I wrote my urban fantasy in first person then switched to 3rd. I did this deliberately. The first part of the book - the story moves along but from the 2 main characters point of view.
Capri's POV (this is the opening of the book)
My erotic adventure began the moment he whispered, "Do you happen to own a pair of red, fuzzy handcuffs?"
~ * * ~
Well okay, it didn't exactly start there. If I'm going to be perfectly honest, I think it started with Kat's text: "Meet me at - insert name of five-star restaurant here."
Kat’s always getting me to take her out for expensive dinners. I don't mind, I'm a highly-paid executive, in a large global corporation, while she's a receptionist in a small dental office. Besides, I like good food and her company.
Kat and I have been BFFs since third grade. We were in each other's wedding parties and cried on each other's shoulders at our subsequent divorces. Now, we're each other's go-to person whenever the mood strikes. Obviously, the mood struck and it involved my credit card. I texted back a reply –"Xavier's. 6 pm."
It's written as if you and she are sitting in a coffee shop sipping double mocha lattes and she's telling you her story.
Thall's POV (Thall is not human - he is a child of the Fates)
Sitting beneath the Tree of Life, I tossed a pebble into the brook. The aquamarine water rippled as the rings expanded. I held out my hand and the tiny grey rock returned and settled on my palm. I tossed it back into the stream.
"This is what my son does all day? Toss the same stone over and over again." A swirl of warmth wrapped around me then floated nearby. "I sense you are troubled, Thall. Does someone under your domain cause your grief?"
"I cause my own grief. I wish to feel, not just sense." I held out my hand, waiting for the pebble to return. "And don't tell me I'm a child of the Fates and above the prosaic need of touch. I am quite aware I am a child of you, Lachesis; she who determines the length of life." I caught the pebble and flung it back into the water. "I find myself in a quandary."
Lachesis reached under the Tree of Life and pulled out a withered root. "What worries my son so?"
The switch to 3rd person POV is when the romance actually begins.
"Excuse me?"
"What?" He lifted his head and smacked it on the tip of the propeller. "Ow. Shit." Walking toward the voice, he rubbed the sore spot. "I don't think I like pain."
"Not many of us do."
Thall stopped in front of a tall woman who was busy shaking the rain off her coat and umbrella. "Do what?" He checked his hand for blood.
"Like pain. Not many people like pain. Although I understand some love it and, in some instances, it can be very erotic, but that's not why I'm here." The woman stood upright and stuck out her hand. "Capricious Gray."
"That's nice." He held up his greasy hands. Capri dropped hers and smiled. With the loose ends of her hair blowing about in the breeze from the doorway and the wrinkles in her clothing, Thall noted Capri was the most beautiful jet-lagged woman he'd ever seen.
My editor and publisher stated my switching of POV was unusual. I replied that's what I wanted. They replied basically - then it's on your head. I replied - fine by me.
Did it sell well? No. But then that's normal for me. But I did get some decent reviews and very little was ever said about the POV shift.
So what I learned from all this - write my book my way. The readers are more accepting of us stepping out of the box than we are lead to believe.
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I love the advice that a writer can do whatever she wants, as long as she can take the reader with her! @samanthabwriter from
ReplyDeleteBalancing Act
Thanks. It is how I feel and how I write. I'm not good with rules.
DeleteDaryl- your twitter button isn't working. Does it need updated?
ReplyDeleteThat is unusual, to switch perspectives in a book. But the story demands what works fir it!
I just tried it and it worked fine. I'll get a friend to try and see. Could have just been a momentary hiccup in the internet. And yes, the story demanded that switch in the povs.
DeleteI had trouble with 3 other sites as well, even after closing my browser several times. I restarted my computer and tried again, and it works now. Was it me or Twitter? Who knows!
DeleteTurns out it was Twitter. There is a tweet that they "updated" and something hiccuped.
DeleteI agree. Write in whichever POV you feel comfortable with.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely
DeleteMy narrator had the misfortune to get killed off in one story I was writing. I had to change the POV to complete the tale. In most of my work, I try to keep it simple and stick to the same one.
ReplyDeleteLOL - that must have been a surprise.
DeleteDefinitely write the book your way because it is your baby and nobody knows the story like you do.
ReplyDelete