Decisions, Decisions

Well, 2023 is marching on, isn't it?

            

WRITING - 

The POV in this first draft of the novel was killing me. I went with Main Character 1 then went with Main Character 2 then back and forth and back again. I thought their narratives were equally compelling, in different ways, but both had weaknesses. I finally just decided to listen to what the story wants because, as usual, the story really does know best. So as of now – realizing this will probably change with editing and revising - not only do I have two POVs but also a Prologue. Sigh.

WATCHING – 

Movies – I was disappointed in the last couple of movies I watched. And this was after watching the previews and checking out the ratings/reviews. One movie was so bad not even a well-known, excellent actor could save it. Another started off really good then morphed into something so weird I have no words for it. 

 

MENTAL HEALTH – 

Back in January, I mentioned that one of my goals was to work on managing my anxiety. I decided to change that up a bit and focus instead on cultivating calm and finding the tools to calm myself - mentally, emotionally, physically - when I need to (and believe me, I need to often!) I'm trying to meditate and listen to/read/watch more positive things. 

 

TORTOISES – 

My husband and I often take the tortoises when we sit on the patio. My husband is usually settled out there before me and, lately, Mrs. Larry has taken to sitting under the chair next him - my chair. We're not sure if she's keeping my husband company or if she's keeping an eye on him, but once I come outside, she walks off, as if saying he's my responsibility now. 

 

*****

How do you decide a story's POV? Have you seen any good movies lately? Any suggestions for cultivating calm?

Point of View Problem

The original title of this post was "How Many People Can Live In My Head Before My Brain Bursts" but I figured that was too long.

As I get cracking on this new novel (don't even ask about the other one,) I find myself struggling with POV. I told myself I was going to stick with one POV. I wanted something more streamlined, more focused than my usual mess of two, three or more (yes, more!) POV characters. Now, Character A was all set - she was my one and only . . . until Character B decided he wanted to tell his story. (Okay, it's really me who wants to tell his story but whatever.) And don't get me started on Character C. 

Could Character B's and Character C's stories come out through my original POV character? Sure. Is that the best way for the novel to unfold? I don't know.

I'm concerned I'm falling back into my usual way of doing things - too many POV characters - because it's easier, meaning comfortable. (And really, it hasn't worked all that well for me so far - do you see a novel with my name on it anywhere?) I want the story to be told in the best way possible and right now, I'm just not sure what that is.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Any suggestions or advice for deciding who your POV character is or how many you'll have?

As a reader, do you prefer one POV or more? I don't really have a preference as a reader but I will say that with multiple POVs, I usually find myself "liking" one of the characters better than the others, looking ahead to that character's chapter, etc.

Thanks in advance for all your help!