The novels I write are crime novels written from several points of view. My firat editor, the wonderful Sue Barnard, had a great deal to teach me about making it clear which character was speaking or thinking and I am grateful to her for her patience because I did a great deal of 'head hopping' in those early days.
One of the challenges of writing any successful novel is to nail the main characters voices. I try to do this by imagining myself in the minds of the characters I create. As writers, I suppose we all do this and assume our fictional identities that enable us to develop voices which reflect the internal and external dilemmas of our characters.
If we use one viewpoint character, it is our job as the author to sustain that voice throughout the novel although, of course, we must reflect how the character alters from navigating the problems we throw at them. To achieve this is an accomplishment, so you can appreciate that it is even more problematic to write a novel with more than one viewpoint character. There are a variety of strategies we can use to keep the voices separate and consistent.
When portraying two or more viewpoint characters within one novel, I try to make them very different from one another. In Hunter's Chase, I show this by different ways characters use language. The villains use more Scottish words, those who are wealthy or of nobility use more formal language and Hunter, who is a sensible man, speaks like most people I know.
In some novels, I’ve had to change the names of some of my characters during the redrafting process, not necessarily because they were too similar, but sometimes character names have to be consistent with their date of birth, heritage and their upbringing. Names may also reflect parental aspiration or class.
When working with newly developed characters, I also think about what their name looks like on the page and how that relates to other returning characters in my series that they will be in contact with most often. This helps to adjust my thinking into the back ground and experiences of each character. Another strategy for working with more than one viewpoint characters within one novel is to write out each story line separately from start to finish.
Let's take as an example rugby fanatics Tim and Bear. Although they have the same background as they attended the same school Tim was born and grew up in Scotland while Bear, whose given name is Winston, was born and raised in his younger years in Ethiopia and only moved to the UK when his father became Ambassador. Tim also went on to University at St Andrews and got to know Prince William there, while Bear didn't secure the grades to go on to university and went straight into the police force.
To hold their separate voices in my head, I often refer to their shared background abut will accentuate their differences by mentioning the differences in their upbringings too.
As a rule of thumb in developing characters’ voices, it’s best to use regional accents sparingly or not at all. I only use Scottish words and phrases when my villains are talking amongst themselves and I am guided by my English editor if the language becomes too colloquial.
Non-verbal cues are another way to separate characters. When angry, you might find Tim blocking the villains' way, while Bear is more likely to confront them. By making the experiences of the characters visual, this is a good way to reinforce their differences and connect with their voices.
I hope these musings are helpful and that they allow you to continue to enjoy your story writing even more than you have before.
Val Penny
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