Is it OK to switch POV in a story?
Yes, it’s done all the time. Signal the PoV switch like this.When you get done with the first PoV, put a blank line with a # in the middle, then move on to the next PoV. Every time you switch the PoV that is what you do.In a printed book there is sometimes a little “dingbat” (a little picture like an emoticon) in the middle of a blank line, sometimes an asterisk, and sometimes just two blank lines.
I'm writing a story and switching perspectives. Should I make a new chapter every time it switches?
Thanks for the A2A.Switching POV characters can be very, very tricky. Your audience has to know whose head you’re in at all times, and yet, mostly you can’t just stick a label on the text.Certainly the easiest, and most popular, way of switching POV characters is to do it at a chapter break. In fact, sometimes authors switch POV characters at the chapter break, AND use that opportunity to stick a label on them, by naming the chapters to identify the POV character. Patricia Briggs has done that in a few of her Mercedes Thompson novels, when she switches between Mercy and Adam. Kelley Armstrong did that in some of the later Otherworld novels, as well (the earlier ones only had one POV character per novel). You never want to RELY on that label, though.Nor do you absolutely have to switch at a chapter break. Depending on the pace of your novel, the length of your scenes, and the relative amount of time you spend in one character’s head versus another, that just may not work out for your particular work. I’ve noticed that it’s more common for first-person POV narratives to switch only at chapter breaks, while third-person limited POV narratives are less likely to do so.Wherever you choose to break, the absolute necessity is that the audience be able to immediately discern whose POV they’re now in. Ideally you do this by ‘voice’ - by each character having a specific way of sounding, of thinking, of identifying and relating to the other characters - that the audience can quickly learn to recognize.It is definitely tricky, though. I’ve written two complete novels (as well as numerous not-yet-completed ones!); they’ve both been read by others for critique purposes and are both in revision stages right now. I found it comparatively easy to provide clear, but unobtrusive, clues in third-person limited; the first-person POV novel I’m working on now has definitely been more difficult. However, I’m less comfortable in that format overall, so that may not be everybody’s experience.
In a novel, can I write 3rd person multiple in some scenes and 3rd person omniscient in others of the same story? Is this considered bad practice?
Shifting POVs within the same chapter, or even scene or scenes within that chapter- never mind if the scene breaks by an asterisk -is ‘head hopping’ and most readers are put off by it. You can still get the same points across through character dialog tags in the course of a conversation or event.I finished formatting a book recently that, although told from a single POV had several scene breaks within chapters peppered throughout the novel and it was extremely annoying -even though I didn’t read it. (I was typesetting it) it ‘jars’ the reader into a hard shift, instead of a smooth switch into the next scene. Skilled writers transition a passage of time or space with a simple sentence, and so many physical indicator breaks don’t need to happen. Add multiple character thoughts and you’re more likely to get a very frustrated reader who will put the book down or start skimming for the one character whose viewpoint they were enjoying.On the technical side, it also makes controlling widows and orphans in a printed copy hat much harder which can and does disrupt the aesthetics of streamlined text, and for e-books - it can create disjointed gaps on the page.This is a good article which illustrates the case against head hopping:Head-Hopping Gives Readers Whiplash/R
Can a writer switch POV in mid-chapter? If I am writing a novel in 3rd person limited, can I start with one character then in the second half of the chapter switch to the other character? If yes, how is it done best?
As you have no doubt noticed, rules are made to be broken. But, here is the guideline I follow, mostly because it makes sense to me as a reader.Stick to one POV per scene. A chapter may have several scenes. The location or time of the new scene doesn’t have to change dramatically. Say, in a dialogue taking place in the kitchen, a character might get up and walk to the sink. You could do a POV switch here. If so, start a new paragraph and give a cue to the change of focus.Example: Marley and Jane banter at the table, experienced from Marley’s POV. Jane suddenly jumps up and crosses the room where she starts to slam the cooking pots into the sink. Could switch to Jane’s POV here.Head hopping in a single scene can be confusing and frustrating to the reader.Another thing: if the book overall is in one POV, see if you can avoid a switch if it occurs only once or rarely. Multiple POVs work best if there is some proportionality.
Writing a novel, questoin about alternating the chapters between 2 different characters perspectives?
I'm writing a fantasy/romance novel, and I was wondering if it's weird or unusual to tell one chapter in my main female's p.o.v (1st person) and then in the next chapter tell the story in my main male's persepective (also 1st person). I thought it would be kind of cool because readers would know what BOTH characters were thinking, and they'd get the full story. Plus it'll beef up my novel, which I heard fantasy romance novels tend to run a bit longer. I think it's a good idea but I'm looking for opinions. I'm not afraid that it's going to get repetitive because my main characters usually aren't in the same place doing the same thing (it's complicated). And for the times that I will be describing the same thing twice (a scene, a kiss, whatever), it'll still be through two different people's eyes. Whuddya think? I need opinionsss !
Im writing a story is 500 words in a chapter ok?
Well, personally, I think 500 words is WAY too short for a chapter, although it might work for a prologue. Figure it this way. Let's say you want your book to be twenty chapters long. At 3,000 words per chapter, that's a 60,000 word book. A short book for sure, but still a true novel.
I can’t figure out if I should write a single P.O.V. novel or use multiple?
When it comes to picking what point of view to pick for your book, ask yourself one simple question:What does it bring to the storytelling?3rd omniscient is the default here. Reader can see everything you decide to show him, he knows more than the characters. He can read about what everyone thinks and feels. This is by far the best for a newbie.3rd limited is what ASOIAF brought to the fore. You have multiple main characters and reader can only see what the POV character sees, thinks and feels. Not only it is hard to use, but it has been used way too much in past few years. Just because it is cool. It works for Martin, because his characters are extremely diverse, thrust into a world of intrigue and shadow. There is no ultimate truth in ASOIAF, all you get is character’s take on things (sometimes another POV character will see it completely differently). Will this type of storytelling bring something to your planned story, or won’t it? Do you have more truths?1st person is the classical Ich form. The reader only gets to know what the one person does and thinks, no wiggle room.There are grey zones. You can jump between 3rd and 1st (not recommended for a beginner), you can write in “we,” and you can do 3rd omniscient with more characters. That is usually the easiest way to go. Mostly the right one as well.Unless other approaches help you tell a story that just cannot be told from 3rd omniscient or the basic 1st, don’t bother with them.
Is it okay to mix first person and third person when writing a story?
Is it a big mistake? Not necessarily. But, having said that...Doing something like this requires skill. It's going to be jarring to the reader, so if you're going to make it work, there will have to be a clear and consistent use for it, and a structural reason that the story is written that way. If it's just a gimmick, or you can't decide how to write the story so you just mixed perspectives at random, the reader probably isn't going to want to come along for the ride.There are writers who've used all kinds of unorthodox structures to tell good, engaging stories. William Faulkner, Iain Banks, Italo Calvini, Joseph Heller, and David Mitchell spring to mind as examples. But tinkering with the expected narrative flow or structure of a book is a tricky business that takes care and consideration. It's not something to undertake lightly.If there isn't a compelling reason why your story has to be told that way, you might be better served to rewrite it from a consistent perspective.
I’m 23 chapters into my story. I've written it in the 1st person as the main character, Lena. How do I switch to 3rd person scenes?
Question: I’m 23 chapters into my story. I've written it in the 1st person as the main character, Lena. How do I switch to 3rd person scenes?Ah, you have discovered one of the problems with writing in first person.Waiting until 23 chapters in to suddenly switch to third person could feel forced. But I suppose you could simply start a new chapter and put the font into italics to show something different is going on. I’m sure the reader will catch on immediately that they are now reading a part in third person. When you are ready to switch back, go back to the same font you were using previously.How long will this section last?Could the book be rewritten in third person to avoid this problem?Could you add other third person sections so when this happens at Chapter 23 it’s not such a jarring change to the narrative?Bounce some ideas around with your writer friends. You do have writer friends? If not, get some. Have someone alpha read what you’ve written so far and see what advice they can give.I’ve done some developmental editing. What you have also discovered is what happens when you don’t work with an outline. An outline would show you before you begin to write that somewhere along the line you’d have to write in third person. That is unless the plot took a left turn and the outline went out the window—that happens, too.MUST you switch to third person? Can you pick up after your character becomes conscious again? Is what happens while she’s unconscious that important that she can’t be told about it later?You have a lot of thinking to do. And a lot of writing. You may want to try writing what comes next in a variety of ways to see what works best. I frequently have multiple versions of scenes (pivotal or less important) to see which one flows best with the narrative.