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POV change from rest of series
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It sounds interesting to me. I think it would be interesting to put it in the 3rd person POV for a different feel, especially if the character that was writing first person was described in an external way.There could even be a slight contrast between the objective 3rd person and the perceptions of the character had in first person.
I don't have anything specific, really, as I have not read the series (yet), but an example might be a grandfather clock, attic window, garden fountain or a whole house is mentioned in the main story as being perceived in one way by the character, but the third person narrator, has a more objective take on whatever object it is.
I find this interesting, because the object would lend a permanence between the stories, but is different in them. Perhaps adding a richer texture to the change in the POV of the writing.
Just some ideas. Good luck in your writing!
Edward wrote: "It sounds interesting to me. I think it would be interesting to put it in the 3rd person POV for a different feel, especially if the character that was writing first person was described in an exte..."Thank you for your response and the suggestions!
I've initiated the good old "trial and error" method so far by writing a scene in 3rd person. I don't know if it's because I've written in 1st person for 8 years with the books in the series or if I've changed my main character, but it felt strange.
Maybe I'm not giving it a fair run because I'm super rusty at that POV. I guess next on the agenda is rewriting it in 1st person and seeing if he's a good narrator?
Still, if I decide to switch between his story and the other male main character, writing two 1st person POVs feels too overwhelming for some reason.
Maybe my writing skills are just lacking here.
It.hard.I.sad.
Nothing worth doing is easy, in general. Just keep at it. You'll get it.
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This is one of those many questions where the answer ends up being - it's up to you. You're the writer. My questions would be - What is your hesitation in changing point of view? How did you arrive at writing in the first person for the other books? Is there any specific reason this one feels more like it should be in third person? Often times I'll try writing a story in third person and from various points of view until I find the right one. It's all about setting that camera in a place where the reader will experience what they need to in the order they need to experience it - and will be kept ignorant of any secret goings on in the background.
Edward wrote: "Nothing worth doing is easy, in general. Just keep at it. You'll get it."Thanks for the encouragement. Here's hoping!
Dwayne wrote: "Safari wrote: "Would it work to write 1st person or would 3rd person work best?"This is one of those many questions where the answer ends up being - it's up to you. You're the writer. My question..."
Wow, you're right! Those are great questions about POV. That should help. Thank you!
Generally I find if i start writing a scene and it feels weird, unnatural or if I quickly run out of steam and don't know where to go with it that means something about the way I'm writing it isn't quite right. Usually in my case that means I should be writing from a different POV, but I don't realise until I've started the scene, so it's a bit of a trial and error situation.If you do feel rusty at writing 3rd person that could be why it doesn't feel right, or it could be that it's not the best way to write your new project. It's really hard to say, unfortunately.
I really sympathise with your difficulties, it can feel so frustrating when you're stuck on something like this. I hope you find a way forward soon :)
L.K. wrote: "Generally I find if i start writing a scene and it feels weird, unnatural or if I quickly run out of steam and don't know where to go with it that means something about the way I'm writing it isn't..."Thank you! I guess I just wondered if any other series had done the same thing. Most romance series I've read are written in 3rd person anyway, so figuring out a prequel POV isn't really a problem.
The only paranormal romance I almost read was Twilight and that was first person. (I may read it someday, I just haven't yet.) It does sound odd to change from first to third in the same series, but it would all depend on how it's written. Twilight, as far as I know was all first person, same person.You mentioned two possibilities: one is set 200 years prior, but then another possibility is set three months prior. So I think you would need to first decide which you want to write. Maybe start both, but one will emerge as the favorite? When I write the POV is just there so my suggestion is to go with what feels natural. Good luck!
M.L. wrote: "The only paranormal romance I almost read was Twilight and that was first person. (I may read it someday, I just haven't yet.) It does sound odd to change from first to third in the same series, bu..."I haven't read Twilight, but mine is also all 1st person, one person throughout the series.
I really like the idea of writing a few novellas set in the past. Since these are vampires, I could easily write several if I were a better plotter than pantser!
The main problem I see with that is that they won't be romance-centric novels if they're set in the past because my MC isn't born yet. They'd be more about families/brothers and the supernatural elements in my series.
Safari wrote: "Thank you! I guess I just wondered if any other series had done the same thing. Most romance series I've read are written in 3rd person anyway, so figuring out a prequel POV isn't really a problem.."At the moment I'm just finishing working on a series - it's a psychological thriller series, so not the same genre as yours, but I had a few POV challenges. The first book was originally written as a standalone. It had two narrators, the main female character who wrote in first person, and a second female character, written in third person. Their stories were about their relationships with the same man, but about a decade apart, so there was a time shift between chapters too. When I decided to write an additional two books I ended up having several narrators, a couple of them are characters from the original book, some are new characters. The new characters are all in third person. However the main character from the first book who was written in first person is also in the sequels. I felt it would have been weird to suddenly change her chapters to third person, so she has stayed in first. So basically I have several narrators, one first person POV, the rest third person, and there are also some time shifts in the book too. There are a couple of places where I would say this way of writing isn't completely ideal but for the majority of the time it works OK and I really can't see any other way I could have done it.
I guess my point is, if you feel something really works for your story, don't get too hung up on what is "normal" for your genre. I focus more on what is expected from my genre when I'm having covers designed, writing blurbs, and to some extent while I'm developing plot and characters, but when it comes to things like POV and my writing style, I do what feels right for me, otherwise I'd probably end up writing something that sounds forced and unnatural.
As to your concerns about the novellas not being romance-centric, I guess that could put some people off who are really just looking to read a specific thing, but if the idea is that some of your readers might want to find out more about your character's past, and you are really keen to work on these novellas, then go for it! :)
L.K. wrote: "Safari wrote: "Thank you! I guess I just wondered if any other series had done the same thing. Most romance series I've read are written in 3rd person anyway, so figuring out a prequel POV isn't re..."Thank you for the encouragement! I'm glad you were able to make yours work for you. That's what I'm thinking, too. It really is about telling the more in-depth stories of the love interests before the events in the novels come to pass, and I think 3rd person is working. There's just a ton of story that I wasn't able to explore fully as the 1st person MC in those novels. I'm going for it. :-)
I wrote a 4 book paranormal romance/fantasy series that will be finally be out/complete this summer (WOOOOT!). Every book is written in the 1st person POV, but now I realllly want to write a prequel novella featuring one of the main male characters from the series and I'm stuck on what POV to use.
Would it work to write 1st person or would 3rd person work best? Also, I'd originally planned to write the novella set about 200 years in the past so my series MC wouldn't be in it, but now I'm thinking there's a lot of story I could tell set in the months before the series starts.
Thoughts? Hulp.