By: Chris Winkle
Using the right
viewpoint character can give your story a big boost. But all too often, writers
choose viewpoint characters that turn their narration into an uphill battle.
Whether you’d like to supplement your hero’s viewpoint with visits from side
characters, or you’re unsure of which character your story’s about, here’s what
you should ask yourself.
Who Cares About the Conflict?
Scenes must hook
the reader. For that, they’ll need a conflict: an unresolved
problem that could end well or poorly for
a character. Then readers need to care about this unresolved problem. It’s
incredibly difficult to get readers to care if your viewpoint character
doesn’t. In the 1982 book Battlefield Earth,
L. Ron Hubbard makes the impending death of humankind feel trivial with a
viewpoint character who talks about it like he’s discussing the weather.
The more your
viewpoint character cares about the problem,
and the more your audience understands why, the stronger your hook will be. For
that, readers may need context. If the viewpoint character loses her job,
readers should know that she can no longer afford her medication. If the
viewpoint character watches as an inter-world gate collapses, readers should
know that it separated him from his family. Using a character’s viewpoint
enables you to describe the context and illustrate how your character feels. This is
invaluable for showing that your conflict is worth reading about.
Who Knows What Readers Need to Know?
. . .
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