On Writing Romance_ How to Craft a Novel That Sells - Leigh Michaels [98]
It was here that she made her first-—and last—confession to Father Hugh. Make that, the late Father Hugh. But that part—the late part—wasn't her fault, no matter what Joey Materi said then ... and continues to say.
This is a rare example of third-person present tense—a combination seldom used in romance novels. If the story had been structured in past tense, it would have started out: "Nina Chickalini was no stranger. ... It had been here that she had made her first ... confession. ..."
Failing to identify the viewpoint character, wandering from head to head, being unclear about whose thoughts the readers are getting—all of these things jolt your readers. Though they may not be able to define the shortcoming in your writing, they will automatically feel it, and this may destroy the magic of the story.
1. Look at the romance novels you've been reading. Which characters' points of view (thoughts, feelings) are included? How frequently does the POV change?
2. How many characters' points of view are included in each scene?
3. Are the thoughts and feelings of secondary characters shared with the readers?
4. Does the author ever let you know what a non-POV character is thinking or feeling? How do you get this information?
Sometimes the best choice for viewpoint character is apparent. At other times, the choice is less obvious, and asking some questions helps to clarify whose thoughts are most important for the readers at any particular moment in the story:
• Whose story is this? With whom do you want the readers to sympathize?
• What information is most important to the readers in this scene, and who possesses that information?
• Will the impact of that information on the readers be greater if they get it directly from the character who holds it, or if they're taken off guard when the non-POV character shares her knowledge?
• Which character has the most at stake in this scene?
• Whose thoughts and reactions are most important?
• How can you best preserve any surprise or mystery that occurs in the scene?
Usually, the character who shows up most often in the answers to these questions is the best choice for a viewpoint character—but not always. Sometimes that character knows too much, and the shock value of a revelation is greatest when that information is presented from the other character's POV.
While plot is the bones of fiction—the structure on which the story hangs—dialogue is the story's flesh and blood. Good dialogue makes the story sparkle, move, come to life for the readers. Poorly written dialogue is like a pit full of quicksand, dragging the story down. And the differences between good and bad dialogue can be frighteningly small.
Dialogue can be important even before the readers start to absorb the story. It's one of the things readers of romance novels say they look at when they're selecting a book. Conversation catches the readers' attention, breaks up the dense pages of text, and makes the story look easy and fun to read.
Romance novels are a very personal kind of story, focusing on the development of an intimate relationship between a man and a woman. Dialogue between the hero and heroine is a particularly important tool for drawing in the readers and making them feel involved with the characters. When readers listen to what the characters say to each other—when the characters banter, when they argue, when they're whispering sweet nothings—the readers become wrapped up in the characters' world. In a sense, dialogue helps readers to become the heroine and fall in love with the hero, because they're right there in the midst of those most private conversations. When each individual reader feels like the only witness to what the characters are saying, how can she not feel involved in their lives?
An equally important part of the story is introspection—when the character shares his thoughts with the readers. Though introspection can be overdone (we'll talk more about how to handle a