Plot development and POV

There's a lot of posts about how to run your plot, and how to plan it, and anything from outlines to, as some writers I know do, writing from the end forwards. Each has it's merits, but sometimes I feel writers get too hung up on things.

I never have an idea how my novels will end. Kate'll tell me something small, a whispered thought or an action she's done, and the rest kind of falls into place fairly quickly. I'll also admit to not knowing how the two novels I've finished were going to end until three quarters through them.

So, with all that said, don't be afraid if you don't know exactly where, or how, your story will end. Just start telling the tale, and let your character carry it to the end. He or she will tell you how the things went because it's their life you're writing. To you, the author, it seems something fresh and new, but to the character, it's already happened and is in their past. Try to be in tune with what he or she is saying to keep things moving.

Point of View, or POV, is a tricky thing for most new writers to get a grasp on. What it means, in a nutshell, is who's eyes are you seeing the story through. When we go through life, we see things and interpret things different then the person beside us. That's because we see things from our Point of View.

Characters do the same thing, and it's an important part of story telling. I tend to try to keep at least two thirds of my story in my MC's POV exclusively. If it's a story where you need to have interaction with the villian, then I use page breaks. (go down 5-6 lines from my last paragraph, then go ###, then another 5-6 lines) and start in his or her viewpoint.

Ideally, when working POV, things should only be seen/heard and thought about during their experiences. My writing tends to be running thoughts of my MC, and that's done to keep things in her viewpoint exclusively, but I do it for other characters too when it's their POV.

One POV at a time is less confusing to the reader, and easier for a beginning writer to master.