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 
Great post! I write short stories, some are FPPT (in ghost stories, sometimes the “informed narrator” first person lends credibility to the strange events which soon unfold). I bid farewell to my most awful characters in ways that are just (they’ve earned it, trust me), funny, and paranormal (as they usually offend the gods, demons, or spirits of the departed, or powerful living witch docs). If a character is sufficiently rude, evil, or offensive, we cheer when they croak. 🙂
FPPT certainly has it’s place, but after three novels I am considering if it best serves the storytelling. I’m undecided at present, but certainly encourage people to give it a go! Character deaths are always a joy. Sometimes I kill off a nice character, just to tug at the heart strings. I reserve fates worse than death for my very worst fictional friends!
ooh blimey!
Is it wierd to say that I hadn’t noticed it was FPPT until you pointed it out… But then whenever I read your books it just feels like you are telling me things, which seems like a perfectly reasonable thing to be happening. I genuinely get a little confused that I can’t reply…
Change is exciting though 😀
Oooh that’s good that you didn’t notice! It seems that long term readers and ‘fans’ (if I can call them that!) want to keep FPPT. I am still undecided and it won’t affect the current book anyway. I think when I come to write the next one, I’ll try both and go with what feels right. 🙂
It is farily obvious when you point it our, but I don’t think it is a bad thing. I am not a FPPT hater 😀
I can see why it might limit your options though when it comes to multiple story thread thingies…
I guess just see what works best for you (as you say) 🙂
That’s the thing. Besides, I’ve got Tony Blair to focus on next, which is most certainly third person past tense, so much easier!
Excellent 🙂 Tony Blair is going to be awesome!!
I’ve been reading through the original posts and I had forgotten that it’s actually pretty funny. Going to be brilliant fun turning it into a book! 😀
It was extremely funny! I remember chuckling out loud in my office!!
I can’t wait for it to be a book 😁😁
Having just finished the PG book, Tony Blair seems very rude in comparison! I’m not letting Mumsie read it 😀 😀
Hahaha no indeed!!
Although she is in it so might insist…
She stopped reading the blog when the ‘peace treaty’ was signed so she doesn’t know what went on between her and Snetterton… 😮
Hahahahaha
She may be in for a shock 😁😁😂