The other day, I read an alternate POV story - that's Point of View for those of you who don't know. I had read the main tale and loved it, couldn't wait to read more about this character, etc. When I'd finished the novella, I felt strangely less than satisfied. The writing was great, as always. The character was fleshed out more, explanations were given for his motivations. Unlike some alternate POV stories I've read, this one didn't fail, per se, to engage me or make me think it wasn't worth buying OR reading. But it left me with this sense that the information could have been included in the main story. Would it have changed the reader's perception? Maybe. Probably. There are ways to weave it into the plot so that the effect is the same, even if you don't hear that character's voice. Otherwise, I guess it feels like a marketing/sales gimmick concocted by the publisher (even if it's self-published, a story still has to be marketed and sold.)
Now, here's the thing: admittedly, I have a biased opinion on this issue. I tend to write stories with more than one POV, I write in third-person most of the time and I'm self-publishing, so no one is looking over my shoulder to tell me that I can't do whatever I want. Heck, even Laurie, who is very frank about what she thinks works and doesn't, has never said, "Don't include that POV."
In fact, with Only One, she read the first draft, which was solely from Liam's POV, and said, "I wish I'd been inside Jenna's head." I often think that when I read a story in a single POV, too. And you know what? Once I got inside Jenna's head and wrote in her voice, it completely changed the story. If you read the first draft and then the published version, you'd see about 50% of the story was already there and that the plot hadn't changed much. The basic arc, from start to finish, was the same. But the pieces in between and how it all unfolded? That changed dramatically with each successive draft. And it turned out, we really needed to hear Jenna's POV. Until Laurie mentioned Jenna's voice, it hadn't seemed crucial in that story, but it was.
I can see the valueof holding back another POV in a story. Sometimes, stories told in first-person feel more potent if the reader is only in the main character (mc)'s head. Or, in the case with Back to December, which is only told from Emily's POV, there was a valid reason for that. Rob is a famous movie actor. At that point in their relationship, parts of him are unknowable, even to the woman he loves. You see more of him later, in Only One, because you're seeing him through the eyes of Jenna and Liam, his two best friends. But even then, you can't see all of him.
Could I write a story from Rob's POV? Sure. Will I ever do that? Probably not. If I'd wanted the readers to be inside Rob's head, I'd have written that into his story with Emily. And if I'm honest, a part of me actually likes that I'm the only person who really knows Rob Deacon. More importantly, I don't see any value in hearing Rob's voice inside his head at this point. I guess if readers begged me to show them what Rob did, said, felt during the other stories, I'd consider it. But outside that? No.
It's hard for me to imagine writing an alternate POV unless the story reveals things that just can't be told otherwise. With many of those stories out there, I've felt the other POV could have been folded into the main manuscript (this most recent one included).
I have a story, later in the Ward Sisters Series, which currently has 3 main-character's POV, and I keep debating whether I should cut one of them and tell it in another story. That character's story intertwines intimately with the main one, but he also has a parallel story that, for now, takes place predominantly off-stage. It's a few books down the line in this series, so I have time to think about what I'm going to do. But I wonder, what do other people think? Are there times when another POV in a separate story makes more sense to you? Or do you hate those stories and refuse to read them?
In this case, I'm not talking about a strictly alternate POV. Currently, the third character's voice is actually part of the story. But I could easily pull it into a separate manuscript, focus on the other two characters, and tell his part of the story in another segment of the series (with its own storyline). Enough happens with him in the timeline of the story that it would make sense. That would allow me to devote word count to the other two characters and then give him his say separately. It's a tough balance. By NOT including his voice, I'm afraid I'll paint an inaccurate picture of him. If I DO include him, then that changes the focus of the story to some degree. And then the other issue is timing; by including him in the same story, I don't spoil another one in any way.
Like I said, it's a lot to consider and I've got time. There are a lot of factors to weigh, including what the point of the other story might be (aside from giving his side) and there is still story left to write. But in that case, I'm considering a third, MAIN character, not a minor one. We're not talking about a couple segments or a secondary character. And I guess I prefer to write and read both main character's POV in the SAME book, rather than in two separate stories. Every time I read a 'told from so-and-so's POV' story, I think...why didn't you just put it in the book originally? To me, when I'm reading a story about another character in a series, that's not the same as 'Book One, told from Hero's POV'. If that character was important enough to have a voice, I guess I'm saying that it should have been included in the main manuscript. Otherwise, the story should have been written so that we got to know them via the main character. I'm certainly struggling with that balance myself. I'm curious how others make the decision to include or not.
What do you think? Do you have an opinion? Would you rather hear that third (or even second) POV in the main story? Or do you like having a secondary, companion novel/novella?
Showing posts with label Misc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Misc. Show all posts
Monday, February 3, 2014
Friday, September 13, 2013
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire...Are you ready?
Okay, first, I have to say that I'm probably going to post several blogs in a row, despite not having posted recently. It happens that way sometimes. And since this is my blog, I get to do it however I wish. We'll have a book review, because NetGalley provided me a book to read and then review. I've got a second one of those, but I'm not done with it yet, so that will come later. Also, I'll post a 9/11 bit. I know, that was a couple days ago. Sorry, I didn't want to write it then. When you read what I write, then you'll maybe understand why. And then here's this particular blog, which is about one of my favorite book series of all times, The Hunger Games Trilogy. So, without further ado...
It's starting! I'm getting #CatchingFire Fever! Keep seeing tweets on my feed and now they've announced that Julianne Moore is going to play President Coin in Mockingjay. After my subsequent reads, I grew to love the third book. But on first pass? Book #2 was my favorite. And there are SO many things that I can't wait to see how they (Francis Lawrence, Suzanne Collins, et al), handle them!
So, fellow Hunger Games fans, how about you? Did you watch the first movie? Will you see the second one in the theater? Is there anything you're eagerly anticipating?
Personally, I'm anxious to see how they handle the train scenes, the forcefield, the roof and, of course, the beach scene. And yes, I know that implies that all I care about is the romance. Hello, I'm a romance writer, it speaks to me. But the thing is, that when I read this series, what stood out most to me was the idea of hope. And I think that the movie makers saw that too - in the preview, Katniss has a non-book conversation with Prim where the youngest Everdeen says that she sees hope in people that didn't exist before the last games. This idea is the main thrust of the final paragraphs of the story as well as some of the most vivid scenes throughout the series: when all else is lost, if you have hope, you can overcome any obstacle.
And for Katniss, Peeta represents that idea of hope. He tosses her the bread and then she sees that dandelion and realizes her family doesn't have to starve because she can feed them. During training, he shows her that it's possible to maintain your true self, no matter what. In the arena, he saves her from Cato and then later tells her he's willing to sacrifice himself so that she can live, prompting her to choose to save them both. All of these things made it into the first movie and they were some of the pivotal scenes in the book, too.
So when I'm mentioning scenes that allude to the romance between Katniss and Peeta in the book, I'm also talking about scenes that directly address that need Katniss has, that we all have, to hold on to hope. And for her, Peeta has always represented it. First the bread, then the sacrifices in the arena, then the warnings in Mockingjay and finally, the bombing at the mansion (see how I mentioned this stuff without saying what happened? If you've read the books, you know but that doesn't really spoil anything). The very last thing is planting the bushes next to the house. Hope springs eternal, as it were, and Peeta IS that hope.
For anyone who doubts, because of the prominence of Liam Hemsworth in the previews and press, I can't see how they'd downplay the importance of Peeta in Katniss' life. There was never a love triangle in this series - sorry, Gale fans, he was always a red herring. From the moment Peeta tossed her that bread, she made her choice. It just takes the incident at the forcefield for her to see it herself. But I suspect that they'll show how torn she is, with wanting to believe that what happened in the arena and what happens on the tour are more than just the show and being afraid to have that hope. It's only once they announce the Quell that she makes a firm decision. I'm interested to see how much of what I read and saw in all of it is the same as what they'll portray. I have confidence in Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson. I know they can do this if the material is there. And why wouldn't it be?
Oh well, as I've told you all, I wrote a HUGE fanfic (no, I'm not planning to publish it. Ever.) and I'll always have Paris, er, my fanfic and my imagination. I'll still watch the films and I'm sure I'll still enjoy them. But this will be the real tipping point for me. If they can capture what I felt when I read Catching Fire, then I'll be sold. I'll have faith that they can do a stellar job with Mockingjay. And with Danny Strong writing for that, well, I think we're in for a wild ride!
But first, Catching Fire hits theaters on Novemeber 22, and I, for one, cannot wait! I'll have to give in and reread the trilogy soon enough. But I'm waiting. Because I remember. It consumed me for days last time. It will again. And then I'll have to read my fanfic. And maybe I'll write more ('cause it ain't done yet, baby!) and that will take away from the Ward Sisters Series. And yada, yada, yada. But oh, I can't wait for the night of November 22! Can't. Wait!
It's starting! I'm getting #CatchingFire Fever! Keep seeing tweets on my feed and now they've announced that Julianne Moore is going to play President Coin in Mockingjay. After my subsequent reads, I grew to love the third book. But on first pass? Book #2 was my favorite. And there are SO many things that I can't wait to see how they (Francis Lawrence, Suzanne Collins, et al), handle them!
So, fellow Hunger Games fans, how about you? Did you watch the first movie? Will you see the second one in the theater? Is there anything you're eagerly anticipating?
Personally, I'm anxious to see how they handle the train scenes, the forcefield, the roof and, of course, the beach scene. And yes, I know that implies that all I care about is the romance. Hello, I'm a romance writer, it speaks to me. But the thing is, that when I read this series, what stood out most to me was the idea of hope. And I think that the movie makers saw that too - in the preview, Katniss has a non-book conversation with Prim where the youngest Everdeen says that she sees hope in people that didn't exist before the last games. This idea is the main thrust of the final paragraphs of the story as well as some of the most vivid scenes throughout the series: when all else is lost, if you have hope, you can overcome any obstacle.
And for Katniss, Peeta represents that idea of hope. He tosses her the bread and then she sees that dandelion and realizes her family doesn't have to starve because she can feed them. During training, he shows her that it's possible to maintain your true self, no matter what. In the arena, he saves her from Cato and then later tells her he's willing to sacrifice himself so that she can live, prompting her to choose to save them both. All of these things made it into the first movie and they were some of the pivotal scenes in the book, too.
So when I'm mentioning scenes that allude to the romance between Katniss and Peeta in the book, I'm also talking about scenes that directly address that need Katniss has, that we all have, to hold on to hope. And for her, Peeta has always represented it. First the bread, then the sacrifices in the arena, then the warnings in Mockingjay and finally, the bombing at the mansion (see how I mentioned this stuff without saying what happened? If you've read the books, you know but that doesn't really spoil anything). The very last thing is planting the bushes next to the house. Hope springs eternal, as it were, and Peeta IS that hope.
For anyone who doubts, because of the prominence of Liam Hemsworth in the previews and press, I can't see how they'd downplay the importance of Peeta in Katniss' life. There was never a love triangle in this series - sorry, Gale fans, he was always a red herring. From the moment Peeta tossed her that bread, she made her choice. It just takes the incident at the forcefield for her to see it herself. But I suspect that they'll show how torn she is, with wanting to believe that what happened in the arena and what happens on the tour are more than just the show and being afraid to have that hope. It's only once they announce the Quell that she makes a firm decision. I'm interested to see how much of what I read and saw in all of it is the same as what they'll portray. I have confidence in Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson. I know they can do this if the material is there. And why wouldn't it be?
Oh well, as I've told you all, I wrote a HUGE fanfic (no, I'm not planning to publish it. Ever.) and I'll always have Paris, er, my fanfic and my imagination. I'll still watch the films and I'm sure I'll still enjoy them. But this will be the real tipping point for me. If they can capture what I felt when I read Catching Fire, then I'll be sold. I'll have faith that they can do a stellar job with Mockingjay. And with Danny Strong writing for that, well, I think we're in for a wild ride!
But first, Catching Fire hits theaters on Novemeber 22, and I, for one, cannot wait! I'll have to give in and reread the trilogy soon enough. But I'm waiting. Because I remember. It consumed me for days last time. It will again. And then I'll have to read my fanfic. And maybe I'll write more ('cause it ain't done yet, baby!) and that will take away from the Ward Sisters Series. And yada, yada, yada. But oh, I can't wait for the night of November 22! Can't. Wait!
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