Monday-Monday Jerrie’s Hats and More Hats
It’s All About POV!
[image error]
What do hats have to do with my writing? Okay. Close your eyes. Imagine me sitting in front of my computer. Got it? I have my writing hat on, and I’m searching for my next victim.
Soon I’m killing off character’s who refuse to do what I want. People who don’t understand that I will not tolerate them not bending to my will. People who don’t realize how damaged I am inside. People who die for not bending to my will.
[image error]
Then I slip on my heroine’s hat of mystery. How’d she get into this mess? Strong willed and brave, she’ll do what it takes to solve the mystery and survive. Maybe, as she fights her way through her story, she’ll fall in love on the way.
[image error]
Ah, the hero. *sigh* Okay, so he doesn’t have a hat. Getting into the mind of a hundred percent kick ass male, who doesn’t think he needs love to survive, is great fun. Hat or no hat. If I struggle with his persona, I’ll turn to my standby song, Holding Out For A Hero. If you don’t know this one, please, go to iTunes and look up Bonnie Tyler.
While writing The Green-Eyed Doll, as with all of my books, I wore many different hats. Now, I don’t really have a wall of hats that I swap back and forth, although I do think I look quite good in one. It’s all in my head and done metaphorically. For me it’s a method. It’s my way to dig deep into the characters persona and tell the story from his/her point of view without my ideas or morals interfering.
Not that I’d be opposed to putting on a black fedora or silver belly Stetson if I thought it would get me past a particularly hard scene to write.
Shoot, I’d write naked if it worked. But that’s another post.
After all of my research is complete and I understand their motivations, immersing myself in a character, trying to feel and react as he or she would, is the best way for me to develop separate and distinguishable personalities for each person in the book.
What about you? Maybe you have a trick you can share. You don’t have to be a writer to slip into a character’s point of view. Maybe at the movies you lose yourself. Ever become Merle Streep? Or Alex O’Loughlin?
[image error]
Come on, not even as a kid? Maybe John Wayne?
One announcement today! I’m two months away from the release of THE GREEN-EYED DOLL. I’m doing a virtual book tour and will have more information soon.
[image error]
