Head
hopping is an unforgivable sin that no author should ever commit! In the voice
of my bestie, Faith, “Lies you tell.”
Head hopping is when you bounce from one character’s point of view to another
within a scene or chapter. I’ve read
many “how to” articles on craft that frequently frown upon the act of head
hopping. The logic for this opinion is
that it confuses readers by shocking them out of the story when an author
abruptly jumps from one character’s point of view to another.
On
this point I will agree that authors shouldn’t skip from one POV to another
with no warning and especially in the middle of a scene. However, head hopping—when done correctly—can
offer an enriching experience for your reader, allowing them to see the same
story from several sides of the page.
In
my opinion, the most effective way to head hop is by making certain a scene is
finished—meaning there is a distinguishable conclusion to that character’s
perspective during the scene. Once
you’ve done that, place a scene break symbol (three to five asterisks: ***) on
a line between the end of the paragraph expressing the first character’s
perspective and the paragraph where the new character’s perspective
begins. Read the excerpt from my novel, POWER
PRIVILEGE & PLEASURE: QKB4 to see an example of how I use head hopping in
my books. (Excerpt at end of this article.)
Now
maybe it’s just my particular brand of crazy, but I really enjoy the
opportunity to see inside both protagonists’ heads/emotions/desires. This is especially true when there’s an, “I
love you, but I hate you,” sort of theme running throughout the story. Ultimately it helps provide yet another level
of understanding of how the characters actually relate to one another. In this case, the reader gets to see what
both characters have been thinking before this encounter. They each want each other, but both fight as
if they hate each other. Neither
revealing to one another the depths of which their desire runs. Isn’t that so much fun?
A
subsequent reason to consider using alternating perspectives when writing is it
can unlock unexpected needs, desires, and motivations of your characters,
bringing a new depth to your story you might not have anticipated. For instance, if you know exactly what you’re
supposed to be writing, but can’t seem to get the words to align correctly on
the page, try changing the character point of view. Maybe the current character’s perspective
isn’t the vantage point that will provide that scene or chapter with the
greatest emotional or physical depth possible.
Just remember when you choose the perspective or point of view, the
character that brings the greatest depth of emotion and description to the
scene is the one who wins the head hop.
Thanks
for spending a little time with me. This
is LaQuette, your friendly erotic romance author, embracing my crazy…one
character at a time.♥
2015 Georgia Romance Writers Maggie Award
Finalist in Erotic Romance, 2015 Swirl Awards Finalist in Romantic Suspense,
bestselling erotic romance author, LaQuette, is a native of Brooklyn, New
York. She spends her time catering to
her three distinct personalities: Wife, Mother, and Educator. LaQuette loves hearing from readers
and discussing the crazy characters that are running around in her head causing
so much trouble. Contact her on Facebook, Twitter, @LaQuetteLikes, her website,
www.NovelsbyLaQuette.com, Amazon, her Facebook group, LaQuette's Lounge, and
via email at NovelsbyLaQuette@gmail.com.
***EXCERPT***
“You have the sexiest f#*@ing mouth I’ve ever seen,” he
growled. “It would look so much prettier
stretched around my c#@k than spewing the venom you insist on spitting.”
He waited for the slap that he knew was coming. If he’d been on the receiving end of a
statement like that he’d certainly have been looking to hit someone. But she didn’t hit him, even though she had
every right to. Instead, she stepped
closer into his space and spread those f#*@able lips into the most alluring
smile.
“If you think you’re man enough to get me to put my mouth
to use like that, Quillen, then make me.
Or are you just all talk?”
***
Finally! After all
these f#*@ing years he’s finally catching on.
A.J. pressed herself into Alan’s personal space. She hoped she didn’t have to give him much
more of a clue. Shouldn’t her body
pressed against his be enough of an obvious statement that he’d get the
hint? Well if it wasn’t, for damn sure
she was only two seconds away from spelling her desires out frankly and
clearly.
The heated exchange they shared was the closest she’d
ever come to letting him see what she’d been aching for all this time. She’d known from day one she couldn’t have
him, so she’d set out to make him as miserable as his sex appeal made her. She’d decided that the quiet calm he always
seemed to be cloaked in was the one pressure point she could attack until he
finally exploded. No way was she going
to be the only one frustrated in this scenario.
If she couldn’t get the d#*k she wanted so terribly, then he couldn’t
keep that blessed peace he walked around with every day.###
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