Is using one P.O.V. only considered a terrible faux pas?

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Latina Bunny

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Yes, certainly write the story, then find places where it can find a perfect fit.
In this particular instance, the judge is wrong, and his/her opinion is just one person's
opinion.

Yes, there are romances with one POVs. They do exist, and it is possible to write from either POV.

However, make sure you do your research on submission requirements and the /publishers/agents/markets/etc you want to shop your story to.*

For example, if you want to submit your story to, say, Siren, you would have to write multiple POVs in third-person--because that's in Siren's requirements.

So, yes, write your story the you want. But, be sure to do your research if you want to "sell" it somewhere. I'm sure if it's written well, it can find a home. :)

*I'm just saying as someone who sees some restrictions among some romance pubs and epubs, and noticing some tropes are more common or acceptable than others, etc…
 

Orianna2000

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I sure hope a single POV is acceptable, because the novel I'm preparing to query is first-person from the heroine's POV. It's sci-fi/romance and it's HER story, not her lover's, so I didn't feel the need to include his POV.
 

gingerwoman

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There are always going to be people who bitch about anything you do, if you get noticed at all.

So far I've taken to writing in third person, because I know there is a very vocal subset of readers who hate first person POV, but really as all the editors and agents at conference always say "it's all in the execution".

It's not a terrible faux pas. If you can do it brilliantly then don't worry about it. Some editors and agents might turn you down purely on that basis, but others won't.
 
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Mr Flibble

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I think I'm really weird in that I prefer male POV romances -- what's sexy about a guy is what is in his head*, and I read to fall in love with him, not the heroine. The guy is my focus

Obviously, I am not your usually romance reader....but GODS I love a great romance from his POV. *swoons*



*even if it takes a drill to get at it :D
 

Twick

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I agree with the judge. Using only a single point of view ruins a romance. Think of how terrible Gone with the Wind was, and what a commercial failure it turned out to be.

(I'm being silly, of course.)
 

frimble3

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I agree with the judge. Using only a single point of view ruins a romance. Think of how terrible Gone with the Wind was, and what a commercial failure it turned out to be.

(I'm being silly, of course.)
Not silly, because the first thing I thought of was GWTW. From Rhett's POV, a war story, about a bold, cynical man having daring adventures. Turning into the sadder story of a man at loose ends after the war, in 'normal' life. Totally different book.:D

However, I don't think GWTW is what romance readers would consider a 'Romance'. No HEA, for one (unless you were, like me, silently crying "Run, Rhett, run!" throughout the book) and too much emphasis on background characters and History.
 

Kimber

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Didn't Ellora's Cave start a line of books "for men" a while back? I'd assume those would be from the male POV only. Not that I'm recommending EC, mind you. This thread just made me think of it.

Yup. Here it is: http://www.ellorascave.com/imprints/ec-for-men.html

One of my MM books was solely from one MC's POV until the epilogue. My other guy had a secret so his POV wasn't an option. My dilemma during writing was trying to make the guy without a "say" likable without getting in his head. I didn't see any complaints about POV for that book, though, so I believe it worked.

Also, it's pretty darn common (if you're writing from both 3rd POVs) to swap them out at chapter breaks, so that particular criticism is rather ridiculous given you're subbing only the first chapter.

I like sunandshadow's idea, but then I'm not anti-prologue as many authors and pubs are. ;-) Of course, it could just be a short chapter so no one can complain.
 

Deb Kinnard

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This is one of those rubbish rules that comes up from time to time. Over the last twelve years I've heard some dillies, and this is one of them.

That said, I've written and sold at least two books that start with the guy's POV, and written one that's totally his POV. No reader ever said, "No, you can't do that in romance."

It's disappointing to hear these things. My recommendation is to shake the dust from your feet and continue believing in telling YOUR story YOUR way.
 

Pterofan

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I feel better now. I started writing a story from the man's POV, and couldn't figure out a way to shoehorn the woman's in, even with chapter breaks. She's a main character, but that doesn't necessarily mean her POV belongs in this particular story.
 

Deb Kinnard

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My current WIP (in heavy edits because I can be a total bonehead at times) is told completely from the man's POV. When my beta-reader voiced a mild-mannered objection, I layered in snippets from the woman's journal, in which she reacts to what he does and explains the stuff he's going "Whaaa??" about.

I like it better this way. I do not, however, intend to morph her journal entries to full-blown scenes in her POV. That'd be to eviscerate the air of mystery I want my female main to have.

My take, anyway, and my beta seems to like the enhanced POV treatment.
 

akaria

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Umm, what? There's no reason you can't have a book in first person written from more than one POV. I've read lots of books like this. They just change who the first person is between chapters.

I attempted to write a novella like this and it turned into a hot mess. Got any suggestions where the author pulled it off?
 

Orianna2000

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I attempted to write a novella like this and it turned into a hot mess. Got any suggestions where the author pulled it off?
It might not work as well in a shorter story. You use two POVs when you have a longer, fuller story to tell. One that can't be told from just one person's perspective. Basically, though, you switch between POVs every other chapter. It's best not to overlap the events, trying to show the same scene from different viewpoints. That can get messy fast! Just start the next scene where the previous one stopped, or else jump forward in time a bit.

The whole point of multiple POVs is to show the whole story from different character's perspectives, so try to give each character their own unique voice, and let each of them provide a unique viewpoint, adding something to the story that the other characters lack.

Also, if you write one POV in first-person, try not to write the others in first-person, too. It can get confusing fast. Switch to third-person for the other viewpoints and that way the reader knows they're with a different character.

Remember, too, that you don't need to have multiple POVs. There are plenty of bestselling novels that only use one perspective and they do just fine.

For help with POV, try Orson Scott Card's Character & Viewpoint, or Characters, Emotion, & Viewpoint, by Nancy Kress. There's probably other books on POV, too.
 

Ralyks

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The point of views in my romances vary. Here they are in order of my best to worst selling romances:

1 - Third person, approx. 50% female 50% male
2 - First person, 100% female

3 - Third person, 100% female
4 - Third person, approx. 40% female, 60% male
5- Third person, approx. 35% female, 65% male

I also have a book with two M/F romantic plots (a primary and secondary romance) that is told in multiple first person POVs, but primarily from the POVs of the two male characters. This book, however, deals with themes other than romance and was classified as "literary fiction" by my publisher. Originally, it was entirely from the POV of these two men (alternating chapters), but my publisher asked me to rewrite it to add in a few chapters from the POV of the primary female character (the main male character's love interest).

While I like reading and telling things from a male POV, I think you have a better chance of publication if the male POV is limited to 1/2 of the book at most.
 

FLChicken

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I was nervous when I first started reading this thread, but your response have calmed me. haha. My first novel is 3rd person told solely in heroine's POV. While definitely a romance (erotic at that), it's also about my heroine's personal journey. I couldn't imagine writing it from two POVs.
 

andiwrite

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One-POV M/F that is male-POV is pretty rare. I look hard for these and like them, but the fact they are like hens' teeth probably reflects that they are not widely popular?

My book has only the male's POV. :) I was told by a couple of my betas that male-POV NA romance was pretty rare, and that it actually might be a selling point for me. Guess they were right. I just hope the readers like it.

I'm not sure the differences between the straight-up romance genre and the NA romance genre, though.
 
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