Guest Post: Rachel O'Laughlin Talks POVs

Today is an awesome day because I have one of the best critique partners and one of the best writers of fantasy here to talk about POVs (a topic you all know is very close to my heart!). Let's hear what she has to say, and then find out below how you can win an ecopy of her book Coldness of Marek.

Hi, readers and writers! I’m thrilled to be guest blogging on Mara’s blog today, talking about multiple points-of-view in fiction, and particularly fantasy. This is especially a cool topic for both Mara and I, as we’ve swapped ideas back and forth over manuscripts and golly, is it FUN.

I’m a bit of a point-of-view addict. If I could come at a story from EVERYBODY’S point of view, I would. Some writers of literary masterpieces did just that — slipped in and out of many heads seamlessly, without the need to break for breath or chapter heading. Nowadays, most writers are expected to be a little more uniform in the way we write. I confess, I hate these types of confines sometimes. But in the realm of point-of-view, it’s a pretty good idea to have some boundaries. I think this is one of those things where it’s really up to the writer to make those boundaries themselves, or with some critique-partners who know their style.

Some epic fantasy writers have one character from each major race, or family, or continent. Some have a hero, a villain, and a love interest. Some want to have all their points-of-view be protagonists in their own right. I’ve seen all kinds work. Even an exclusive four female points-of-view (or four male, of course) can be compelling when done well. When it comes down to it, the most important part for me is the characters’ relation to each other. That’s where the main story is happening.

For you readers out there, I thought I’d give a breakdown of who these people typically are for me. Just for fun.

The Protagonist - He/she doesn’t have to be a hero. This is just the person I’m following through the story. Everything revolves around them. Even if secondary heroes/multiple protagonists exist and I’m following them, too, there needs to be a main anchor. This is also the person we can assume doesn’t die…unless I’m mean, like George R.R. Martin. Let’s not even talk about that. *runs over to the corner to cry over Eddard one more time*

The Antagonist - Yup, I like coming from this person’s perspective as well. Why? Because I want to see inside their twisted little head. One of my favorite things an artist ever said in an interview was when Eliza Dushku was asked who she would be imprinted with if she could be someone else for a day (in the context of her starring role in the show, Dollhouse). Her answer was, “I would be Quentin Terrentino. I just wonder what’s going on in that man’s brain.” And that sums up why I like to be in this head. Who thinks these things? I’m curious.

The Counterpoint - This is definitely different than the antagonist, in that this character does NOT play the role of ruining the life of my main character. But every book I’ve penned has always had someone who fills this role. The opposite side. The mirror, the other way of looking at things. In Coldness of Marek, Mikel is the obvious counterpoint, but I didn’t come from his point-of-view at all. There are a lot of counterpoints in Trzl’s life. In the first part, it’s Dremir. In the second, Gernan.

The Darling - Wheee! Happies! This can be the comic relief, the love interest, the best friend, the kid brother, the bossy aunt that also bakes cupcakes. I tend to skip this character if I can help it, because I just like writing dark stories, but Coldness of Marek actually has one, and I did use his point-of-view. Yay Colstadt!

The Mentor/Apprentice - Obi-Wan is my perfect example here. In Star Wars 1-3, he’s the apprentice. In 4-6, he’s the mentor. But this can be either/or, or two different characters altogether. In Coldness, I only have the apprentice, Malcom. In the second book, Knights of Rilch, I have an older Knight who is definitely the mentor. The reason this character is often so real for us, I think, is because we all have these people in our lives. We have mentors we look up to, whether they be parents or teachers or employers, and we all have those who are relying on us for mentoring in one thing or another.

And that’s most of them, I do believe. If you’re a writer, which points-of-view do you tend to utilize? If you’re a reader, what are your favorite uses of point-of-view in novels?

Amazon UK:http://www.amazon.co.uk/Coldness-Marek-Serengard-Rachel-OLaughlin/dp/0984919414/

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Coldness-Marek-Serengard-Volume-1/dp/0984919414/

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/coldness-of-marek-rachel-olaughlin/1107918434?ean=2940148509899

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Why Third Person is My Writerly Comfy Blanky

I love writing third person. To me, it is so freeing. I love bouncing around from one character's head to the next. (Sometimes a little too much, as can be witnessed from the earlier drafts of Heirs of War). I've always written in third person. Maybe this habit stems from my first ventures into writing being in the form of scripts, or maybe I just enjoy pretending I'm the ever-omniscient (and in no way benevolent if you ask my characters) god of the world I've created. Who knows?

Either way, third person is definitely my preferred POV when writing. Which is exactly why I decided to write my new WIP (Altar of Reality) from the POV of the main character. Big deal, right? Oh, did I mention the main character is a teenager?

Before my beta readers remind me that Zelene and Ariana were both seventeen when Heirs of War started, I would like to stress that this teenager (sixteen, to be exact) is just your normal run-of-the-mill kinda gal. Biggest problem she has is epilepsy. That changes as the story moves on, but the point is she has no reason to be more mature than any other sixteen year old like Zelene did and like Ariana was forced to become with a quickness.

So, yeah...totally outside my comfort zone right now. And for the first time in my entire life I am having to force myself to sit down and write. With HoW, I had to force myself to stop. 10k days were pretty common to me. But this WIP is just supposed to be a much simpler tale in comparison, and yet it is so much harder to write.

I've been trying to figure that out as of late. I think it boils down to the same reason I don't blog a whole lot. It's not that I don't like talking about myself (well...mainly I just don't have much to say on that front. I write. A lot. The end.), but my personal story is so much more narrow than what I like. I love stories that are rich with characters, and I find that very hard to do with just one character telling the tale. Is it possible? Sure. I loved The Hunger Games and Vampire Academy, both of which have very lively worlds and characters with the story all told from one character's perspective. The question is: Can I do that?

Time (and beta readers) will tell. But for now, the moral of the story is this: Although the comfy blanky is, indeed, comfortable and safe, sometimes you really need to weather the storm without it. Because only then will you be faced with the questions I've talked about here, and only then will you start to grow as a writer.