My plot is action-packed, but it hops from a criminal's head to a detective's head, obviously not without warning, though I wonder if a "surprise-hop" would be acceptable if I made it absolutely clear we were now in a new head after some time of the reader not knowing? The thing is, nothing is hidden to the reader, it's just that what one character knows, the other one doesn't. That doesn't let you know how it ends, but the reader does know all that both the criminal and the detective know. So, does that automatically make it some other genre?
Would it still be a thriller?
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Uh... I didn't totally follow all that, but the answer to your question is no. POV shifting does not exclude a book from being a thriller.
It sounds like you have two POVs? That's fine, common in fact. Just make sure there are scene breaks and/or chapter breaks for your switch. No headhopping.
It sounds like you have two POVs? That's fine, common in fact. Just make sure there are scene breaks and/or chapter breaks for your switch. No headhopping.
No worries, I don't know if I even know how to articulate what I'm trying to ask
I don't have a big surprise twist and the idendity of the killer is obviously not a mystery since we spend a good part of the book in the killer's head. I originally guessed it would be literary as I focus a lot on how the characters develop and change. They're both in first-person. Maybe the book doesn't have a genre at all.
There definitely is a lot of action in it, but how much is enough to call a thriller?
Thanks for the headhopping warning, I'll keep that in mind. I guess I just felt like experimenting, but others would not appreciate reading it as much as I did writing it
I don't have a big surprise twist and the idendity of the killer is obviously not a mystery since we spend a good part of the book in the killer's head. I originally guessed it would be literary as I focus a lot on how the characters develop and change. They're both in first-person. Maybe the book doesn't have a genre at all.
There definitely is a lot of action in it, but how much is enough to call a thriller?
Thanks for the headhopping warning, I'll keep that in mind. I guess I just felt like experimenting, but others would not appreciate reading it as much as I did writing it
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A thriller doesn't have to be all bangs and flashes. A lot of them are more psychological, and I have read a lot of crime fiction / thrillers lately where the villain or killer's POV is written. It also doesn't stop it being a thriller if the readers know who the killer is, that is also quite common.
I get it now
You want to head hop to a new character w/o telling us at first. Then (literally speaking) slap the reader w/a surprise when they learn a little later who's head they are in.
I think it could work if done for the right reasons and in the right way. I think the chances of it's success would increase if the reader was NOT mislead about being in a specific head. That is, they don't know who's head they are in, and after a while it's revealed.
But to have the reader believe they are in one head, and then find out they are in another? It's dicey. Could work, but maybe only once, near the end.
You might be interested in the John Sandford prey novels. Often he starts off in the head of the criminals as the crime is committed. We know who did it and why. No mystery, nothing hidden. The suspense comes from the hunt between the detection and the criminals as their paths slowly converge.
Last comment. I've found 1st person head hoping is a lot more confusing than 3rd person. If you're going to do 1st person head hoping you'd better have strong character voice and I.D., otherwise all the 1st person tends to sound alike.
You want to head hop to a new character w/o telling us at first. Then (literally speaking) slap the reader w/a surprise when they learn a little later who's head they are in.
I think it could work if done for the right reasons and in the right way. I think the chances of it's success would increase if the reader was NOT mislead about being in a specific head. That is, they don't know who's head they are in, and after a while it's revealed.
But to have the reader believe they are in one head, and then find out they are in another? It's dicey. Could work, but maybe only once, near the end.
You might be interested in the John Sandford prey novels. Often he starts off in the head of the criminals as the crime is committed. We know who did it and why. No mystery, nothing hidden. The suspense comes from the hunt between the detection and the criminals as their paths slowly converge.
Last comment. I've found 1st person head hoping is a lot more confusing than 3rd person. If you're going to do 1st person head hoping you'd better have strong character voice and I.D., otherwise all the 1st person tends to sound alike.
The shifting in POV's doesn't bother me. Lots of writers do it very effectively. In 1st person, I think the voice and attitude of the two characters should be distinctly different and easy to recognise.
What would make this work, for me, is the degree of suspense involved. Knowing who did what is okay, but what's going to happen before he/she gets caught is what would keep me hooked. What's at stake? Who's in danger? How big is the threat? You know, that kind of thing.
What would make this work, for me, is the degree of suspense involved. Knowing who did what is okay, but what's going to happen before he/she gets caught is what would keep me hooked. What's at stake? Who's in danger? How big is the threat? You know, that kind of thing.
Thanks for all your comments, they've been very helpful.
I definitely have plans to escalate the tension as the chase goes on, from the detective's point of view, but my killer is sort of fearless. So the tension and conflict is mostly that of the detective, guess I have a main character though I never thought of the story like that.
You all have a great point about distinctive voices, I need to work on remembering that at all times so I don't slip
I'm not sure whether to keep the headhopping or not but I'll decide based on feedback when I get to the beta stage.
I definitely have plans to escalate the tension as the chase goes on, from the detective's point of view, but my killer is sort of fearless. So the tension and conflict is mostly that of the detective, guess I have a main character though I never thought of the story like that.
You all have a great point about distinctive voices, I need to work on remembering that at all times so I don't slip
I'm not sure whether to keep the headhopping or not but I'll decide based on feedback when I get to the beta stage.
Note that there's a difference between head-hopping and shifting POVs. Shifting POVs happens when you start a new scene or chapter from a different POV. Head-hopping occurs when you're switching POVs back and forth within the same scene. The latter can really disrupt any flow you have going with the story and characters. So alternating POVs is a good; head-hopping, bad.
Quoted for truth. Headhopping is evil. Properly-executed POV change is good. Namatu is wise.
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From what I understand, thrillers are risks to the world at large. Mystery and suspense are on a smaller scale. But that's just what my Movie Production instructor told us.
The line has blurred a lot in books lately, Cassi. That is the true, standard definition, but you'll find that opinions vary.
I thought something was missing from my genre definition and now I know what I was missing The world of my book will remain intact no matter how I end it. But it's still a pretty thrilling book. Maybe I could call it a psychological thriller, I don't think that subgenre requires the world to be in danger and there are elements of it in the book.
The world of my book will remain intact no matter how I end it. But it's still a pretty thrilling book. Maybe I could call it a psychological thriller, I don't think that subgenre requires the world to be in danger and there are elements of it in the book.
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