@garridon You know your writing and your story better than anyone else. So you only you know what truly works with your vision. I’m not too familiar with the omnicient POV (which doesn’t surprise me, since, as you said, it’s rarely talked about), but I say, if it works for you, use it.

Remember, everyone thought the world was flat until Columbus proved them all wrong.

Keep at it

@Sandra I totally understand. Having so many rules imposed on you can definitely cause the muse to die (I think this is a big part of the reason writers get “blocked”).

How-to books are always good for beginning writers just so they can understand the fundamentals of writing. But don’t define your writing by them.

I like your saying, “If it’s ‘wrong’ it’s wrong. I’ll deal with it later.”

I had, at the encouragement of the writing course I’m taking, writer friends and websites, started to read “how to” books and this was only making it all worse.

Currently, I’m back to just having at it. If it’s “wrong”, it’s wrong. I’ll deal with it later.

To Garridon:
I have written fanfiction for six years, much of it in omniscient, and have on several occasions had the same problem. Personally, when it’s well handled, I like it. I’ve never felt like it was distancing. Go for it, Garridon!

Sandra

For my last couple of book projects, I struggled with something that I couldn’t pin down. On my current WIP, I finally figured out that the viewpoint didn’t feel right. I was writing in third person, so that left first person, right? Except that didn’t feel right either. But those were the two “accepted” choices. A viewpoint workshop came along, and we tried ALL the viewpoints. And I realized that I needed to write in omniscient.

The how-to books? Every one of them said that no one is writing in omniscient, not to use it, and that it’s distancing. No one discussed how to write it. There’s an author running a blog who jumps on the omniscient bandwagon peridically and goes on about how she’s asked publishers and agents and no one uses it any more so we shouldn’t use it either.

I learned how to do the viewpoint by studying recent books–the ones no one says are being published. Then I post a chapter for critique, and the only comments I get are: “Why give an agent an extra reason to reject you?”; “Eew! Omniscient. I hate omniscient!”; “You can do it in third instead.” Every writer jumped on the omniscient bandwagon and went into, “Don’t do it” mode. Even after I told them that I knew it would make it more difficult.

Being willing to take chances if that’s what your book needs.