We've been enjoying a great series here this month with award-winning author, Karen Witemeyer on deep POV. Here's her final installment this Mixing-it-up-Monday. Enjoy!
Deepen
POV by Creating Fresh Comparisons
One of my favorite ways to deepen POV is
to create fresh comparisons that are unique to my POV character's personality
and background.
If your hero is a western cowboy, the comparisons
that mean something to him will be far different from those of a British
nobleman. Similes, metaphors, analogies—all can be given a fresh spin that
enhance your character's voice.
This is another aspect of craft that keeps you from
getting lazy. Clichés are nearly always the first comparisons to come to mind
when we write. Don't accept that easy road. Work to make your analogies unique
to your POV character. In doing so, you will deepen the POV and create
memorable moments for your reader.
Example:
In
my latest release, Short-Straw Bride,
there is a scene where my rancher hero is admiring the heroine's determination
and gumption. Instead of having him observe that determination "stuck to
her like glue" (cliché), he instead observed that determination
"clung to her like a grass burr to a pant leg."
In
my current work in progress, I have three POV characters: the hero, the
heroine, and the heroine's father. In one scene, the heroine is racing on
horseback to reach her father who is out with the cattle. We are in the
father's POV, and as he notes her racing in, he makes a comparison.
Now,
as I wrote this scene, the first comparison that came to mind was that she rode
as if a pack of wild dogs were on her tail. This, of course, is a cliché. I
searched and searched for a better simile. I came up blank. Finally, I dug
deeper into who my POV character was. He is an ex-outlaw who's eluded the law
for two decades. He's gone straight, but that outlaw blood still runs through
his veins.
As I pondered this character trait, the perfect comparison finally came
to mind.
He twisted his neck to the side to work out a kink,
and caught sight of his daughter riding down upon them as if a hangin' posse
were in pursuit.
Not
only does this analogy capture the POV character's personality, but it deepens
the POV because that isn't something I as the author would say in narration.
But it is exactly what an ex-outlaw would use as a descriptor were he relating
the story.
You
can practice this on your own. Take a clichéd comparison and rework it with
your own character in mind. Here are some to choose from:
Light
as a feather
Strong
as an ox
Melted
like butter
Stubborn as a mule
~~~~~
Short-Straw Bride released June 1, 2012.
No one steps on Archer land. Not if they value their life. But when
Meredith Hayes overhears a lethal plot to burn the Archer brothers off
their ranch, a twelve-year-old debt compels her to take the risk. Fourteen years of constant vigilance hardens a man. Yet when Travis Archer confronts a female trespasser with the same vivid blue eyes as the courageous young girl he once aided, he can't bring himself to send her away. And when an act of sacrifice leaves her injured and her reputation in shreds, gratitude and guilt send him riding to her rescue once again.
Four brothers. Four straws. One bride. Despite the fact that Travis is no longer the gallant youth Meredith once dreamed about, she determines to stand by his side against the enemy that threatens them both. But will love ever be hers? Or will Travis always see her merely as a short-straw bride?
~~~~~
Two-time RITA® Finalist and winner of the coveted HOLT Medallion, CBA bestselling author, Karen Witemeyer, writes historical romance fiction for Bethany House, believing that the world needs more happily-ever-afters. She is an avid cross-stitcher, shower singer, and bakes a mean apple cobbler. Karen makes her home in Abilene, TX with her husband and three children. Learn more about Karen and her books at: www.karenwitemeyer.com.
