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Blog Tour – Spotlight: The Dreamer by May Nicole Abbey with a guest post
The Dreamer
written by May Nicole Abbey
published by River Valley Publishing
find it here: Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Goodreads
About the book – from Goodreads: A dream in the night. A leap of faith. A quest for truth and treasure.
From term papers and instant coffee to blood-thirsty pirates and buried treasure, Rachel Madera, a gifted university professor, finds herself travelling through time on a journey of discovery and danger, all because of a simple dream. Despite the threat, Rachel is undaunted, certain she holds the keys to unlock the mystery of a Pharaoh’s treasure … and alter the course of history.
The only thing that stands between her and peril is Captain Mallory Tucker, a man with a tragic past and intractable moral code. Born of the sea, he is among the leading mariners of 18th century Europe. But the derelicts who make up his crew and the capriciousness of the ocean have taken their toll, and Captain Tucker is tired and jaded. The last thing he needs is a precocious young woman dropping onto his ship and creating havoc. But he’ll fight to the death for her honor, her beliefs…and her love.
Every Free Chance Book Reviews is pleased to welcome May Nicole Abbey, author of The Dreamer, to the blog today. They are on tour with Sage’s Blog Tours and have prepared the following guest post for all of you.
Why are there rules in literature? Anyone who has written a story, attended English class, or attempted any kind of creative writing knows that rules can consume your life when you write. But in my opinion, they can also seriously stifle your writing quality if you let them. I’m about to upset the boat, so beware.
I am going to tackle one major rule that I have been taught and re-taught in every writing class, seminar, and critique group I have attended. But before I do this, I want to clarify a few things. First and foremost, I am a writer in learning, and I am well aware that I am not perfect. My writing continues to grow everyday. I am always discovering, always learning.
With that being said, I will boldly announce my opinion in this matter patently aware that I am going against all that I have been taught. But I don’t do this lightly. My conclusion has been meted out after years of writing and reading both good and bad literature. I do believe this rule, as with most others, deserves to be followed when it is kept in its place, and that there is reason behind its creation. But the absolute abject worship of this or any rule will without question suffocates writing and brings both creativity and quality down.
This rule is ‘point of view.’
There are two basic ways to write your point of view (POV). ‘First Person’ pov is written from the main characters perspective using the pronouns I, me, we, etc. ‘Third Person’ POV is written from the perspective of an omniscient all-seeing eye, using the pronouns she, he, they, etc. When writing in third person, the hard and fast rule is that, within a paragraph or section, you ABSOLUTELY CANNOT CHANGE POINT OF VIEW FROM ONE CHARACTER TO ANOTHER. In order to get into another person’s head, you must end your paragraph, section, or even in some cases your chapter, and then start a completely new section from the other person’s perspective.
In order to justify breaking any rule, one must first understand it. Changing from one person’s head to another with no limits or restrictions will confuse the reader and muddle your story horribly. Here’s an example of very bad pov change:
Serena looked around her and was startled at the beauty of it all. Africa was everything she had imagined it to be. How can this girl be so beautiful, Kyle wondered, looking at the dark haired woman standing in front of him. Serena noticed Kyle’s expression and loved how his eyes crinkled in the corners.
PHEW, that was painful, even for me! This paragraph is so muddled, the reader can’t focus on what’s going on in the story because they are desperately trying to sort out who is thinking what! So then, that is why this rule is there. It is necessary to know what you are writing, and what you are conveying to your reader. The story must be so effortlessly read, that the reader does not focus on the words, but instead on the picture that the words create.
Okay, let’s now show why we should break a rule or two when we write. I have read many more examples of poor writing due to the author clinging to a rule instead of to the goal of writing a good, well-told story. I have two examples (and these come from real books I have read, though they are changed enough to protect the author and work).
She ran out of the water, the warm sun making the wet droplets sparkle on her tanned skin. Combing her fingers through her hair she marveled that she was on this vacation, in the company of such a man. Her eyes sought and found Rick, lying on a blanket and she appreciated his bronzed glow. He was a stunning man. When she came up to him she saw his eyes open and she knew that, to him, she smelled of the fresh beach air and that her hair reminded him of golden sunshine.
Oh! I can’t stand it! Shake it out, shake it out. Okay, now for our last example of following this POV rule in sacrifice of a well-told story. This example, though, I cannot do more than describe. Picture reading a novel and going through an entire scene – girl meets boy, girl likes boy. They have dialogue, sometimes only two or three lines, and it is all from her perspective. Now, let’s end the chapter and start a whole new chapter. Do we move the story along, though? NO! And why? Because that same scene will now be replayed from hispoint of view. Every word spoken, every movement repeated. When I come across this in literature I am saddened because it drags the story so much! You now have twice the book, with half the story.
Now, let’s get to a good example. This instance focuses on writing a clear, beautiful story. It credits its reader with some intelligence, follows the rule in most cases, but does not cling to it in sacrifice of good writing.
He held her gently, protectively, that cry that other women had made before her, sweet in his ears, (his pov) “…if it had been you…” He turned her face up to his and kissed her, and as she saw the expression in his tired eyes, (her pov) she flung her arms round his neck with the generous gesture he loved so well. (his pov)
We broke a rule! Oh no! Not only did the author change points of view in the same paragraph, but even, in one case, in the same sentence. But I ask you, did you understand the story? Did your heart go out to them? Did you feel a thrill with Mark’s thoughts, even if it was punctuated by what Gina had seen in his eyes? I have to clarify, “the generous gesture he loved so well” was well established by this time. It had been mentioned twice before in the book, that he loved it when she flung her arms around his neck. His tired eyes were also often mentioned, that Gina felt compassion for his evident fatigue. Sara Seale, the author, knew how to tell a good story! And she did it, time and time again. Every story she told would skip from the hero to the heroine’s pov, but she did it well, and for the story’s sake, not for some rule.
There you have it. Have I blown your mind? If you take anything away from this post, let it be this: think for yourself what is best. Don’t simply follow along with everything that you are told because the truth is, your story has to be YOURS. You will never please everyone and, though you should always improve your writing, do not blindly follow a rule just because everyone is telling you to do so.
About the authors: Caroline Gregory and Shawnette Nielson were born in Southern California to a tight-knit family. Caroline earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from Brigham Young University in 1999, supervising and managing a bookstore during and after college. She currently has three children’s picture books that are in the process of getting published.The first one, Puppy Stew, can be found on Amazon. Now a stay at home mom, she resides in Oklahoma with her husband and four young sons.
From gymnastics and acting to wrestling and construction work, Shawnette quickly realized that she had a flair for the unusual. At the age of 13 she started gymnastics only to switch it out for wrestling on the boy’s team her sophomore year in high school. After graduating she held a variety of jobs and worked as a nanny in the summer months. Although in essence a tomboy, Shawnette always longed for a feminine role model in modern media. At the age of 21, she went to St. Louis, Missouri to serve a mission for her church. She now lives in Arizona with her husband and three children.
Frustrated with the morals and messages found in much contemporary fiction, unable to find heroines with which they could relate, and discovering many of their family and friends felt similarly, Caroline and Shawnette teamed up to write a wholesome story that contained page-turning adventure and passion, but with a strong, moral message of God and honor.
The sentence, “I had a dream once that I flew” came to Shawnette’s mind one summer afternoon in 1997. Rushing around for a pen and paper, and unable to find either, she finally settled for a computer with a printer that was out of ink. The words tumbled forth without control and Shawnette’s fingers flew to keep up. Thus was born the beginning of “Once I Flew”. In later years, she read those first few pages to her sister Caroline, and together they developed the character of Rachael (POV) as well as the adventurous story and path of growth that she goes on. They both feel Rachael will be an inspiration to many.
Find May Nicole Abbey here: Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads
Happy reading wherever you are and whenever you get a free chance!!!
