I’ve been working on this “secret project” for a couple of months now. At first, it was nothing more than an idea and a lot of pillow talk with the husband. (He’s so good to me. He listens to me ramble on and on and on. I don’t know why I like talking out my plots in the dark when we’re about to go to sleep but it totally works.)
I wasn’t sure what genre this would be. Paranormal romance or urban fantasy. I waffled between the two. The thing that kept me from diving into UF was the first person POV factor. I’m not a first person POV writer. Never have been. In fact, I kind of suck at it.
But the more I thought about it, the more I knew (a) romantic elements would be slim, (b) there would be lots of action, (c) it was set in our everyday world but with angels and demons as the “underworld society.” The story dictated to me that it really needed to be in first.
But I was a chicken. I started writing in third person a scene that had been playing in my mind. When I’d finished, I knew who my heroine was. Mostly. As much as I wanted to force the story to be one thing, it really felt as though it would be something else. The more I thought about the more I knew it would be about the ultimate downfall of the human race.
Pretty dark, huh?
I knew it was time to stop talking and start writing. Remember that journal my husband gave me for our first anniversary? I don’t know why I felt more comfortable writing the story in longhand in that. Maybe it was because the journal = her story in my head. Maybe because I felt more comfortable writing first person POV in the journal that way instead of typing it on the screen. I’m pretty sure it’s a mental thing.
I’ve since filled up over half of it. And the best part is I’m writing in first person. I find it’s not so terrible. I’ve sent a few pages to a couple of beta readers who have given me the stamp of approval. And so I continue to write in first person. Present tense. Yeah, that’s a discussion for another day. 😉
One of the things I had to do, though, was create a timeline of the main character’s life. I had to know when she was born and when certain turning points happened to her. I also had to know her family tree. So I sat down and drew the family tree, made the family history book and created her timeline up to the point of the start of the story. She’s over two hundred years old by the way. So she’s been around a long time and has lived in two countries. She’s seen a lot of crap and she’s experienced the “underworld” first hand.
So I’m going to keep on keeping on. But here’s a question for you.
Readers: Do you enjoy first person POV or third person POV better? And why?
Writers: What is your preferred POV when writing? One or the other or both?
I write first person. I like the intimacy and it is challenging to convey information through the senses and what the other characters say and do. Congratulations to you and as always, can’t wait to read.
One of the best books I’ve ever read was “To Kill A Mockingbird.” It was a story told by an eight-year-old girl named Scout. It was all through her eyes and with her responses. A movie was made but it could not capture the feeling of the story that was told from her unique POV.
I haven’t read the book but I loved the movie.
I always write first person as it is much more intimate and I feel it makes the characters more real. I’ve also found you can break the much touted “Don’t change voices” rule without a problem, when your protagonist is not in the room- so to speak. The major thing is just do it in away that is not confusing to your reader.
Hi Christina. Thanks for the comment. It’s a totally different writing for me but I like it. 🙂
Interesting post. Like you, I was more comfortable writing in third person. In fact, I have ten published books written that way. Then came my Amazing Wolf Boy series. For some reason, my main character insisted on my writing him in first person. I tried it in third person and he wouldn’t speak to me for weeks. It was scary at first. Not only had I never written in first person before, but I had to do it completely from the mind of a sixteen-year-old boy. But his voice was so clear in my mind, it turned out to be a hoot.
Hi Roxanne. Thanks for stopping by! That sounds like a challenge but totally worth it in the end. 🙂
I’m also a dyed-in-the-wool third person author who is jumping into the unknown world of first person present tense. And it’s kind of freaking me out. Waaaaay outside my comfort zone here, but if I’m being stupid I can always fix it later. Right now it’s all about slapping the words on the page and crossing my fingers. (Though not at the same time.)
Great post!
That’s how I feel too! Way outside my comfort zone but I like where the story is headed. 🙂
As a reader, I think both methods are interesting to read. They both lend themselves to whatever particular story the writer is telling.