Changing POV's and Pointing Out Flashbacks ...the right way to do it! by BitterEpiphany

~*~*~*~*~Flashback~*~*~*~*~ ..:Draco's POV:.. (AN: I dont really know if thats true but neway i decided hagrid wuz kicked out when he wuz 15) Take a look at some of your favorite books and ask yourself how those authors signify a memory, a passage of time, or a narrative note. They don't do it with bolding, dots, or asterisks. They do, however, have a way with their words and, after all, that's what this is all about. Okay, we get it. You want to make it very clear to your readers that something is different and you really don't understand why I am making such a fuss about these devices. Here's why: 1. The glyphs used succeed in doing one thing and one thing only, taking you out of the environment you're in. You're reading. You have your cup of tea, your blanket, and there is a candle burning on your desk next to you. The plot is great, the dialogue is fantastic and then WHAM! someone had to do that! 2. Your readers are not stupid. Stop underestimating them. People will rarely provide you with more attention, respect, or effort than you demand of them. The higher the caliber of reader you want, the more you have to respect them. Not to say that you need to make your writing hard to understand - but that you don't need to spell it out for them. These techniques bring to mind visions of my childhood "See Spot Run." "Spot Can Run." "Run Spot! Run!" "Look! Jane Can Run!" "Run Jane! Run!" If nothing else, imagine that, as your writing skills improve, you may want to stop using these blatant markers and, once your readership has come to depend on them, they will be unlikely to let them go. But, before you say "Oh, no! Am I damned to a life of semi-mediocrity because I just don't know how to do it without those!?," read on, my friend. The Flasback: - Try changing your tone. Make your speech more or less precise to give the impression that something is different. - Make a leading statement. (i.e., "It was 1983 and very dark. In his minds eye, Harry could see a baby, himself, playing in a crib.") Okay, so as a scene, that was crap, but you get the drift. It's very clear that that is a memory, and yet, it was done without pointing it out blatantly and ruining *puts on cheesy Barry White voice* the mood. - Italicize the flashback The Point Of View Switch: As an author, I perform many point of view switches in my stories, and there are many people who are confused by them, but there are also many who make it through just fine. I will refrain from pointing out that one should never re-live a scene like this: ..:Draco's POV:.. "Oh my god!  You're dumb Draco!" Pansy shouted and stormed up thes stairs. Draco rolled his eyes. I hate her! Draco thought before turning around and going back to  his game of exploding snap. ..:Pansy's POV:.. What a stupid git! Pansy glared at him. She couldn't believe he'd just called her a fat cow. "Oh my god! You're dumb Draco!" She screamed at the top of her lungs and then rushed up the stairs to her room.  A few minutes later, she heard an explosion - he'd gone back to playing his game. Right, okay, so maybe I didn't refrain from doing it :P But I'll move on quickly :) If you need to relive a scene from two perspectives because to want to impart some detail or emotion from both parties, it's best to do it in two different settings. For instance: "Well, I don't know.  Maybe we can go into Hogsmead this weekend...together."  Ron was shuffling his feet, his eyes focused hard on a blade of grass beneath his toes. "What?" Hermione turned on her heel, controlling her voice to stop it from quaking. "I thought maybe...you and I...well, ya know...I just thought..." His voice trailed into the wind. "Did you ask me into Hogsmead?" She asked, walking toward him now, trying to lock his gaze. ---------------------------------------- "How was it?" Ginny whispered into her goblet at dinner. Hermione nearly choked on her steak and kidney pie. "We didn't..." Hermione glanced around the table "...kiss!  He just asked me into Hogsmead." Ginny looked suspicious and disbelieving.  "But you wanted to."  A blush crept across Hermione's cheeks as she turned back to her dinner. Both passages refer to the same scene, however, they both manage to avoid seeming the same, or even similar and yet their both telling the same story from two different points of view. The bar separates the two scenes and the two perspectives, signifying a passage of time and a change without being obtrusive. The In-Line Author's Note Talk about throwing you off your mood! Most author's notes in text are caused by canon errors so, now, not only is the reader annoyed by your ill attention to the text, but they're even more irritated because you've inserted a half hearted apology, or worse, a request for fact checking. Besides the obvious of checking the Lexicon for details before you post a chapter - you are at your computer and on the internet, after all - if you are afraid you have made a canon error - address it at the beginning or end of a chapter before your readers have the chance to "get into it. The other kind of in line authors note, and the one that is more despicable than all else in fandom, is the note to your friends! (A/N! LOL!} There are no ways to rectify this, make it less bad, or a better place to put it. Just don't. All in all, these things are solvable and they probably aren't the worst offenses in fiction - but, oftentimes, it's the details that make or break a story and why not improve them when you can  :)

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