Opening POV
I was thinking about this yesterday when I looked at the opening of Heart Change (one of the two new books I'll be sending in a proposal to Berkley). It has a female POV to open the book.
Usually, and I think this is good advice, I open with whomever's story problem is the greatest, can give me the greatest hook, hero or heroine. Whose life will demand that they CHANGE the most? This is for ROMANCE, where I tend to write equally in the hero and heroine's point of view (though I haven't ever actually gone back and counted the pages).
For the Luna books, the focus is on my heroine and I start with my heroine (except in Guardian of Honor, guess there are always exceptions). The heroine's growth through the book is what it's mostly about, so I start there.
But so far in the Heart books the male has predominated:
HeartMate - T'Ash (m)
Heart Thief -- Ruis Elder (m)
Heart Duel - Lark Hawthorn (f)
Heart Choice - Straif Blackthorn (m)
Heart Quest - Ilex Winterberry (m)
Heart Dance - Dufleur Thyme (f)
Heart Fate, coming in September, is Lahsin D'Yew
So the upcoming two will also be female:
Heart Change (provisional title) Signet D'Marigold
Heart Journey (provisional title) Helena D'Elcampane
At least that's it for now.
May you be firmly grounded today (if you want to be).
Robin
Usually, and I think this is good advice, I open with whomever's story problem is the greatest, can give me the greatest hook, hero or heroine. Whose life will demand that they CHANGE the most? This is for ROMANCE, where I tend to write equally in the hero and heroine's point of view (though I haven't ever actually gone back and counted the pages).
For the Luna books, the focus is on my heroine and I start with my heroine (except in Guardian of Honor, guess there are always exceptions). The heroine's growth through the book is what it's mostly about, so I start there.
But so far in the Heart books the male has predominated:
HeartMate - T'Ash (m)
Heart Thief -- Ruis Elder (m)
Heart Duel - Lark Hawthorn (f)
Heart Choice - Straif Blackthorn (m)
Heart Quest - Ilex Winterberry (m)
Heart Dance - Dufleur Thyme (f)
Heart Fate, coming in September, is Lahsin D'Yew
So the upcoming two will also be female:
Heart Change (provisional title) Signet D'Marigold
Heart Journey (provisional title) Helena D'Elcampane
At least that's it for now.
May you be firmly grounded today (if you want to be).
Robin
posted by FantasyAuthor RobinDOwens | 7:40 AM
6 Comments:
I'm with you. Start with the character that has the best hook or the most immediate problem. Since the other character may not even be involved yet and the plot unfolding will introduce that other character, it's best to start there, anyway.
Or...maybe the other character HAS a problem but isn't aware of it yet. If the explosion of the problem is the best starting place, start there. If the tension, where one character knows and the other doesn't, is the most effective, start with that one.
It has to fit the book and characters. I've started cross-genre romance novels in the POV of the heroine, that of the hero...and even that of someone completely different. Believe it or not, it can work.
Brenna
I'm just thrilled there are at least three more stories to come! Yay!
I'm a simple girl. :-)
Sorry to say, I prefer the men!
However as long as you keep them coming I will be glad. Thanks
This is the first time I've heard D'Marigold's name, and I must say I really like it! Signet is beautiful. I can't wait to see how the characters grow!
Thanks folks, Heart Fate is sold, the other two are not, but I have hopes. Anon 1, I will definitely keep it in mind, and maybe I'll think about why I started more with the men. T'Ash, of course, was the very first character who came to me, so I didn't think whether I should start with him.
Another thing, perhaps, is that T'Ash WANTED something the most, he was more invested in the story.
Ruis was in the most danger.
Striaf was pretty much like T'Ash, he came to me first, and readers knew his name, and he got the cat soon which I used as an opening hook.
Again, Winterberry was throbbing with need, wanted his HeartMate most (but didn't think he could have her).
Robin
Oh, and regarding Signet D'Marigold, that's what she thinks of herself as, as usual I am playing with names (I can't seem to break that habit), and her real name is Calendula, which she doesn't care for. She has a brief appearance in Heart Duel, and she was supposed to "appear" in Heart Fate, but I just couldn't work her in. Maybe a little extra scene for her, though.
Robin
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