Last time out I threatened something more in depth – so this is a (fairly) technical post for writers.

Every now and again on this newsletter I’m going to talk about writing from a creator’s point of view. But note; these will not be the top-ten-tips-for-writing type of thing with which the internet is filled. That’s partly because there are enough of them already, but mostly because I (almost) totally disagree that these lists are helpful for the writer starting out in her or his writing life. I think they can sometimes be useful, but mostly I’ve found that they do more harm than good. More on that another day, maybe.

Instead, I’m going to ramble AT LENGTH about the intricacies of writing – because writing is a long and intricate process that really can’t be reduced to ‘tips’ – and I’m starting today with some thoughts about narrative voice.

Warning – this ended up looooong! So I’ve split the videos into two.

If you’re already comfortable with the concept of the ‘close third person’ but would like to ponder a little on the question of whose voice it is that’s actually left behind on paper for a reader to discover, you could skip straight to part two. Part one is just to establish that we all know what I’m yakking about.

And finally, one more warning; as I say in the start of part one, this could help you, or it could seriously mess up your writing. Exciting.

Part one (about 8 minutes) deals with just running over what the ‘close third person’ is. (AKA the free indirect, and a bunch of other names). If you’re familiar with it, you could skip to the second video…

Part two  (14 mins) is where things get more interesting, as I look at the peculiar relationship between the writer, the narrator and the protagonist. Who are these people and how does the ‘distance’ between them affect the resulting work?

If you’re not into the behind-the-scenes stuff about writing, fear not, next time out it will be something much more fun: some news about festival events and the first look at the second trailer for The Monsters We Deserve.