See you next time

That’s the end of this lesson. What have we seen?

We’ve seen another good example of sustaining tension by drawing out simple actions, and using the first-person point of view to add depth and interest to simple details.

Next time you’re doing nothing, see if you can grab a notepad or your phone and jot down what’s actually happening: what are you perceiving, what are you thinking and feeling.

It might sound completely obvious and boring, but put the note away and come back a week later: you might be surprised at what you see.

The type of writing we’ve looked at in this lesson is actually quite rare. You encounter it mostly in literary fiction, which has a hallmark of being less action and plot-oriented and more interested in character and subjective experience.

So the next time you’re reading a novel, stop and look at how the story deals with characters’ perceptions and inner worlds.

'That Eye, the Sky' by Tim Winton is about a boy in a country town whose family struggle after the father of the family is paralysed in a car accident, then are targeted by a mysterious stranger claiming to be a preacher come to help them (Source)

First person in That Eye, the Sky 4: Increasing the tension