Hearing Characters Talk

Recently, I wrote Subtle Dates Forever, and some feedback made me wonder. There were positive responses, but also some problems were expressed about using multiple points of view. Drop me a comment about your thoughts.

Sometimes I like seeing the differing motivations and the different takes between characters. It can add conflict and suspense.

In Subtle Dates Forever, I thought setting up the young guy still angry with the female character over how she left when divorcing his dad versus the woman coming back and wanting to put it behind them gave strong conflict.

Readers got to hear from both characters' perspectives. We also got to see how both sides reacted when their relationship took some sharp turns.

I really liked writing it that way. I felt like I got to know more characters better, and therefore I could do better by them in the story. Originally, I was going to write it from the son's point of view. Now since posting it, I've thought about writing a version of it completely from the mother's point of view.

But does switching point-of-view back and forth telling the story make it harder to follow? Dilute the momentum? Even with only one point of view used per scene?

The story I'm currently writing involves a mother and son out at a game day party, and they wind-up doing like some others and make a bet between themselves about the game. Whoever wins gets to come up with a task the other then has to do. The mother loses, and then the son gets shy and doesn't easily admit what he's going to require her to do. The story is called Her Duty.

The next day when they're by themselves, he lets her know. He wants her to do a "scene" with him. She's horrified. That is something she and his father did together years ago. He's heard about it and now springing it on her.

She gets pissed and says absolutely not. She's also angry with her ex, but he swears he never let on that they used to do it. But then he does remember a time when the son may have overheard. So, the son has pieced it together.

Neither the mother nor the son wants to back off. Meanwhile, she doesn't want them not talking at all to each other and having such distance. He can probably handle that better than she can. It starts to sink in for her--he's actually sticking his neck out there to suggest this, so he must really want it. She struggles with him wanting this, but there's also another possibility.

Her son doesn't have a lot of experience with women. Not really. A girlfriend in high school. Another in college. But he's never really been what she'd consider a player. So, how could he possibly take this on?

She tells herself the only thing that makes much sense is that he's exploring. Trying to figure this out so he can understand it and use it. She also wonders if there isn't a chance he cannot even go through with it to begin with. She really does.

So, after agonizing, she says, okay. She'll do it.

Now in this story, I don't want to write scenes that show what he's thinking. His perspective. I think I'd wind-up taking some of the suspense out of things. You know?

I want the reader wondering just like she is.

The answer is probably just to let each story determine the best approach to take.

But the more I've wondered about it, the more I've thought about putting the question out there, like this. I can't remember writing and posting any letters or essays, but why not?

So, I want to hear what you think. I really do. If I don't get your feedback, then this post was pretty useless. Also, feel free to toss in any scenarios, types of characters, or other things you'd enjoy seeing.

Of course, I've got to actually finish writing the stories, too. At times, I have four or five different projects going on, and which one I finish might come down to any number of things. Why do I even start them if I'm not finished with the other? Because I don't want to lose a thought that might turn out to be worth pursuing later on. You just never know.

Hopefully, I can improve what I'm doing, and hopefully people will keep reading. People have a lot of options for entertainment these days, including for reading.

Just like responding to this post, it's also very helpful to have the comments for the stories. Yeah, some of them sting. But I try to learn from them.

One last question since I'm asking for feedback. If I went back and rewrote a previous story from years ago--especially since I'd probably write it a bit differently today--is that something you'd be interested in reading?

Each time I'm aiming for the reader experience to be compelling and entertaining. That's what I'm after.