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The relationship between author, narrator, character, and reader is an interesting dynamic that is both static and fluid at the same time. It is static because there are preset roles that the author and reader play that impact if the fiction writing is read and how well it is received. Dynamic because of how the author affects the reader through the use of characters and narration to tell their story.

As the author, it is my role and responsibility to tell a story from a point of view and with characters that entertain the reader and draws them into the world that I have created. Now, I can do this by either telling my story in the third person, first person, or mixed point of view. Depending on what is chosen, I either become the narrator or my main character does. This affects how the reader sees my world. Is it the close up perspective of a single character? Or is it the broader more television like view that shifts focus depending on what is needed to move the story along?

Each point of view has advantages and disadvantages. When I write in first person I find it easier to bring forth strong emotion and intense sensations. The problem is that the other characters, action sequences, or general pace of the book are harder to focus upon and keep from getting bogged down in the details of the narrator's mood. With third person, this is definitely not a problem and creating tension between characters is much easier as well. However, there is an inherent distance in the narration that much be overcome, so the story envelops the reader instead of seeming like a newspaper article or some sort of business report.

Creating a trust between the narrator, their point of view, and the reader is almost as critical as the point of view itself. When writing in first person, I have to create a steady voice that is true to the character's nature. Grammar and style have to match how the person would speak and act. Using a standardized grammar scheme for a first person narrative would make it seem as if the character were reading their own story instead of writing it. With third person, grammar is a little more formal and correct, but still not perfect. The incomplete sentences, starting sentences with "And" and "But," and other tricks like that dictate the pace of the book and create the subtle imperfections needed to keep the story interesting.

Then there are the characters themselves. Are they believable? What about the situation that they are in? Does it make sense for the

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