xwhy t1_j6bf0m0 wrote on January 29, 2023 at 3:10 AM

Reply to comment by Helicopterdrifter in [OT] SatChat: What inspired you to start writing more seriously? (New here? Introduce yourself!) by MajorParadox

I attribute a rejection for one story with getting a different story published in a different market. It was a flash story, third person. I switched POV characters in the middle for a scene and switched back. It gave the editor whiplash. I didn't realize that this was such a no-no in short fiction. I thought it was one of the benefits of using third person instead of first. (It is not.)

Anyway, I rewrote my Portrait of a Lady Vampire twice, once making the artist the POV person before realizing, Nope, it's the Lady Vampire's story and wrote it again. Daily Science Fiction bought it. They wouldn't have if I hadn't fixed it.

Helicopterdrifter t1_j6bgyow wrote on January 29, 2023 at 3:26 AM

Congrats on selling your story!

And you’re absolutely right. It can be disorienting to switch POV within a scene. I’m paying a lot more attention to that now, but I didn’t in the past. I have to remind myself where the camera is, and it can create some flow issues when you don’t stick with a POV.

Tense shifting is the nemesis in which I regularly do battle, but I’ve cut down on a lot of those issues by maintaining a POV.

Rewriting in itself probably helped a lot too. Even without focusing on the POV, a rewrite can make a world of difference!