Daryl Devore's Blog

Daryl Devore's Blog

Monday 6 March 2023

Change or not change the Point of View in a Book. That depends. #OpenBook Blog Hop #writers #DarylDevore

Welcome to the Open Book Blog Hop! This week’s theme -  Do you have advice for changing perspective? For example, switching from writing exclusively in third person and switching to first person? Or do you have a reason for staying with the perspective you do?

 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.

Now, please visit the other #OpenBook Blog Hop writers. You can find their posts at

What’s Happening in March

7 – Steam hop #MFRWsteam
8 - Book Hooks #MFRWhooks #MFRWAuthor
9 – Spotlight – J. & B. Whiteside - Candy, Cigarettes & Murder
10 - My Blog. My Post. My Books
11 - Backlist Saturday Spotlight
12 - Weekend Writing Warriors #8Sunday
13A - Open Book Blog Hop #OpenBook
13B - Books & More Blog Hop #BooksandMore
14A – Steam hop #MFRWsteam
14B – Spotlight – Abbie Roads – Dangerous Dreams
15 - Book Hooks #MFRWhooks #MFRWAuthor
16 – Spotlight – Libby Kay - Falling for You
17 - My Blog. My Post. My Books
18 - Backlist Saturday Spotlight
19 - Weekend Writing Warriors #8Sunday
20A - Open Book Blog Hop #OpenBook
20B - Books & More Blog Hop #BooksandMore
21 – Spotlight – Motivational Tuesday
22 - Book Hooks #MFRWhooks #MFRWAuthor
23 – Spotlight – Bobbi Groover – The Way Home Saga
24 - My Blog. My Post. My Books
25 - Backlist Saturday Spotlight
26 - Weekend Writing Warriors #8Sunday
27A - Open Book Blog Hop #OpenBook
27B - Books & More Blog Hop #BooksandMore
28 – Spotlight –
29 – Book Hooks #MFRWhooks #MFRWAuthor
30 – Motivational Thursday
31 – My Blog. My Post. My Books

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11 comments:

  1. I love the advice that a writer can do whatever she wants, as long as she can take the reader with her! @samanthabwriter from
    Balancing Act

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. It is how I feel and how I write. I'm not good with rules.

      Delete
  2. Daryl- your twitter button isn't working. Does it need updated?

    That is unusual, to switch perspectives in a book. But the story demands what works fir it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 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.

      Delete
    2. I 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!

      Delete
    3. Turns out it was Twitter. There is a tweet that they "updated" and something hiccuped.

      Delete
  3. I agree. Write in whichever POV you feel comfortable with.

    ReplyDelete
  4. My 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.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Definitely write the book your way because it is your baby and nobody knows the story like you do.

    ReplyDelete