Every writer will have to face this dilemma at some stage. No, not the violent dispatch of spouses or family (I’ll cover that next week, for those that are interested) but that heart-wrenching process of getting rid of those much-loved quirks and foibles of one’s writing. It might be a delightful but gratuitous chunk of prose, a pointless character to which you have developed a personal attachment or even a subplot that serves no purpose.
People, I feel your pain. As a writer who revels in using ten words where one will do, has endless pointless characters (many of whom don’t even have names) and scatters superfluous story arcs with gay abandon, I am perhaps more guilty of harbouring ‘darlings’ than the average writer. But my publisher is tolerant of such indulgences as literary excess is rather my style, albeit with tongue firmly in cheek.
But when I received this response after submitting my latest PorterGirl novel, I sensed that the days were numbered for the biggest darling of them all…
Sinister Dexter is in your voice and I don’t want to change it too much. I think the story is great and again it is character driven, you do tie your hands somewhat, writing in the first person and in the present tense…
Readers of the books and the original blog will know that I am partial to writing in First Person Present Tense which is, I know, considered to be a bit gimmicky in literary circles. When I first started writing the blog, an-almost-real-life account of my experiences as the first female Deputy Head Porter at one of the UK’s oldest and most prestigious Universities, the device worked very well. It gave an intimate and immediate account of an unusual and unique journey into the esoteric world of the academic elite and allowed me to share the inner thoughts and observations of Deputy Head Porter to great effect. For the first book, even, it still proved effective and I received positive feedback from readers who said they felt like they were with our heroine every step of the way. First Person Present Tense has become the signature style for PorterGirl and is a huge part of the quirky style and feel of the thing.
But I can’t deny, it can be a bit of a bugger at times. Firstly, most people hate FPPT. There is a danger of wandering into the realms of stream-of-consciousness type ponderings on the page. It can make character development tricky for anyone not directly engaging with the protagonist at regular intervals. It’s not that I have anything against other tenses – Who Shot Tony Blair? and my Poirot parodies are all written in Third Person Past Tense and, I can tell you, it’s a damn sight less fiddly.
The end of Sinister Dexter is set up to introduce an additional character point of view for the book that will follow. I even have a cunning ruse to extricate myself from the shackles of FPPT and move to Past Tense, should I choose to do so. With the trilogy of novels now in place, it would seem an opportune moment to take the series forward and move on from what is perhaps the most striking and recognisable aspect of the PorterGirl style.
But… is the killing of this – perhaps the biggest of darlings – a slaughter too far?
Lucy Brazier 
Could not all your characters be written in fppt? It’s going to work brilliantly for a little piece I read about bacon smuggling 🙂
If I move from the current format, it would definitely stay in the first person but likely move to the past tense. We should all take our lead from the bacon smugglers, as they are surely the one true way 🙂
They are not to be trifled with in all ways literary; they’ll lop your block off soon as look at you! Sticking with first person gives the whole thing an ‘unreliable narrator’ feel, which goes well with farce and miscommunication shenanigans.
Yes indeed. Also they drink a lot and take mind-altering substances, so they’re alright by me. And obviously there’s the bacon element to it. Bacon!
Mmmmmmmmm mind-altering substances…and bacon! I feel it may need an increase in hat frequency though…but I wouldn’t want to detract from the plot of course.
Hats are never a distraction, they serve to concentrate the mind more fully on the less-important matters such as plot.
There are no original plots anymore, but there’s always room for a new hat design!
Quite right!
Having to remove some part of the ‘universe’ is a writer’s big wrench and heart-ache. That said it can cast you afraid on an ocean of imagination and who knows where such a journey would lead?
This aside congratulations on the success of the two book and nearing the completion of a trilogy. Be proud (in a small British way of course). Your work now belongs to the ages (It’s my theory that once something is published one way or another, it achieve an immortality).
Best wishes for now and your future.
Roger
Thank you, Roger. It is certainly a thing that deserves some thought. I’m not completely against the idea of changing tense as it will open up other opportunities for storytelling. But it’s current style has become synonymous with the Old College world, so it would of course be a wrench.
I too believe in the immortality of the published work, so we can both look forward to an existence, of sorts, for all eternity! Small British pride all round, sir!
Indeed Lucy, as the old phrase goes ‘pause for thought’. You could try a few ‘dry runs’ with another style and see how comfortable you are and if it ‘works’
In the meantime, Quite rightly so dear lady!Small British Pride and cups of tea (with biscuits) all round!
I have written with different perspectives and tenses before, just not with regards to PG. You’re right – a little dry run is in order, see how it feels. Thank you, great advice.
Tea and biscuits all round, quite right, my dear fellow 🙂
☕!