Point of view is one of the most important elements in a novel, yet most writing books address the subject briefly, in a single chapter or less. Only this book focuses on point of view with the depth and insight the subject demands. Mastering Point of View walks writers through the difficult but essential process of understanding, choosing and using point of view in a novel. With examples from james joyce, Virginia Woolf, Jorge Luis Borges and many others, author Sherri Szeman illuminates the challenges writers face in deciding point of view and provides clear, straightforward instructions for overcoming them.
Legal name ALEXANDRIA CONSTANTINOVA SZEMAN. (Formerly writing as "Sherri" because 1st Editor said name "wouldn't fit on cover of book", and Alexandria was too stunned by HarperCollins' acceptance and too naive to realize that any name can fit on any book; after critical success of 1st novel, subsequent editors/agents didn't want to publish books under her real name for fear they'd "lose name recognition" of first book).
Author of critically acclaimed and award-winning THE KOMMANDANT'S MISTRESS (a novel; HarperCollins 1993, HarperPerennial 1994, Arcade 2000; translated into 10 foreign languages). The Kommandant of a Nazi Concentration Camp forces Jewish inmate to be his "mistress": Part 1 told from his perspective, Part 2 from hers, Part 3 from that of an ostensibly objective biographer/historian. Winner of the University of Rochester's Kafka Prize 1994 for "best book of prose fiction by an American woman" and chosen as one of THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW's "Top 100 Books of 1993". Republished in Revised & Expanded, 20th Anniversary Edition. Includes Preface; original story & poem which inspired novel; discussion questions for book groups, teachers, & students; as well as a chapter-by-chapter scene index.
About the writing style of THE KOMMANDANT'S MISTRESS
The writing style of Szeman's novels is highly unusual, moving as it does from past to present to a further-back-past and to present again, seemingly without warning. It imitates how the mind works, especially with respect to memory, where everything always appears to be happening in the present; and where thoughts, sounds, smells, feelings, and words lead to memories which then lead to other thoughts, feelings, etc. and to other memories associatively. Sometimes the switch between scenes in The Kommandant's Mistress is triggered by words in the narrator's memory; at other times, the switch is triggered symbolically by something in the previous scene(s).
For dialogue tags, only "s/he said" is used, even for questions (as William Faulkner does in his books & stories) so that the reader can interpret for himself how the character is saying the lines.
(April 2012)
Author of ONLY WITH THE HEART (a novel; Arcade 2000), on Recommended Reading Lists of Alzheimer's Chapters nationwide. Young woman is accused of helping terminally ill mother-in-law commit suicide & put on trial for murder; while on trial, Claudia begins to suspect that her husband Sam may have helped his own mother kill herself even as he himself tries to maintain his belief in Claudia's innocence - Told from 3 perspectives: Claudia's, dementia-stricken Eleanor's, & Sam's. Republished in a Revised, Medically Updated, & Expanded, 12th Anniversary Edition. Includes Preface which details Szeman's personal experience with Caregiving & Alzheimer's-stricken victim; updated medical/drugs/treatment information since book's original publication; new scenes; & discussion questions for book groups, teachers, & students. ( May 2012)
Author of the highly praised and much anticipated novel NO FEET IN HEAVEN, about two brothers & their female cousin who decide to hunt down a notoriously vicious serial killer, even as he may be stalking them. (May 2012)
Author of critically acclaimed creative writing book MASTERING POINT OF VIEW (Story Press, 2001). Being republished as MASTERING POINT OF VIEW IN FICTION; REVISED, UPDATED, & EXPANDED; 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION. New edition will include examples of authors published since book first released & additional, new exercises. (June 2012)
Author of two critically acclaimed & award-winning poetry collections, each of which contains some poems from Ph.D. dissertation of original poetry, SURVIVOR: ONE WHO SURVIVES (University of Cincinnati, 1986). All poems originally published individually in University or Literary Journals. Winner of the Elliston Poetry Prize, 1983, 1984, 1985; Michigan State University's THE CENTENNIAL REVIEW Michael Miller Award for Poetry, 1985; & The Isabel & Mary Neff Fellowship for Creative Writing 1984-1985. Both collections include prose commentary about poems' conception, as well as discussion questions for groups, teachers, & students.
LOVE IN THE TIME OF DINOSAURS contains "Portrait of the Poet as a Woman," "Eddie Madison & the Theory of Evolution," "Auggie Vernon & the Eclipse," "Ahab's Wife," "Field Trip to the Serpent Mound," the title poem, and more. (June 2012)
WHERE LIGHTNING STRIKES: POEMS OF THE HOLOCAUST contains "Survivor: One Who Survives," "Cutthroat: A Player who Plays for Himself," "First Day of German Class," "The Day the Snakes Came," "The Dead Bodies that Line the Streets," and the title poem, among others. (June 2012)
Author of the award-winning collection of short stories, NAKED, WITH GLASSES (title story 3rd prize in STORY MAGAZINE's "Seven Deadly Sins Contest", 1995; Grand Prize Winner, UKA Press International Writing Competition, 2007). Includes crowd-pleasing title story, in addition to "St. Jerome Emiliani Comes to the Church Picnic," "VC in the USA," "BusMan," "Rebellion in the Promised Land," "Golgotha, Mon Amour," and others. Prose sections provide commentary about stories' conception, as well as discussion questions for groups, teachers, & students. (June 2012)
Follow Alexandria (f.k.a., "Sherri"), her books, and her comments on writing/publishing on Twitter. Excerpts, discussion questions for novels, new & original creative writing exercises daily on website (from Twitter feeds): www.alexandriaconstantinovaszeman.com. Contact Information available on website.
