First.
I'm currently reworking THE TIES OF BLOOD, my alt-world Regency-era dark wizardy YA, a.k.a. my heart book. Adding the MC's "girlfriend's" POV wound up working much better than I'd expected, but something was still not-quite-right. Isi's first person sections were taking over the narrative, her voice so compelling it was detracting from the MC's storyline. Now, she's not in a number of key scenes, so having her narrate the whole thing wasn't ever going to work. So I decided to put the whole darn thing in first person, dual-narration.
I hadn't wanted A. in first person. For one, he's so very damaged it's just not a fun place to reside for however long it takes me to rework this opening yet again. {I'm always snappish & irritable when working on this part. Apparently I'm very method that way ;-)} For another thing, every other time I've written in his first-person voice, he sounds quite modern. But writing Isis in third didn't work, so I decided moving A. to first was what the story needed, & attempted reworking chapter one.
It was horrid. Dull & lifeless, making me throw my hands up in frustration. I knew how to fix the book, but it Would Not Cooperate. So I went back to my fifth ACCURSED revision (it was time to work on that anyway) & decided I'd try and plow ahead in the book some more before giving first person another go (yeah, that didn't happen, either).
Fast-forward to few weeks ago. I was in the kitchen-- I assume doing dishes, since I certainly wasn't cooking-- and a line popped into my head:
My father only ever cared for Marius.
And I knew I had found A's voice.
Now, I first "heard" him in first person, and then switched to third when I realized I couldn't sustain first person male POV for an entire novel (at the time-- I think I probably could now). I've gone back to first a few times for backstory or side-scenes or character interviews but never sustained it for long until now.
It's... odd. Being this close to him. Isis is a much more natural voice for me. I have to pay more attention in his voice. But it's so worth it to really see this story inside his head, however messed up it is at this particular point in the story.
And he's funny. I mean, I knew that, but it's different than being on the outside looking in.
Part of me wants to put all the POVs in third so I can switch as need be-- I'd love to give some scenes from Josephine or Mordecai or Connor-- but this feels right. Hard, as all good things are, but right.
Now if someone could tell him to talk a wee bit faster...
I hadn't wanted A. in first person. For one, he's so very damaged it's just not a fun place to reside for however long it takes me to rework this opening yet again. {I'm always snappish & irritable when working on this part. Apparently I'm very method that way ;-)} For another thing, every other time I've written in his first-person voice, he sounds quite modern. But writing Isis in third didn't work, so I decided moving A. to first was what the story needed, & attempted reworking chapter one.
It was horrid. Dull & lifeless, making me throw my hands up in frustration. I knew how to fix the book, but it Would Not Cooperate. So I went back to my fifth ACCURSED revision (it was time to work on that anyway) & decided I'd try and plow ahead in the book some more before giving first person another go (yeah, that didn't happen, either).
Fast-forward to few weeks ago. I was in the kitchen-- I assume doing dishes, since I certainly wasn't cooking-- and a line popped into my head:
My father only ever cared for Marius.
And I knew I had found A's voice.
Now, I first "heard" him in first person, and then switched to third when I realized I couldn't sustain first person male POV for an entire novel (at the time-- I think I probably could now). I've gone back to first a few times for backstory or side-scenes or character interviews but never sustained it for long until now.
It's... odd. Being this close to him. Isis is a much more natural voice for me. I have to pay more attention in his voice. But it's so worth it to really see this story inside his head, however messed up it is at this particular point in the story.
And he's funny. I mean, I knew that, but it's different than being on the outside looking in.
Part of me wants to put all the POVs in third so I can switch as need be-- I'd love to give some scenes from Josephine or Mordecai or Connor-- but this feels right. Hard, as all good things are, but right.
Now if someone could tell him to talk a wee bit faster...