By Jenna Byrnes
When I began writing, I didn’t know squat about ‘point of view’. The hero thought one thing, in the next paragraph the heroine thought something else. I head-hopped like crazy, and actually felt it was important to let the reader know what everyone was thinking at all times. It was a shock to find out that wasn’t the ‘correct’ way to write. Some of my favorite romance authors head hopped, and if they could do it… Hmm. Never mind. I was a beginner, and it just wasn’t allowed. I had to choose a P.O.V., or at least one P.O.V. per chapter, and stick with it. Writing in the male P.O.V. has turned out to be great fun for me. There’s a certain freedom to write like a man might speak. I’m not saying all men cuss, and I know some women who swear like sailors on leave. But somehow, when a guy utters a vulgarity, it doesn’t seem like as big a deal as when a woman does. In my mind, while a woman might use the word ‘breasts’, a man might just as easily call them ‘t*ts’. Men are more into bodily function jokes than most women. (Not all of this is true about everybody- so please, no nasty emails. I’m generalizing.) Of course, all people are different, so sometimes I like to break out of the stereotypical roles and let my characters say or do something totally unexpected.
When I began writing, I didn’t know squat about ‘point of view’. The hero thought one thing, in the next paragraph the heroine thought something else. I head-hopped like crazy, and actually felt it was important to let the reader know what everyone was thinking at all times. It was a shock to find out that wasn’t the ‘correct’ way to write. Some of my favorite romance authors head hopped, and if they could do it… Hmm. Never mind. I was a beginner, and it just wasn’t allowed. I had to choose a P.O.V., or at least one P.O.V. per chapter, and stick with it. Writing in the male P.O.V. has turned out to be great fun for me. There’s a certain freedom to write like a man might speak. I’m not saying all men cuss, and I know some women who swear like sailors on leave. But somehow, when a guy utters a vulgarity, it doesn’t seem like as big a deal as when a woman does. In my mind, while a woman might use the word ‘breasts’, a man might just as easily call them ‘t*ts’. Men are more into bodily function jokes than most women. (Not all of this is true about everybody- so please, no nasty emails. I’m generalizing.) Of course, all people are different, so sometimes I like to break out of the stereotypical roles and let my characters say or do something totally unexpected.
Bottom line, it depends on the character, and what type of a persona I’m trying to establish. At one time, I had an editor check me, when my male character said something was ‘lovely’. She questioned, and I agreed, that a guy might not call the view, or flowers, lovely. Again, this depends on the guy. Some of them might not notice the view at all, unless it was of a woman's rear end! I’m not a huge sports person but my husband is, so I use his knowledge and expertise when I want to throw sports tidbits into my stories. And I use the internet constantly for research of one kind or another. I enjoy the male P.O.V. so much that I took it one step further, writing m/m erotic romance. I’ve written lesbian stuff, and I still write m/f. But I’m having the most fun writing about guys, and their relationships with each other. Love is love. I'm having fun exploring all different aspects of it. Which is what it’s all about to me. Writing what I enjoy, and finding some readers to take along on the adventure. I hope you’ll check out my titles at Noble Romance Publishing and my website. And have a great day!
~ Jenna
~ Jenna
Hi Jenna, I remember making the POV mistake as well and thinking what's the big deal? I thought it was clear whose perspective it was. Now I get that sticking to a single POV helps the reader identify with the Protag better. But, that lesson took a while. And it is fun trying to get inside men's heads, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteHi Erika, It's more fun when it's a man I've created, LOL It's not that much fun trying to get inside my husband's head!
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting,
~ Jenna