Changing From Third Person POV to First Person POV

 Ruthy here: We've known Jackie Layton for years. She's been a friend, a Seekerville follower, a colleague and now a published author! It's fun to watch the folks we've worked with move on with their careers... and it's fun to meet new people, new aspiring authors but we never, ever want to forget the folks who've sailed off of Unpubbed Island and crossed to the Mainland of Publishing. Jackie, welcome aboard and thank you so much for being with us today!

It was at the 2017 ACFW conference in Grapevine, Texas when I first put serious thought into writing cozy mysteries. Until then I’d written romance and romantic suspense novels. At an appointment with an editor, the topic of cozy mysteries came up. It was like looking in a kaleidoscope when the pieces fall into place and form a beautiful picture. I broke out in chills.

There was a learning curve ahead of me. First, I had to transition from the fast pace of suspense to cozies. I’d also need to learn how to write in first person point of view. Right away I began only reading books in first person to help me get the feel for it.

If you’ve ever considered writing in first person POV, I’d like to share a few tips I learned. In first person the story is told by the protagonist or a character on the fringe who can tell the protagonist’s story. For example, Sherlock Holmes is told from Dr. Watson’s point of view.

The change to first person point of view (POV) required a mind shift on my part. I needed to use words like “I,” “me,” “we,” and “us.”

Avoid thinking verbs. Don’t use believe, decide, consider, see, forget, guess, imagine, know, notice and remember. These take the reader out of deep POV.

Instead of writing, “I believed Susan was lying.”

Try, “Susan’s gaze dropped to the floor, and she twisted the ring around her finger.”

Using deep POV and showing not telling is important for all fiction authors, but it seems vital to stories set in 1^st person POV. In first person, you don’t have the luxury of jumping into the hero’s POV to learn what he is feeling or thinking. It must be shown.

In some books the author takes the reader into the villain’s POV. By writing a cozy in 1^st person POV, it increases the tension. As the main character searches for clues, the readers discover the answers at the same time as your amateur sleuth.

Showing the setting also takes the reader deeper into the story. Instead of telling the reader the moon is shining, show it to them. Bite the Dust is set on the fictional island of Heyward Beach, South Carolina. If my main character Andi Grace Scott is inland, the moonlight might filter through the Spanish moss covering the ancient oak trees.  

Many times, Andi Grace is on the beach, and I want the reader to see the moon from the island. “The moon beams danced on the incoming waves and sparkled like diamonds in the night.”

A writer also wants to avoid passive voice. For example, you wouldn’t write, “She twisted her ankle while running on the beach.”

To make this active, try:

“A seagull flew overhead dancing on the breeze. I stumbled into a hole, and pain seared up my leg. Somebody hadn’t read the signs telling visitors to fill the holes left from building sand castles, and my poor ankle was paying the price.”

Go even deeper. “I fell on the sand and grabbed my ankle. There are signs people. At every beach entrance are messages to pick up your trash and fill in the holes before leaving the beach.”

When writing in deep POV, you’re writing as your character. Andi Grace Scott is the main character in A Low Country Dog Walker Mystery series, and I needed to learn her voice. Andi Grace is a southern girl who loves God and loves her family. She’s a caretaker. She’s a fighter who sticks up for the underdog and pursues justice. She’s a big sister which makes her kinda bossy. (I’m a big sister and can identify with this trait.)

While Andi Grace may be used to telling her siblings what to do, there’s a lot she doesn’t know. I hope her flaws make her more likeable in her search for a killer and in her everyday life.

Do you enjoy reading stories told in first person POV? Have you written a story in first person?

Bite the Dust is the first book in A Low Country Dog Walker Mystery series. Dog-Gone Dead is the second book and should release in the next couple of months.

Back Cover Copy for Bite the Dust:

Secrets can be deadly.

One steamy South Carolina morning, Low Country dog walker Andi Grace Scott discovers a client’s dead body. Police quickly decide she’s the prime suspect. Horrified, she knows she’ll have to turn detective if she’s going to convince them they’re barking up the wrong tree.

Proving her innocence could be a tall order. The local police never solved the hit-and-run that killed her parents; Andi Grace isn’t sure they’ll solve this crime either…not when they have a convenient suspect—one caught with the possible murder weapon in her hand. She’ll have to follow every clue and call in every favor, even if that puts her in danger.

If you love strong heroines, coastal small-town life, and dogs, you’ll love Bite the Dust.

Available on Amazon: Bite the Dust

Barnes & Noble:  Bite the Dust

Jackie Layton spent her adult life raising her sons, loving her family, and working as a pharmacist. She’s always been a reader and often dreamed of writing. Before becoming an empty nester, she began to study the craft of writing. A move to Pawleys Island, South Carolina gave her time to focus on writing while working part-time in a local pharmacy. Dawn Dowdle is her amazing agent. BelleBooks offered Jackie a contract for a three-book cozy mystery series. Bite the Dust is the first book in A Low Country Dog Walker Mystery series. Dog-gone Dead is the second book, and Bag of Bones is the third. All are set on the coast of South Carolina.

Ways to reach out to Jackie:

https://jackielaytoncozyauthor.com/

http://jackiesbackporch.blogspot.com

Twitter: @Joyfuljel

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