Heads Up This Thursday's Reading Room - and a Poll!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

This week's story is double-barrelled again The Lost and Found Series by Hutchynstarsk (two interconnected stories, 18,585 words) - and again our host will be fiorenza_a!

( And the continuing schedule is... )

Volunteers to host stories all welcome - there is an ordinary spare date on the 15th October at the moment, and I've been asking a couple of questions about the 5th November and December dates for the past several weeks, but I think they must have been lost in the excitement of seeing what was up next, so let's try another way... *g*

The first question is about the Reading Room that falls on November 5th, which is An Occasion in the UK, has thus been included in various Pros fics, and which made me think it might be fun to have a Reading Room themed around that, since it's the exact day. *g* It could either just be a Bonfire Night-based story, or it could perhaps be a more general discussion about Bonfire Night-based stories, where perhaps we have a list of them (or make a list of them) and discuss them via favourites etc., and how we think they generally fit the lads' world etc.

The second question is about the Reading Room through December. In 2014, in 2013 and in 2012 and in 2011 and in 2010 we've had December/winter/Christmas/etc. themed recs, via a calendar of posting days for the advent countdown to Christmas. Everyone gets to join in, everyone gets to remind people of fics they like to keep us cheerful through the dark months (or the blazing hot months *waves to Southern Hemisphere and elsewhere that doesn't shiver*) and it's nice to have a fic pop up in our list every day, I reckon. (The idea was based on the Hatstander's Pros Advent Calendar of many years ago, posted by then-Nell Howell, and much missed). And we'd have to come up with some special kudos for people posting about stories that haven't been recced before, because that's a proper challenge now!

Or... I've just had another idea... *g* Maybe it'd be fun (and even more participatory, since we're a community after all *g*) to have a December Prosfic Treasure Hunt - we'd end up with a list of Pros December/Christmas fic to read in the same way, but we could organise it as a Treasure Hunt, just for a fun change. Either... *thinks*... I could post a themed Prosfic to guess from clues (helped by anyone who wanted to help) or people could volunteer for a day as usual, and they'd be the ones who give the clues. What d'you reckon? (Can't edit the poll to include this, so I'll do a separate one - if you answer all three polls please, then if people don't like this December-idea, we'll use the answers to the original December idea. *g*

[Poll #2022834]

[Poll #2022835]

And finally - I've nabbed the last free date on 15th October, if someone else would like to volunteer I'm happy for them to do that, so that we have lots of different people joining in. Just let me know if you'd like it!

Beta Central: Help with POV

[merentha13.livejournal.com]

I know this is supposed to be about beta-ing stories but I hope it's ok to post this question here - who better to answer a question about writing than beta's?

I've been banging my head against my laptop trying to figure out the difference between omniscient point of view and multiple-third person POV. I usually write [to some people's annoyance! :-)] in multiple 3rd person. I like to get inside both of the lad's heads. My beta's usually point out instances where I've strayed from one head to the other in the same scene. This is bad and I'm learning to note when I've done that BEFORE a beta picks it up. Not always successful. That being said - I've been doing some reading on line about POV and most people discussing omniscient POV say it's ok to move from one character to another - even in the same scene. So now I'm confused. Can someone explain - maybe with examples - the difference between these two styles of writing? I know the narrator in omniscient POV is NOT one of the characters and the 3rd person IS one of the characters, but beyond that, I'm not sure I see the difference.