what does it say about Hermione she was ever in love with him? And she clearly was)
In reaction, the Ron-bashing in the ship makes me want to see the good things in Ron--and ship him with someone other than Hermione. Maybe if such a secondary pairing can catch on shippers will feel less threatened by the poor bloke and let up on unrecognizable characterizations.
Or just be merciful and kill Ron off before the story starts ;-)
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I think that all the things other people do not like about him endear me to him, so I'm a bad person to argue for his sake. I am pleased that you have taken up the torch in my stead.
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And then you did a spontaneous little ficlet in a comment where Ron is killed due to drunk broom driving.
I submit I corrupted YOU
The Pansy thing though. That's totally your fault...
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