Adive on Opening POV

megan_d · Jun 14, 2009

So my novel starts, as many novels do, with a dead man. I have two characters, one who loved the dead man, and the other you loathes him on account of how he murdered his brother.

Its is established very quickly with these two POVs how they feel about the dead guy, and my question is which should I open with. Would it interest you more to read about a murderer and then be surprised when the next pov was a woman who loved him very much, or vice versa?

I'm not sure I've really gotten my question across right here, so let me know if you have no idea what I'm even asking here!

ChaosTitan · Jun 14, 2009

From what you've written, I'd find the POV of the loather to be more interesting. He seems to have a lot more at stake, especially if his hatred of the dead man makes him a suspect in the murder.

kaitlin008 · Jun 14, 2009

Well, would you rather the reader started out with a good or bad impression of this dead person? Whichever one you start with, that's probably the impression that will stick with the reader unless you really overcome it. And does the woman who loved him know about him murdering someone? If not, and you started with the impression where he was a horrible murderer, then reading it, I'd probably think the poor woman was being naive.

megan_d · Jun 14, 2009

Good gravy, what did I do to piss off the God of Spelling New Thread Titles Correctly? Every post I make lately has a shoddily spelled heading....

And woah, quick replies! Food for thought guys, I thank you for it.

ChristineR · Jun 14, 2009

Really, it could work either way, and it's your call, but if you can't decide, write it both ways and use the one you think is better.

Just based on what you've said, I agree with ChaosTitan, but this could easily go either way.

Matera the Mad · Jun 14, 2009

lolz @ thread title. You could ask a Kindly Mod to fisk it

My keyboard has been leaving out letters without my permission too. Seems like every fourth sentence in WIP has a toyp.

Which POV is most likely to become dominant? They will do, you know; it's like sibling rivalry. If you don't know yet, maybe you should leave the beginning to do after things have progressed some. It might be easier to decide later.

Salis · Jun 14, 2009

Not sure if it helps at all, but a murderer desperately trying to avoid getting caught strikes me as possibly one of the most interesting (hooky?) premises possible.

So that's my vote.

5bcarnies · Jun 14, 2009

I agree with ChristineR. Write the opening from both POVs then whichever strikes you as the best go with that. This way you'll have a better feel as to how the rest of the story may pan out.

Adive on Opening POV

megan_d

Falling in the milk

ChaosTitan

Around

kaitlin008

Seeing newness all the time

megan_d

Falling in the milk

ChristineR

What happened?

Matera the Mad

Bartender, gimme a Linux Mint

Salis

You Lie!

5bcarnies