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Dec. 12th, 2006 11:49 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rhienellethAll right. I'm having a POV struggle here. I would say at this point that roughly 65% of the book has been told from my main female character's POV (Elysia), and the other 35% from my main male character's POV (Parr). I am wavering with how much time I spend on the scene I'm currently writing, how angsty it should be, and who's POV it should be told from. Right now, I'm writing it from Elysia POV, which the emotional, angsty, wrecked POV. But I keep thinking maybe I should be writing it from Parr's, which would be a more 'outside' view. He would be observing the drama without being directly involved.
Which could be considered a cheat. From Elysia's POV, you get her pain, her response to Dom's pain, etc, etc. From Parr's, you get someone from the outside watching all of this go down. It's a step removed, and therefore less dramatic, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Less drama = less tendency for melodrama, which I'm trying to avoid having too much of. But at the same time, I don't know if people will be upset at not seeing Dom's up close and personal reaction to losing Elysia. I'm torn, as a writer.
For those you not reading, and curious about what the heck I'm talking about, this is the story so far: Dom and Elysia are betrothed, they're each other's first loves, etc. But it's been made pretty clear to the reader at this point that they aren't meant to be together, even if the characters are trying to ignore all that. Parr comes along, and there's some instant chemistry between him and Elysia. He's a darker, more cynical character, so there's friction as well as chemistry. There's some metaphysical meddling involved, and they end up sleeping together. Not so bad, maybe, but in my world, the gypsies are bound by some ancient laws that carry strict penalties for infidelity and casual sex within the clans (they can sleep around with non-gypsies all they want, but inside the clan, their magical bylaws take a dim view). No, this is not meant to be a political commentary, it's just how the magic works, ok? We're talking about a society that punished adultery with death, once upon a time. They have some antiquated things they instituted back in the dark ages of their race that are still, unfortunately, in effect for those unfortunate enough to have a strong enough bloodline, which happens to include all the major players in this situation.
Anyway, Elysia is not aware of all the magical consequences to sleeping with Parr, but Parr is, and Dom will be when he finds out. Basically, think scarlet 'A', only worse. If Elysia and Parr don't marry, their indiscretion will be marked upon them for all to see, and she'll be exiled from her clan (Parr has no clan to be exiled from). So it's not like lying and not telling anyone is an option, even if my MC could (which she can't. Elysia has a strong sense of morals.) Yes, she has feelings for Parr, but they're all kind of muddled and confused right now. She's loved Dom since she was thirteen. She's going to tell him what happened and beg for his forgiveness (again, she's unaware of the magical side effects to her liaison w/Parr.) Parr, meanwhile, knows that if he doesn't marry her, she'll be marked, shamed, and exiled. His own mother bore the mark (it's nothing as obtrsusive as a scarlet A, just a mark on that appears on the hand) for most of his life, and spent it exiled from her clan because of it. Dom is going to hear the news and be completely wrecked by it. He's been struggling to keep Elysia through all these other obstacles, and now this happens. His first thought is going to be to go and kill Parr, thus satisfying his own sense of rage, and saving Elysia from being marked (death is the only option other than marriage.)
My first thought was to write this scene from elysia's POV. She's going to tell Dom, she's emotionally distraught, he's going to be distraught and pissed, etc. But the more I write on the scene, the more tempted I am to go back and rewrite it from Parr's POV, watching from a safe distance as Elsyai tells Dom, knowing that Dom is going to try to kill him, etc. But I don't want the reader to feel cheated out of Dom's immediate reaction by not telling it from Elysia's POV.
Opinions? Hopefully that wasn't too confusing for anyone.
Which could be considered a cheat. From Elysia's POV, you get her pain, her response to Dom's pain, etc, etc. From Parr's, you get someone from the outside watching all of this go down. It's a step removed, and therefore less dramatic, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Less drama = less tendency for melodrama, which I'm trying to avoid having too much of. But at the same time, I don't know if people will be upset at not seeing Dom's up close and personal reaction to losing Elysia. I'm torn, as a writer.
For those you not reading, and curious about what the heck I'm talking about, this is the story so far: Dom and Elysia are betrothed, they're each other's first loves, etc. But it's been made pretty clear to the reader at this point that they aren't meant to be together, even if the characters are trying to ignore all that. Parr comes along, and there's some instant chemistry between him and Elysia. He's a darker, more cynical character, so there's friction as well as chemistry. There's some metaphysical meddling involved, and they end up sleeping together. Not so bad, maybe, but in my world, the gypsies are bound by some ancient laws that carry strict penalties for infidelity and casual sex within the clans (they can sleep around with non-gypsies all they want, but inside the clan, their magical bylaws take a dim view). No, this is not meant to be a political commentary, it's just how the magic works, ok? We're talking about a society that punished adultery with death, once upon a time. They have some antiquated things they instituted back in the dark ages of their race that are still, unfortunately, in effect for those unfortunate enough to have a strong enough bloodline, which happens to include all the major players in this situation.
Anyway, Elysia is not aware of all the magical consequences to sleeping with Parr, but Parr is, and Dom will be when he finds out. Basically, think scarlet 'A', only worse. If Elysia and Parr don't marry, their indiscretion will be marked upon them for all to see, and she'll be exiled from her clan (Parr has no clan to be exiled from). So it's not like lying and not telling anyone is an option, even if my MC could (which she can't. Elysia has a strong sense of morals.) Yes, she has feelings for Parr, but they're all kind of muddled and confused right now. She's loved Dom since she was thirteen. She's going to tell him what happened and beg for his forgiveness (again, she's unaware of the magical side effects to her liaison w/Parr.) Parr, meanwhile, knows that if he doesn't marry her, she'll be marked, shamed, and exiled. His own mother bore the mark (it's nothing as obtrsusive as a scarlet A, just a mark on that appears on the hand) for most of his life, and spent it exiled from her clan because of it. Dom is going to hear the news and be completely wrecked by it. He's been struggling to keep Elysia through all these other obstacles, and now this happens. His first thought is going to be to go and kill Parr, thus satisfying his own sense of rage, and saving Elysia from being marked (death is the only option other than marriage.)
My first thought was to write this scene from elysia's POV. She's going to tell Dom, she's emotionally distraught, he's going to be distraught and pissed, etc. But the more I write on the scene, the more tempted I am to go back and rewrite it from Parr's POV, watching from a safe distance as Elsyai tells Dom, knowing that Dom is going to try to kill him, etc. But I don't want the reader to feel cheated out of Dom's immediate reaction by not telling it from Elysia's POV.
Opinions? Hopefully that wasn't too confusing for anyone.
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Date: 2006-12-12 08:24 pm (UTC)Maybe write out both versions, decide which works better, or do the ultimate evil or back and forth.
What ever you choose I'm sure it will be fabulous.
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Date: 2006-12-12 08:32 pm (UTC)And thanks. :) I can only hope.
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Date: 2006-12-12 10:25 pm (UTC)She uses "snap" and not as a joke? In writing?
Woah.
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Date: 2006-12-12 10:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-12 10:37 pm (UTC)She is odd indeed, and apparently will chase character's like my old co-writer did. *sigh*