Workshop 7: Point of View with Helen Hagemann

   
Workshop 7: Point of View at the Fremantle Arts Centre, Friday, 18th May @ 1pm.  As part of the ongoing series - Working the Short Story - this week's workshop is designed to help you aim for the biennial OOTA Spilt Ink Competition. The class will look briefly at 1st person, 2nd person and mainly focusing on 3rd person limited, 3rd person POV,  omniscient, viewpoint character and rotating point of view. Readings of Anthony Lawrence's short story "Ash" + writing exercises. OOTA $25, NON-OOTA $30 - No free list and cash only. 

Third-person limited offers several advantages:
 Gives the writer more flexibility than first-person point of view – If the story above were told only from the cake shop owner/staff's 1st person point of view, the author could not offer his/ her perspective on the cuteness of their pet. The audience no longer would be looking upon the mutt as stealing a cupcake but would understand and know more about the dog's sugar habits from a male/female owner (3rd person POV).
 Provides a less biased perspective – Stories told in first-person also carry the weight of the main character’s subjective views and perspectives. Sometimes this can make the protagonist less acceptable or likable to a reader, who is more enlightened than that character. Third-person limited moves the reader to the usually more enlightened perspective of the author.
  Offers a clear sense of who the reader should identify with and invest in –Stories told only from the main character’s perspective sometimes show bias especially someone who doesn't like dogs. The author’s insertions show readers how they should view the character ie dog.