Writing a novel and getting it published: That's your goal. And nothing will keep you from making it happen. Such a goal, of course, presents a number of challenges. Make sure you have the tools you need to overcome them and succeed. In THE NOVEL WRITER'S TOOLKIT, NY Times Best-Selling author Bob Mayer shares a veteran writer's hard-won advice with a style that's straight from the hip. He lays out the nuts and bolts of novel writing, along with guidelines for starting, finishing and revising your work. You'll learn how to: Develop story-worthy ideas Translate those ideas into a compelling plot-- one that keeps readers mesmerized Pace your story for maximum excitement Create realistic, complicated characters Submit attention-getting manuscripts Self-contained chapters make it easy to focus on the just the elements you need. Take in the advice, sharpen your skills, and hit the ground running. Mayer provides all the reliable information and instruction you need to make your dreams of publication come true. What are you waiting for? THE NOVEL WRITER'S TOOLKIT ensures that you're properly equipped for success! "An invaluable resource for beginning and seasoned writers alike. Don't miss out." #1 NY Times Best-Selling Author Terry Brooks "Something for every writer, from neophyte to old hand. My hat is off to Bob." Best-Selling Myster Writer Elizabeth George "A book to inspire, instruct and challenge the writer in everyone." #1 NY Times Best-Selling Author Susan Wiggs

1. Point of View:
The Voice of Your Story

2. What Is Reality?
•What someone perceives it to be.
•Thus there is no ONE reality.
•So your choice of point of view taints reality.
•It is the number one style problem most
authors have.

3. What Is Reality?
• In real life, POV is different perspectives on a
situation.
• 3 people see an event, three different POVs.
• In writing, POV is the author’s choice of the
perspective through which the story is told.
• 3 people see an event, we only get the POV the
author chooses to show it through.
• Or three different POVs that conflict.
• Which is real?
• It is the number one style problem writers have
because it is their ‘voice’.

4. •The primary goal of communication is to
evoke a response.
•Thus, the receiver of the communique is
more important than the sender.
•Thus, the sender needs to take the point of
view of the person the message is intended
for.
What is Communication?

5. •We are transmitting both logic and emotion.
•We are transmitting on the conscious and
subconscious levels.
•We are externalizing something internal.
What is Communication?

6. •Writing makes things real.
•We speak differently than we write.
•Think like the reader.
•Less is better.
•Writing is the only art form that isn’t
sensual.
Written Communication:

7. Who Is Telling The Story?
•You are.
•But whose voice does the reader ‘hear’
when they read?
•You are getting a story that is alive in your
head, into the reader’s head, through the
medium of the ‘printed’ word.
•The POV you choose is the format of that
medium.

8. The Camera
•POV is the camera through which the story
is recorded.
•All that counts is what is recorded.
•Get out of your head and focus on the
camera and what the reader ‘sees’.
•A shift in POV is a shift in the camera= a
cut.

9. A Cut
•You stop the camera, restart the same one
in a new time and/or place.
•You stop the camera, go to a new camera.
Can be same place (head-hopping) or a
new time and/or place (a new point of view
character).
•Or you as the author control the camera
and can go anywhere and any time you
want (omniscient point of view).

10. First Person
•Most limiting.
•Narrator is not the author.
•The narrator always has the camera.
•Narrator has to be present in every scene or
get information second-hand.
•Works for mysteries. Hard for thrillers.

11. First Person
•Detached narrator.
•Sherlock Holmes.
•Believable narrator.
•The Usual Suspects.

12. First Person Time Sense
• I remember when . . .
• Already know what happened and are
withholding.
• No suspense over fate of the narrator.
• In real time.
• Come along with me.
• Emotionally overwhelming events.
• Both are usually told in past tense which further
confuses things.
• You usually end up mixing the two modes.

13. Third Person Limited
•Everything is channelled through various
characters’ points of view.
•Cuts have to be very clear to readers.
•Each POV character must be distinct.
•First, third stories.

14. Third Person Limited
• Cutting in the middle of a scene: is there a
purpose?
• How many points of view can you-- and the reader-
- handle?
• Too many POV characters:
• The reader ends up knowing more than any of
the characters.
• Diffuse attention from your protagonist.
• The line between Third Limited and Omniscient is
a thin one.

15. Omniscient
•Authorial narrative.
•Camera is above, all-seeing and all-
knowing.
•Must be the story psychologist.
•Good for action scenes.
•Be careful of head-hopping.
•More authoritative
•Can call one form of it translucent

16. Examples
• First: Years ago, I was told that to be an effective sniper, I
had to be a man who could shoot another human being on
nothing but an order and stop; also on order. The stopping
is important. I’d been told I was one of those people.
• Third: Years ago, Horace Chase was told that an effective
sniper was a man who could shoot another human being
on nothing but an order and stop; also on order. The
stopping is important. He knew he was one of those
people.
• Omniscient: An effective sniper is a man who can shoot
another human being on nothing but an order and stop;
also on order. The stopping is important. Horace Chase
was one of those people and that made him dangerous.

17. Point Of View And Character Arc
•Pull all your same character POV scenes
and look at them separate from the other
POV character scenes.
•Check to make sure the voice is consistent.
•Check for character arc.

18. Variations
•Second person. (Fourth dimension in film)
•Multiple first person.
•Mixing points of view.
•Write in one, rewrite in another
•Going from first to third, you go through
omniscient.

19. Point Of View and Voice
•The filter over the camera lens.
•All voices must be distinctive.
•In third, the voice must change slightly for
each POV character.
•In omniscient, the voice must be
knowledgeable.
•Every writer must find their own voice.

20. Voice
•You will tend to write in the voice you enjoy
reading.
•It’s a psychological issue.
•Often the voice we fear to write in is our
best one.
•Your voice stems from your passion.

21. Original Idea
Conflict the Fuel of Your Story and the Conflict Box
Plot I: Research and Narrative Questions
Plot II: Outlining
Plot III: Narrative Structure
Character
Point of View
Write It Forward: From Writer to Bestselling Author
Writers Conference Guide (Free eBook)
Three P’s: Platform, Product, Promotion
Writers’ Block and Rewriting
How to Write the Query/Synopsis
Planning for NaNoWriMo Success
Bob Mayer’s Workshops, Seminars & Presentations
Your Creative Process: How You Write
The Present and Future of Publishing for Writers
Writers Workshop and Retreat
ON WRITING SLIDESHARES

22. For More Information click on covers
The Complete Writer is four books at discount in one
bundle.

23. New York Times bestselling author, graduate of West Point, former Green
Beret, and feeder of two yellow Labs, most famously Cool Gus. He’s had
over seventy books published, including the #1 bestselling series Time
Patrol, Area 51, Atlantis, and the Green Berets. Born in the Bronx and
having traveled the world he now lives peacefully with his wife and labs.
Sort of. Free books below available HERE
www.bobmayer.com

24. Writing Scenic Workshop
•An intense, on-premises workshop focusing on idea, conflict, story and the ever-
changing business of publishing.
•At our house on Scenic Drive in Knoxville, TN
•Most importantly, this workshop focuses on developing your creative process as
a writer.
•Led by Bob Mayer and his wife, Debbie.
•We’ve worked with everyone from #1 NY Times best-selling authors to novices
writing their first book.
•Limited to four people per workshop. This workshop can also come to you if you
have four interested writers. For schedule contact bob@bobmayer.com