A Voluntary Interrogation

Hello, friends!

Just yesterday evening I realized Monday was coming, and I needed to create a blog post for all you lovely writers.

So I decided to submit myself to interrogation (because what else was I supposed to do).

I shared a question box on my social media asking for questions and topics that you all wanted to hear my opinion on. It hasn’t been up for a ton of time, but I’m planning to do a part two of this post with any other responses it eventually gets.

Let's jump right in.

Thoughts on which POV is best to write in.

Personally, I don’t feel like there is a best POV to write in. I think whatever fits your voice and writing style works. I’ve personally jumped back and forth between third and first person POVs in different WIPs, and my current WIP is in first person.

Honestly, different genres can work better in different POVs, and the needs of the story can also be met more with specific POVs. For example, in a rom-com where the protagonist is the main focus, first person can provide a more personal perspective. It can give the reader more of the ins and outs of the character, and is great for internal dialogue. On the other hand, for a mystery where there’s a larger cast of characters with many hidden motives, third person will give the writer more ease of switching between them as well as hiding their motives.

In general, first person is much more personal than third person. This doesn’t mean third person can’t be personal or that first person can’t be written in a way that’s not personal; it just means that those POVs are more well-suited for those situations.

I don’t think one POV is superior because I think they can both be used for different reasons and genres.

Favorite and least favorite tropes (got this question a couple times, hehe).

Everyone really wanted to know what my least favorite and favorite tropes were. I don’t often talk about that on this blog, so I thought I’d indulge you.

I love found family, enemies to lovers, and grumpy x sunshine. If we’re talking specifically about romance, forced proximity, friends to lovers, and the two previous tropes I mentioned are my favorites. In general for all books, I love good platonic friendships (is that a trope?) and found family as I already mentioned. Betrayal can also be a powerful trope if done well.

Some of my least favorites are the miscommunication trope (this one is very contextual though), love triangles, and the "not like other girls" trope. My main reasons for this are just because I dislike love triangles (and because they're often used for drama—specifically in long book series), dislike the stupidity and lack of communication involved in the miscommunication trope (mainly when it's used in a romance to cause conflict towards the end of the book), and just dislike the overuse and annoyingness—as well as the message—of the "not like other girls" trope.

In general, I think most tropes, even those I dislike, could be done well. These are just my personal opinions based upon books I've read in the past.

Any tips for how to fill in plot gaps where you have no idea what should happen? :’)

This is something I struggle with on the daily. It seems like I always have point A and point C but no way to connect them together.

What usually works for me during this time is sitting back and taking a minute to plot. I just think about different situations, brainstorm, and write out different ideas. My plotting usually looks something like this:

Character A goes to [location] and character B says “____” and then they all [insert action] and WAIT NO have character C go [insert action] and…

Yes.

It’s very chaotic.

However, most of the time, if I just continue writing and brainstorming and thinking, I can come up with something to write about. It may not fill the plot gap completely, but it begins to bridge it.

That brings us to another piece of advice. Don’t focus on completely filling the gap. Just focus on getting your characters from point A to the next point. Focus on bringing them on their own journey and finding different opportunities for character development.

And when all else fails, add more obstacles.

I went to hear Marissa Meyer speak last year, and I believe she addressed this during her Q&A. She talked about the middle of the book slump that most of us deal with and mentioned adding more obstacles.

I think this is a great way to fill plot gaps. It also adds room for relationship-building and character development. Trials can bring characters together and tear them apart. Make sure the obstacles serve the plot and the characters' journeys.

And good luck.

Plot gaps are a mighty foe, but they can be defeated.

Bonus topic: opinion on rereading books.

I love rereading books. I usually have to wait a while after first reading it, but rereading good books can be even more fun than reading them the first time—specifically if they’re a mystery. I remember rereading Stalking Jack the Ripper and catching information and so many more hints that I missed on the first read-through.

The fact that I’m rereading a book, for me, is a sign that it was a good book. A few of the books I’ve reread are Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerrer, A Secret Service by Joy Jenkins, The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, Caraval by Stephanie Garner, and most of Emma St. Clair’s books.

Rereading is awesome.

That’s all for this blog post! I’m sure you’ll see another one of these soon.

Thanks to all who asked questions!

Happy writing!

- Jocelyn