I have my creative writing group tomorrow, and I’m really looking forward to seeing everyone and hearing their stories… they are such a talented group, but quite diverse. At the last meeting I asked them to consider the ‘voice’ behind their writing, is it their own voice, or is there a narrator, or is it a character in the story, either in a first person narrative or from their point of view? Most people in the group… well, all except one, writes short stories which I so admire – I write novels and the discipline and control involved in writing something shorter is something I struggle with! Perhaps I do much wittering on… as someone I know said!
This has made me think again about my writing, and for the most part I think I write from the point of view of a single character, which some people might consider limiting… But I guess that is the way I generally write. I don’t always write in the first person, in fact I rarely do… but there is definitely a single perspective… usually! Maybe I should challenge myself to write differently, just as I challenge my group… maybe the next thing I write should be the all seeing, omniscient narrator, or maybe it should be from many voices, as many as there are characters… an interesting thought!
I am looking forward to hearing the group’s stories, and then we shall move on to beginnings… Once upon a time…!!
Lois Elsden 