Choose an opening from one of the books discussed in this lecture,
another book you’ve read, or something you’ve written and try
rewriting it from a different point of view, in a different verb tense, or
in a different voice. Would 7KH$GYHQWXUHVRI+XFNOHEHUU\)LQQ work
LILWZHUHQDUUDWHGLQWKHWKLUGSHUVRQRULQWKH¿UVWSHUVRQE\DQHOGHUO\
Huck looking back on his childhood? Would George Eliot be able to
create as broad a portrait of the community in 0LGGOHPDUFK if it were
narrated by only one character? What would ,&ODXGLXV feel like if it
was written in the present tense? Would it make the Roman emperor’s
court feel more immediate, or would it just feel bizarre?
