Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Who's the MC?

It's usually easy for me to decide on the main character of a story, and then stick with it. As a woman, my MCs are usually women because it's easier for me to write from their POV, identify with their troubles, and allow their emotions to come across more honestly, since I don't have to filter them through testosterone.

But I think I've been wrong about FURY's MC. All this time, I was thinking that it was Fury. (Hence, the title.) But now...

The thing is, I've been struggling with FURY's query again. I've had some fresh eyes look at it (people who haven't even heard of my story, let alone read it) and it comes across as very vague and garbled. So, as an experiment, I used Nathan Bransford's query letter formula in the hopes that it would help me narrow my focus.

With Fury as the MC, I struggled. It's not that I don't know what her "quest" is, but it's not as tangible as Caden's. Hers is mainly an inner struggle with what she wants and doesn't want, and allowing herself to finally go after it. Caden's is more physical. He's on a quest to save his beloved from a deadly curse and gets wrapped up in the Devourer's schemes. Using Mr. Bransford's formula, this is what I ended up with:


Caden is a green-eyed warrior-prince living a privileged life in his father’s kingdom and eagerly anticipating his wedding to the beautiful Kaymarla. But when Kaymarla falls mysteriously ill, Caden must travel to the Dark Mountains and enter the service of the Devourer in order to gain his beloved’s cure. 

Yes, very simplified, but it got me thinking. ZOMG, is CADEN the MC of this story? That would sort of make sense, since he is the driving force behind changing Fury's life. He is the catalyst. He is the character who makes things happen.

Now, I've categorized FURY as a paranormal romance, so I'm sure I could get away with having two MCs, but for the purpose of the query, I'm wondering if I should use Caden's POV. And if my query focuses on Caden's quest, wouldn't it be sensible to start the story with Caden? 

I'm still struggling to comprehend this upset, so please feel free to chime in (whether you've read the story or not) because I need some advice!

3 comments:

  1. I haven't read the whole story yet, but I was more impressed by Caden's POV. I still plan on reading more and giving better feedback.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Are you suggesting yet another possible rewrite for FURY? Cuz, ya know, that's just ridiculous. You can't just keep rewriting and rewriting and rewriting every time you learn something new. You'll never finish the darn thing. I know it's your baby, but come on. Be sensible.

    Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to the billionth draft of WEB. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  3. @ Telliot

    Yes, well, Caden has been a bit more assertive in the story than I'd originally planned, but I've yet to decide if it's a good thing or a bad thing.

    @ Lydia

    Curse us perfectionists! We never get anything done. Never fear, though, I probably won't get serious about a rewrite until all the agents I've queried get back to me (or 2 months pass, whichever comes first). :)

    ReplyDelete