Pivot: How Point of View Changes Your Story
Writing
Deciding the point of view (e.g. use of first/second/third person, involved vs. omniscient vs. detached style of narration) for what you want to write can often be hard. If you have struggled with such issues, then Pivot can help you ease the process. This workshop will help clarify the different types of narrative perspective that are possible as well as give pointers on how to choose the form most appropriate for your fictional/non-fictional story.
Pre-Workshop Preparation
For Participants
Please bring pen/pencil and paper or laptop/tablet for the writing exercises.
For Organisers
Please provide:
- a quiet, fair-sized room that allows all participants to sit (with writing surfaces), preferably in a large circle or U-shape formation
- pens/pencils & paper for participants (if they require)
- a large whiteboard/flipchart and pens
- copies of handouts that will be emailed prior to the workshop.
Feedback
Participants' Feedback
What aspects of this workshop benefitted you the most?
"Distinguishing between the different points of view. Doing an exercise — getting peer review & comments. Knowing how momentary, sensory details colour a piece and make it unique."
Danny
"I like the examples from different texts — it really helped me to understand the differences between different points of view and how a story can be reconfigured. Also the writing exercise with picture prompts was very productive."
Vina Jie Min Prasad
"Learning to write from the different perspectives. Focussing on sensory details. Learning to write from 2nd person perspective.
Trainer provided constructive criticism on how to improve my writing."Coreen Kuo
"Real examples of POV & clear explanations.
Very knowledgeable, approachable and friendly trainer."Bodhisatva Pang
"I think it's the writing bit and the reflective process of the exercises which benefitted me the most."
Sherene Alkaff
"The examples given/narrated. The explanations provided. The actual practice of what was discussed."
Koon Si Mink
About the Facilitator
A Singaporean writer, editor, storyteller and theatre practitioner, Verena Tay has published a short story collection, Spectre: Stories from Dark to Light (2012), and three play collections, and edited various fiction anthologies, including the bestselling Balik Kampung series of short stories published by Math Paper Press. She possesses three Masters: English Literature (National University of Singapore, 1993); Voice Studies (Central School of Speech and Drama, London, 2005); and Creative Writing (City University of Hong Kong, 2015). Since 2005, she has been helping people to improve their communication skills and has taught voice, speech and presentation skills, storytelling and creative writing.