I was looking forward to beginning Chapter Two of my historical romance, because it's told from my heroine's POV (the Wiltshire Chronicles being my only series with dual POVs), but the difficulty I've found with showing both sides is that instead of writing one First Chapter, I have to write two, since each character must introduce themselves to the reader. Even though I have this story plotted out, I wrestled with how to portray her in the "second" opening.
Sarah was originally a side character that was introduced in A Perfect Plan as one of several young ladies who could be a potential wife for Benjamin, Lord Westwood. She's mentioned again, when her sister, Louisa, ends up with Alana Flannery on the ill-fated ship attacked by pirates in An Imperfect Scoundrel. At neither time was she portrayed in a good light. So, why would I give her a chance at happily ever after?
Because first impressions are sometimes wrong, and sometimes, the most trusted confident, shouldn't be trusted (cough, Alice Shirely, cough).
In Sarah's case, she discovered how fickle her friends could truly be, and when she was forced to resort to the very behavior of which they accused her, they destroyed her reputation. Mean girls, historical style. So, I gave her a second chance. I hope she doesn't muck it up.
Comments