tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10583449.post113332845523591348..comments2023-09-23T04:56:51.617-07:00Comments on Forensics & Faith: Third Person POV--Part 2~ Brandilyn Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04771812607327238979noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10583449.post-1133409164233455952005-11-30T19:52:00.000-08:002005-11-30T19:52:00.000-08:00Both blogs are great! Very informative. I think wh...Both blogs are great! Very informative. I think what you did with the POV and descriptions in Eyes of Elisha works because I devoured the book (between chasing phantoms with my 9mm) and never noticed a POV bobble, and believe me, those I notice. :0)Pammerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01883119904346766083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10583449.post-1133395670115671812005-11-30T16:07:00.000-08:002005-11-30T16:07:00.000-08:00it wasn't the word Lividity that felt dictionary, ...it wasn't the word Lividity that felt dictionary, it was the explanation of the word that felt pulled out of a dictionary :) It doesn't feel like a natural thought to me (maybe just because of how I think).<BR/><BR/>If this had been in one of my books I most likely would have written it like:<BR/><BR/><EM>“Mm.” Hal wrinkled his nose as a breeze tousled a strand of the victim’s blond hair. “Probably find lividity stains on her backside. Must have been killed up there and then sent rolling. I doubt she’s been moved since, other than by animals.” His voice was grim.<BR/><BR/>Reiger nodded, envisioning the brownish-red stains left by the blood settiling in the lowest point of the body. Lividity would clearly indicate that the body had rested in its current state since death, which judging from the victim's may be the only thing her body told them.<BR/><BR/>“Man,” he muttered, “there’s not gonna be much to autopsy here.”</EM><BR/><BR/>ok so maybe that's worse for understanding what lividity is, and definetly more wordy, but it feels more natural to me. And it helps me feel more connected with the character straight through.<BR/><BR/>But that just shows the difference in style between me & Brandilyn. ;)Stuarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01319201996699675786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10583449.post-1133393037242800512005-11-30T15:23:00.000-08:002005-11-30T15:23:00.000-08:00Thanks, Brandilyn, that cleared up a lot of issues...Thanks, Brandilyn, that cleared up a lot of issues for me...I'm workin' it. But I do have a few (very few italic thoughts) I'm going to try your examples to remove them.<BR/><BR/>...and Stuart...Hal Weiss is from the forensics lab, "lividity" is a normal part of his vocabulary...and actually thinking about it there is no other word to describe the sedimentary blood pooling thing....it's forensics!Bonnie S. Calhounhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11769607640246518804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10583449.post-1133365208590800502005-11-30T07:40:00.000-08:002005-11-30T07:40:00.000-08:00Thanks, Brandilyn. I love concrete examples. I thi...Thanks, Brandilyn. I love concrete examples. I think what I took away from this example is that the "explanation" part was tied closely to what the characters were doing. It flowed naturally and seemed to be a logical extention of what they were thinking. And it was just enough to get the reader through the scene, not a whole lecture on the history of forensic science.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09688638274582413200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10583449.post-1133364229392674652005-11-30T07:23:00.000-08:002005-11-30T07:23:00.000-08:00Interestingly I've had people try to get me to ins...Interestingly I've had people try to get me to insert thoughts in italics in my crit group ;)<BR/><BR/>Good thoughts there Brandilyn. And a nice example, though the lividity did feel a bit to dictionary to me, though if that's how the character thinks all good.<BR/><BR/>Always interesting to see how different authors handle the same issue in different ways and then steal the bits and pieces from each that mesh with your own style the best. :)Stuarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01319201996699675786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10583449.post-1133361827352516092005-11-30T06:43:00.000-08:002005-11-30T06:43:00.000-08:00Thanks for sharing about character's thoughts in i...Thanks for sharing about character's thoughts in italics. I was going to ask you a question about that. I try really hard in my writing to avoid having thoughts in italics myself, and I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Pretty much every book I read has at least some thoughts in first person in italics. <BR/><BR/>I remember reading an article years ago that talked about an effective way to get a character's thoughts into the story without actually writing the thoughts verbatim in italics. They said, right before you give the thought, have the character perform some sort of action, preferably having to do with their face or their eyes, and then have the thought. <BR/><BR/>For example: John stepped out of the jeep and knelt to examine the ground. He fingered a clump of the moist red dirt, glancing up the narrow road. They were getting away. <BR/><BR/>That line "They were getting away" is clearly John's thought, but not in italics.C.J. Darlingtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16541599888177703695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10583449.post-1133356820647927762005-11-30T05:20:00.000-08:002005-11-30T05:20:00.000-08:00It seems that most everyone in the publishing indu...It seems that most everyone in the publishing industry these days really harps on POV--specifically, one POV per scene. Yet, I've noticed that some well established authors (Lori Wick and Frank Peretti come to mind) do what I consider to be head-popping. They switch between the thoughts and views of different characters freely and, if I might add, rather seemlessly. It doesn't jar me at all to read their work.<BR/><BR/>Now, I tend rather naturally to stay in one POV, so it's not a big deal to me. But, I wonder why the industry is so dogmatic on this issue when some very successful authors appear to run right over it.<BR/><BR/>-rquadAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com