THE OMNISCIENT VOICE

In the novel, I decided to write in an omniscient voice, meaning that several people's thoughts were being expressed, not just one character or the main characters. Some of my reviewers had a hard time with that, saying that it would be confusing to the reader. So, at one point, I actually went back through the manuscript and tried to remove the thoughts of Tommy, Dot, Mrs. Timko and even Tish at the diner. But I just wasn't happy with the emptiness it created. Because of the emotional nature of the back story -- a child who had been murdered without justice, and now possibly his mother -- I wanted to show that the whole community was affected by it and the minor characters' voices somehow seemed important to the story as a whole, even in simple ways. Yes, I had Nathan's secretary patting her hair, wishing she was young enough to snag her boss, or the waitress at the diner resenting Nathan's attraction to Sally. That made them normal and real, and sympathetic characters when they also were commenting on the tragedy the whole town was feeling. Critics are just that -- critics. But I'm the one creating, so I decided to take the creative license and be omniscient because it felt right to me. I just hope my readers agree!