This month's question: What is your preferred voice when writing? First person? Second person? Third person? And why? Also, What is your preferred way of exposing your characters, their thoughts and emotions? How do you switch between characters?
Interesting question, and one I'm sure you know if you've read any of my books. I have written in first person, but for my novels, I prefer third person. And as I tell my kiddies that I tutor, second person is very difficult to do well, since it involves using "you", instead of "I," or "she." I've never tried second...maybe I will someday. But third person works best for me.
Why? Because in my romances, I like to give the thoughts and feelings of both characters in the romance: the male and the female. I know first person gives a more "immediate" feel to the writing, and can make the reader feel as if she/he is the one doing the experiencing. But in my opinion, that's a limiting perspective, because if some action takes place in a room where the narrator-character isn't included, then the reader has no idea what transpired there. With third person, the reader knows what all of the characters are doing and thinking. And I try to make the switch obvious, though "head-hopping" is so frowned upon among editors, unless you're super-famous, (*cough! Nora! cough!*)
For example, in Her Last Resort, Stella enters a resort that she is to meet her daughter in, and finds an empty room. Ivan, the owner, enters the room soon after she does:
Since there was no sign of Ivan, Stella headed up the staircase
that led to a dining room lit by a huge wall of picture windows
with a panoramic view of a beautiful lake. No one was seated at
any of the tables set for meals, but it was obviously a popular restaurant
judging by the worn spots on the hard wood floor that led
to the tables closest to the windows.
“Hello?” Stella called, seeking someone to check in with. “Is
anyone around? I’m looking for Ivan.”
“You have found him,” a large booming voice said from behind
her. She turned to get her first glimpse of her host.
* * * *
When Ivan walked into the dining room from the bar, he was
busy working through the details of his part in an upcoming yearly
party. He usually supplied many of the servers, and his chef
liked to contribute one of the courses. He looked up in surprise
when he entered the room and unexpectedly saw the back of his
newest guest. She had an attractive figure with an athletic build,
and the sundress she was wearing showed off her toned arms and
the curve of her shoulders. When she turned to face him, he was
immediately struck by two unusual sensations.
The first was a distinct feeling that he had met her before.
That’s impossible. I’ve never met the mother of my good friend
Kelly. She told me that her mother and father got divorced when
she was young, and that her mother traveled a lot for her job.
Maybe that’s it? Maybe I saw her when I was newly-arrived in
the US? I used to travel a lot also.
When the woman smiled, he was too involved with his thoughts
to respond.
Is it just that she resembles her daughter so much? Their coloring
is different of course. Kelly is blonde, while this woman has
light brown hair with the faintest streaks of gray. Kelly is lightskinned,
but this woman appears to be from the Mediterranean,
based on her olive skin and her dark brown eyes. They have similar
features, and her smile shows the origin of Kelly’s dimples.
The second feeling was harder to dismiss, literally. Ivan had
gradually become resigned to the reality of being a fifty-year-old
man whose hormonal surges were a thing of the past, but at this
moment, he felt himself hardening, as if he was a teenager again.
She’s so beautiful. I want to strip her naked and push her over
the table.
His breathing sped up and he could feel and hear the pulse of
his blood as it abandoned most of his body parts to rush down to
where it felt it was needed the most. His nostrils flared as he tried
to control the urges he’d thought were behind him.
Damn. I hope my reaction is escaping her notice. She’s expecting
to be greeted by her genial host, not by a sex-crazed lust
monster. I must get control over myself.
He cleared his throat, wondering if it had really been only a
few seconds since he’d walked into the room but unsure because
the smile on her face was fading as she waited for him to speak
again.
* * * *
Stella smiled at her host, wondering why he seemed so hesitant
to speak again. She waited politely for a few moments, then
spoke to break the silence.
“Are you Ivan? Kelly told me to ask for you if I arrived before
she did. I sent her a text when I pulled into the parking lot, but she
warned me that cell phone signals are problematic up here.”
“They are indeed,” he said, forcing himself to concentrate on
her words and how he should respond. “Kelly hasn’t arrived yet,
but she asked me to show you to your cabin and to give you a tour
of the grounds, so you would know where to find whatever you
need.”
* * * * *
Did you have any trouble following who was speaking/thinking? But you can see the freedom that third person gives me, to let the reader in on what everyone is thinking and feeling. I like that.
To find out what the next author on the list thinks, please visit:
Judith Copek http://lynx-sis.blogspot.com/
Interesting question, and one I'm sure you know if you've read any of my books. I have written in first person, but for my novels, I prefer third person. And as I tell my kiddies that I tutor, second person is very difficult to do well, since it involves using "you", instead of "I," or "she." I've never tried second...maybe I will someday. But third person works best for me.
Why? Because in my romances, I like to give the thoughts and feelings of both characters in the romance: the male and the female. I know first person gives a more "immediate" feel to the writing, and can make the reader feel as if she/he is the one doing the experiencing. But in my opinion, that's a limiting perspective, because if some action takes place in a room where the narrator-character isn't included, then the reader has no idea what transpired there. With third person, the reader knows what all of the characters are doing and thinking. And I try to make the switch obvious, though "head-hopping" is so frowned upon among editors, unless you're super-famous, (*cough! Nora! cough!*)
For example, in Her Last Resort, Stella enters a resort that she is to meet her daughter in, and finds an empty room. Ivan, the owner, enters the room soon after she does:
Since there was no sign of Ivan, Stella headed up the staircase
that led to a dining room lit by a huge wall of picture windows
with a panoramic view of a beautiful lake. No one was seated at
any of the tables set for meals, but it was obviously a popular restaurant
judging by the worn spots on the hard wood floor that led
to the tables closest to the windows.
“Hello?” Stella called, seeking someone to check in with. “Is
anyone around? I’m looking for Ivan.”
“You have found him,” a large booming voice said from behind
her. She turned to get her first glimpse of her host.
* * * *
When Ivan walked into the dining room from the bar, he was
busy working through the details of his part in an upcoming yearly
party. He usually supplied many of the servers, and his chef
liked to contribute one of the courses. He looked up in surprise
when he entered the room and unexpectedly saw the back of his
newest guest. She had an attractive figure with an athletic build,
and the sundress she was wearing showed off her toned arms and
the curve of her shoulders. When she turned to face him, he was
immediately struck by two unusual sensations.
The first was a distinct feeling that he had met her before.
That’s impossible. I’ve never met the mother of my good friend
Kelly. She told me that her mother and father got divorced when
she was young, and that her mother traveled a lot for her job.
Maybe that’s it? Maybe I saw her when I was newly-arrived in
the US? I used to travel a lot also.
When the woman smiled, he was too involved with his thoughts
to respond.
Is it just that she resembles her daughter so much? Their coloring
is different of course. Kelly is blonde, while this woman has
light brown hair with the faintest streaks of gray. Kelly is lightskinned,
but this woman appears to be from the Mediterranean,
based on her olive skin and her dark brown eyes. They have similar
features, and her smile shows the origin of Kelly’s dimples.
The second feeling was harder to dismiss, literally. Ivan had
gradually become resigned to the reality of being a fifty-year-old
man whose hormonal surges were a thing of the past, but at this
moment, he felt himself hardening, as if he was a teenager again.
She’s so beautiful. I want to strip her naked and push her over
the table.
His breathing sped up and he could feel and hear the pulse of
his blood as it abandoned most of his body parts to rush down to
where it felt it was needed the most. His nostrils flared as he tried
to control the urges he’d thought were behind him.
Damn. I hope my reaction is escaping her notice. She’s expecting
to be greeted by her genial host, not by a sex-crazed lust
monster. I must get control over myself.
He cleared his throat, wondering if it had really been only a
few seconds since he’d walked into the room but unsure because
the smile on her face was fading as she waited for him to speak
again.
* * * *
Stella smiled at her host, wondering why he seemed so hesitant
to speak again. She waited politely for a few moments, then
spoke to break the silence.
“Are you Ivan? Kelly told me to ask for you if I arrived before
she did. I sent her a text when I pulled into the parking lot, but she
warned me that cell phone signals are problematic up here.”
“They are indeed,” he said, forcing himself to concentrate on
her words and how he should respond. “Kelly hasn’t arrived yet,
but she asked me to show you to your cabin and to give you a tour
of the grounds, so you would know where to find whatever you
need.”
* * * * *
Did you have any trouble following who was speaking/thinking? But you can see the freedom that third person gives me, to let the reader in on what everyone is thinking and feeling. I like that.
To find out what the next author on the list thinks, please visit:
Judith Copek http://lynx-sis.blogspot.com/
