Multiple POVs, All Male, What's a Gal To Do?

This week we're talking about head hopping. Interestingly enough, this means two things in writing.

One, which is the most common for writers -- you are deliberately switching point of views (POV) to give the reader new insight into a character.

Two - you accidentally do it mid-scene when you reveal something or state an opinion that is outside of your POV, and is therefor a no-no.

I've done very little of the second because most all of my work has been in first person, which makes the accidents rather infrequent. I have been known to make a mistake with an assumptive phrase that was omniscient and the head I'm in could not know it, but for the most part my peers pick these slips up before it ever gets to the reading public.

I never set out to head-hop and write multiple POVs when I started writing urban fantasy. One of the things I love about the genre is the kick-ass female or male first-person POV. Primarily these stories are told from the same narrator's view the entire tale.

I thought mixing up the POVs would be fun and a great way for the readers to get to know the other characters in my series, and trust me, I did the big "no-no" and have a ton of characters! So many that there is a glossary of terms and characters in the book. But, I have to admit, I used to refer to those all the time when I was reading complex fantasy worlds, so adding one to my own work was always part of the plan.

The hardest part for me was doing male point of views -- and being consistent. I have five male and two female POVs in The Hunt, which is releasing this week. The female ones were a breeze, for obvious reasons... the male ones... well, I quizzed my husband a lot, my medical massage therapist who helps with my rheumatoid arthritis and various muscular issues, my friends (dads on my kids sports teams or in my neighborhood), read the status updates on all the twenty-something guys I'm connected to on Facebook through my nephews, and I eaves-dropped quite a bit.

Did I pull it off? The reader will ultimately be the one to decide, but I can tell you it was hard. The hardest thing I've ever done in writing, actually. Most people might think the hardest thing in my writing is present tense, but you get into the groove and once you master the flow you just get better over time.

What did I learn with all my fact finding?

• Some guys swear a lot, some don't. A few reserve such vocabulary for times of stress. 
• Not all men think with the dicks, but quite a few make comments and observations that appear as if they do. 
• The young ones still care what their friends think (even though they like to think they don't), the older ones could give a rat's ass and seem more comfortable in their own skin. 
• Some men have a tendency to "size up" other men when they meet them (can I take him in a fight), but the majority probably don't.
• They love to laugh at each other (not with them, there is a difference) and will bust a rib laughing if one of their friends hurts themselves.
• They speak in short sentences, for the most part
• They are not overly flowery in descriptors or in compliments.

Men are a lot like women - each one an individual, but with a lot of the same underlying traits. How they speak and act is directly related to their recent environment exposure -- like a college student will act different than a military man of the same age. Yes, one person can be both at the same time, but you're missing my point.

Just like with all of us, our character's pasts reflect how they act in the here and now. In order to write multiple POVs in one story at the same time you must know how that person will react in the situation. I had one beta reader out of a dozen who told me only one of my male POVs sounded unique, and that the rest all sounded alike. But eleven said they loved reading the different POVs and getting to know the characters-- so I went with the majority.

Perfecting the initial chapters with the individual voices took me weeks. I keep going back over them again and again to make them each distinct. In the end, I know I won't please everyone with my work. Perhaps, this reader felt my style of writing lent to each person sounding similar, I'm not sure.

All I can say for sure is I really enjoyed the multiple POVs. Sure, it was hard as hell to plot out the book hopping from one head to the next, but in the end it flowed well -- like a baton being passed in a relay race -- the story moved from one person to the next, never replaying action over the same scene again.

Will I do it again? You betcha.

How about you - do you like to read multiple POVs in books or do you like to write them? Tell me how you master writing the opposite gender!

Opening of The Hunt

Our topic this week gave us a choice - we could list the author blogs we follow and why or post an excerpt of our current work in progress. I'm almost halfway through the second book in my series, The V V Inn, and decided I'd like to share the opening.

I know it needs some work, like beefing up descriptions and things, but it's not bad. I hadn't realized how hard it would be to weave in details of the first book to bring a new reader up to speed and progress the new story line along. It's definitely a juggling act I'm still learning. But since my first book still hasn't sold, I've certainly got some time!

Chapter One

Vivian

As I lie here, curled around my husband’s firm body, I begin to wonder: Am I crazy? What in the hell made me think organizing a hunt here at our hotel would be a good idea? Over a dozen supernatural predators are flying in from all over the world, ones who’ve paid an exorbitant price for the privilege of removing their everyday masks and killing one of their own kind. I must be crazy.

I have a feeling this week is going to turn out to be more than any of us bargained for. Self-doubt plagues me as I rise from the warmth of the bed and stroll naked to my closet. The artificial glow of the landscape lighting beams in through the windows, indicating with the changing gradient it’s probably mid-day here above the Arctic Circle.

Part of my nervous edge could be associated with learning to trust the new members of our vampire family, or seethe. The vampires appear upfront and honest, as much as a pack of bloodsuckers can be, but my old habits of non-trust have kept me around for a long time.

The two months since November's tracking and killing of Ivan have been a trial for me.  This upcoming hunt week has been a long time in the planning, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. Having anyone from the Tribunal of Ancients on our property sucks, especially when I have no idea who they’re sending.

Grabbing the clothes I set out in the wee hours of the morning, I head to the shower in our private suite.

The hot water cascading over me fills my mind with horrible memories of my own first hunt. The group of vampires wore cloth-lined silver skull-caps to thwart my unique vampire-to-vampire mind-controlling abilities. They had orchestrated a hunt to rid themselves of their “pet” manipulator. What started for the group as demented undead fun, ended with a young vampire who surprised them all with her ability to kill ruthlessly and without remorse.

The blood of my seethe-mates once covered my body, as the water does now. Later, I stacked their headless corpses in our old farmhouse before setting the structure on fire. Killing that sick group was the least I could do avenge the murders of my first and second husbands. After all I'd been through under their rule for twenty-six years, I let the bastards off easy. Thankfully, even a vampire can only die once—if it's done right.

The sound of Rafe stirring in the next room pulls me out of my dark thoughts and informs me he’s getting up as well.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” I call out over the sound of the shower. “Get enough rest?”

“You mean after you ravaged me for hours? Oh yeah, I slept pretty damn sound.”

I turn the water off and wring out my long hair, before leaving the enclosure to reach for a towel. Rafe puts one in my hand before I have a chance to connect with the rack on the wall.

Smiling my thanks, I dry myself quickly. “We’re meeting with the whole seethe in about a half hour. Want me to call the kitchen to send you in something to eat?”

“Isn't Paul on cooking duty?” Rafe grimaces. “No thanks. I’ve got leftovers in our fridge. I’m good.”

“His cooking will get better. Give him some time. It’s been a hard adjustment since he’s made the change and can’t sample his own cooking anymore.”

“Yeah, I know. But it’s a painful process waiting for him to re-learn.”

“That’s the easy part,” I snort. “The real challenge since he became a vampire is in trying to get him not to drain his family whenever he sees them.”

Rafe strips for his own shower and pats me on the bottom as he heads inside the enclosure. “With great power comes great responsibility.”

“Don’t get all philosophical on me. I may not have wanted four new members in our seethe, but I’ll manipulate and train the buggers as best I can.”

The water hisses back on and steam fills the room once more. A muted electronic ringing comes from the bedroom and I head in to answer it.

“Yes?”

Asa’s clipped tones greet me on the other end of the line, “Hey, Vivian.” He addresses me, like most everyone at the inn, by my nickname. “I heard water in the pipes. You almost ready for the meeting?”

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Hope you enjoyed it! I'd love to hear your thoughts.