First Person Singular

“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again. . . .” This is the famous opening line of the novel ‘Rebecca’ written by the great writer Daphne Du Maurier. Rebecca is an excellent example of writing with the first person narration. As are her other novels like ‘My Cousin Rachel’ and ‘The Scapegoat.’

Writing in the first person narration can be difficult but very interesting. And certainly not to be avoided. Usually, the first person singular is the ‘voice’ of the main character in the novel. It is a style which immediately brings the reader in contact with the thoughts, ideas of the character and the situations in his or her life. It is a little like writing a diary, but not your own of course. It is your character’s diary. And you have to be careful that when you write in your character’s voice, you should think like him, talk like him and feel like him! The whole point of writing in first person narration is to establish a conspiratorial bonding with the reader, taking him into confidence to reveal the character’s tale of endurance. At no point should the reader feel that the writer has taken over the character. As such, this is a difficult part of the narration. But if you stick to the character’s point of view and background, the first person can be most rewarding in style.

Sometimes a second important character can be the voice of the book. For example Arthur Conan Doyle used Watson’s voice to narrate Sherlock Holmes’ cases. This helped to create the suspense and intrigue in Holmes’ crime solving technique.

While writing in first person is interesting, it has its problems. One most important limitation is that the character or narrator has to have witnessed the main situations. How could he possibly describe, for example, what happened at dinner in the neighbor’s house, if he wasn’t present for dinner? Events taking place outside the character’s orbit, have to be incorporated expertly and without sounding contrived.

Another limitation is writing about the thoughts of other characters. How is it possible to convey what others are thinking? You can speculate in a first person narration – ‘He looked sad. . .’ But you cannot for sure describe the thoughts in his head – ‘ “if only” he thought wistfully’. Of course, sometimes, the uncertainty of the thinking patterns of the other characters can add to the mystery element of your story!

And lastly it can be a little difficult to describe the first person narrator’s looks. Again this can be done by using ploys like mirrors. Or using the comments of other characters to describe the looks.

In short, a first person narrative can be a heart–to-heart talk with the reader, with the character leading him through the story; provided it comes across as effortless and smooth.

Imagination to Ink : Story

In the last two sections, we read about Plot and Characters. Now let’s understand what a Story means. A story is an account or narration of imaginary incidents, facts or experiences. But like a plot, a story is also made up of certain basic elements. It stands for a combination of similar necessities. Like :
S for Structure
T for Technique
O for Originality
R for Research
Y for Yearning
Like we discussed in the plot, a story has to have a definite structure. A beginning, a middle and an end. In other words, sequencing your story into different parts will help you lay out your idea in a logical and gripping manner.
We already know that a well–told story usually boasts a good writing style. The technique of writing out the story has to be appropriate and suitable to its contents. Also it is crucial for your story to be original and creative.
But the two new concepts in the STORY are Research and Yearning. Research is an important activity that takes place BEFORE you begin to write out your story. Research is specially essential if your story is based on scientific, historical or geographical knowledge.
Imagine what were to happen if your protagonist is a doctor and you don’t know a thing about the medicines he is supposed to be administering. Or you diagnose a disease on vague symptoms and administer an incorrect prescription? Or suppose your protagonist is a lawyer and you use completely wrong legal terminology! Perhaps he’s a cook and you muddle up the names of all the spices. Or if you describe a funny scene about traveling by an auto rickshaw and it turns out that that particular city has no auto rickshaws! You could be describing the use of oil lamps and lanterns in a village when that particular village actually has electricity! These are huge blunders! And not only would they seem ridiculous, but they would reveal your lack of interest and sincerity. And if that shows, do you think the readers would be interested in reading something the author himself is disinterested in?
Background research on the locales, customs, professions of your characters is a must. Get your facts right and add authenticity to your story.
And lastly, Y for Yearning – you have to yearn to write out your story. If the desire to write is from your heart and not your head, I do believe that you would surpass every single hurdle that lies between you and the completion of your book!

Imagination to Ink - Idea

'Books choose their authors; the act of creation is not entirely a rational and conscious one,' says Salman Rushdie.
Absolutely! Great books have found their authors. But even then we have to start a conscious process at some point. A concrete thought. A germ. An idea. You have to have an idea for a story. But where does this idea come from?
Have you ever woken up restlessly from your sleep, with something jiggling in your mind? Something that you dreamt perhaps or some incident that happened? That could be the vague hint or beginning of an idea!
Ideas can come from almost anywhere. Day-to-day life. Newspapers, books, dreams, songs, films, workplace, people on the streets, shops. While you are exercising, in the bathroom, while you’re shopping, listening to music or to your neighbor’s chatter, hearing a dog bark or doing absolutely nothing. It may crop up suddenly in a quiet, totally silent moment. Sometimes it’s one idea, sometimes there are too many at a time. The one that keeps recurring—that sticks in your mind—is the one that has to be developed!
J.K.Rowling was traveling by train from Manchester to London, when the idea of Harry Potter fell into her head. . . . Agatha Christie says, "they come suddenly, I even don’t know how. Whenever I am listening to opera, walking on the street… they come from everywhere!”
The fact is that there is no sure-fire method of finding an idea. But that doesn’t mean we cannot try to attract one. One way is with brainstorming. Which is a random generation of ideas. Sit with a friend and throw out different ideas that come to your mind, without checking their workability. Write them down if you like. If you have too many ideas vying for attention, write all of them down! Then keep going over them, considering each possibility, till finally you hit on the one that really appeals to you.
Another way is to stop worrying too much. Don’t pursue it in a frenzy. The more you push your mind, the farther the idea will go. Relax, keep your mind open, observe everything and everyone around you and before you know it, THE IDEA will have found you!
If you don’t already have a story in your mind, try these methods out. There is never a certainty but anything may work.
Here’s a simple exercise to stimulate your brain. Jot down ten words that immediately come to your mind. Don’t think. Just write down any ten words. Then look at the words. They may be disconnected. Using the words, make sentences in such a way that all ten sentences are interconnected. Through out this process, observe the way your mind tries to reach out to different ideas. Try this exercise and tell me your experience.

Imagination to Ink - Part 1 Are you a Writer?

Have you ever felt a crazy urge to drop everything that you’re doing, to write down an idea niggling at the back of your head? Or have you ever scribbled a story so furiously, that you were oblivious to the outside world? If yes, then you are on the right page.
This post is for all those who have always wanted to write novels – but just didn’t know how to get started. It’s for all those who have yearned to get their disorderly thoughts, in order enough to put them down systematically on paper. It is also for all those who know what fiction writing is all about, but just can’t seem to get down and do it!
First of all, let’s understand who can be a fiction writer. Answer these questions :
Do you have a story to tell?
Are you motivated to write from your heart and not your head?
Do you think writing will give you the emotional and mental satisfaction that you crave?
Do you think your creative urges will be met with writing?
Do you feel an insatiable need for self-expression?
If your answer, to at least three of these questions, is in the affirmative, then you are certainly on the right emotional and mental plane.
Like any artist, there are usually two kinds of writers,. You are either born one, which means that you simply touch pen to paper and your ideas flow smoothly. This is an inborn art, which can be nourished but which is basically spontaneous.
Then there is the other kind of writer – the ‘Trained’ writer. A person who has a command over the language but who needs to learn and acquire the technique of weaving that language into a gripping read.
Both these writers however, in the long run, have to face similar problems and thus, should possess some basic qualities. There are certain unavoidable ‘musts’ for a fiction writer. You must be highly imaginative, observant, flexible, ready to work very hard, be confident of your work, be self-disciplined, have lots and lots of patience, and most important of all, be open to criticism.
If you wish to be a writer and if you don’t possess these qualities, how about beginning to acquire them? At the same time, I think it is absolutely essential to understand two rather daunting facts. First – that writing is a lonely job. And second - Writing is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration!
So the first step is to assess yourself, long and hard and find out – do I really want to be a novel writer? If the answer is yes, join me in the next post!