Who says? : mastering point of view in fiction / Lisa Zeidner.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 251-261).

Introduction : "You talkin' to me?"--
First lines and first paragraphs : "Come here often?"--
On omniscience : A century plus of miserable marriages and several wars--
Third-person limited : The house of fiction's many windows--
First person : Objects in mirrors may be closer than they appear--
hildhood and animal points of view : Out of the mouths of babes (also, dogs and chimps)--
Narrative inventions : "You," "we," epistolary, and other high jinks--
Point of view in fiction versus film : Thinking like a camera--
On revision : Pitfalls in point of view--
Exercises.

"A thorough, illuminating, and entertaining guide to crafting point of view, a fiction writer's most essential choice. Who is telling the story to whom affects everything about a work of fiction, from the style and tone to the progression of its plot. Using hundreds of examples from both classic and contemporary fiction, novelist and longtime MFA professor Lisa Zeidner reveals how even seemingly unrelated issues-like what makes a rich description, how much characters need to "grow and change" to engage us, and what distinguishes literary and commercial fiction-are ultimately tied to point of view. Who Says? is divided into chapters that explore different points of view, from omniscient and first person to second person and child narrators, and offers an original way to reread well-known authors and reconsider our own work. Engaging and accessible, Who Says? presents any practicing writer with a new system for choosing a point of view, experimenting with how those choices affect the narrative, and applying these ideas to revision"-- Provided by publisher.