As I sat down this morning to eat my Cheerios and map out my work for the day, I had a strange notion. Now, for those who have read some of my previous musings, like this one on perspectives, you know that I’m not a big fan of present tense writing and I didn’t even bother to take a look at the second person perspective before. My strange notion was that, perhaps, I was being a bit quick to judge both the use of that tense and that perspective.
That’s not to say that I still don’t think they are inherently clunky and difficulty to use, but what I did realize is that the present tense combined with a second person perspective had a certain undeniable draw. If you set up the story correctly, it could make for a very fascinating piece, combining elements of the first and third person viewpoints in a fairly novel way. The problem, of course, is that it may wind up just a bit too strange to write well.
The thing is that I am now willing to give it a try. Nothing novel-length yet … I have already established a writing style for each of my two trilogies and I don’t have the time to go off on a tangent that large. A short story, though, could make for a fun diversion, especially if it ties in to the other narratives.
So, what do you fine folks think? Do you think I should experiment with this while I have the time? Let me know!
J. B. Garner - Musings of a Starving Author 