There are a lot of questions and possibilities with a prompt like that. What kind of aliens are they? How do the people in the bar view them? Is this a normal occurrence and are they outer-space aliens or out-of-town aliens? What kind of bar? A cocktail bar, small-town bar, or a geographical bar? Did they walk into the building or literally into the bar? And again, how would this all be perceived from the aliens’ point of view, the bartender’s, the customers’, or the point of view of a child. And why would a child be in a bar?

These are some of the kinds of questions we’ll be addressing this month as we focus on perspective, but we’re not limiting ourselves to the characters’ points of view.

First will focus on narrative point of view (POV). Is your story best told in first, second, or third person, or from an omniscient pov? What about YA books versus other niches? What can different perspectives bring? And see what world-renowned author, Tracy Hickman, has to say about second person; does it really have a place in the writing world?

That will bring us to the characters: keeping them under control, finding their voice, writing in different genre or species, and using POV to world-build.

Week three takes us to the business perspective. How does collaboration affect publishing? What’s the cover artist’s pov? And how about short story markets? We’ll talk with Isotropic Fiction‘s Lucas Ahlsen and Joseph Thompson about their views on authors and the publishing industry.

Then we’ll talk with the people who work behind the scenes: convention and conference organizers, librarians, author assistants, and independent booksellers. How do they view the authors they work with, and what’s their take on current publishing options?

And this all wraps up with fans, the most important part of all we do. How do the fans view authors, conventions, and all the work we put into our books?

It’s going to be a great month full of Fictorians, guests, and two aliens in a bar…at least, that’s my perspective.