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IWW Practice-W Exercise Archives
Exercise: A different angle (Version 2)


These exercises were written by IWW members and administrators to provide structured practice opportunities for its members. You are welcome to use them for practice as well. Please mention that you found them at the Internet Writers Workshop (http://www.internetwritingwor kshop.org/).

Exercise: A different angle (Version 2)

Prepared by: Lani Kraus and Rheal Nadeau
Posted on: Sun, 7 Mar 2004
Revised and reposted on: Sun, 4 Mar 2007

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Exercise: Using one of the scenarios below, write a scene from the point of view of
one of the characters. Then rewrite the scene from the POV of the other character.
Use no more than 250 words for each character.

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Point of view refers to the perspective from which the story is told. In most
contemporary fiction, the third-person limited POV is standard, and that's the one
to use here. That means your story will be told from the perspective of a single
character, using "he" or "she" as pronouns. Your reader can only learn as much as
that character knows. For example, because your POV character cannot read minds,
you cannot tell the reader what the other characters are thinking.

Scenario 1 involves a 30 year-old retarded man and his social worker. The social
worker is trying to make the man understand the importance of bathing.

Scenario 2 involves a wealthy man pulled over by a traffic cop. The driver is in a
hurry and considers the cop an inferior. Aggressive drivers irritate the cop.

Scenario 3 involves two people meeting on a blind date. One of the people is looking
for a serious relationship, the other for a no-strings-attached fling.

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Exercise: Using one of the scenarios above, write a scene from the point of view of
one of the characters. Then rewrite the scene from the POV of the other character.
Use no more than 250 words for each character.

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When critiquing, note accuracies or inaccuracies in POV. Does each character
reflect the truth of the scene as only he or she would see it? Point out areas of
strength and areas that could benefit from revision or editing.




Web site created by Rhéal Nadeau and the administrators of the Internet Writing Workshop.
Modified by Gayle Surrette.