I have a question on changing POV in a third person limited story: During a chapter, the POV is written in the main character’s perspective, this character watches as a few kings discuss policy issues among each other and then leaves afterward to a new room to be alone. - Would the author be forced to write a new chapter with a new POV to show the continue discussion between the kings? Clarification is much needed.
i am currently looking for a book that is written by one author that in the book pretended to be multiple fake authors written somewhere in the 1800s to 1900s i cant find it
I want to add that you can do more pov's in one chapter just like Frank Herbert or James Clavell does. Of course they do it only with the main characters so the reader can see the feelings and thoughts of both characters.
And just as a side note, since watching your head-hopping video... I'm starting to see everything differently. When I read other hobby writers' works, I notice head-hopping immediately now, and I also noticed that I naturally find it jarring, even when I didn't know what it was. And now that I'm learning to not head hop in my own work, it pushes me to be very aware of why I'm choosing a certain character's pov to tell a certain scene. It feels a lot more purposeful. Anyway, I love the videos and they're crazy helpful! Thank you for all the work you put into them!
I had the same experience when I first learned of it. It always irked me, but like you said, I didn't know why. The only person, I think, that has done this well is J K Rowling in Harry Potter, I just remember this bit at the quidich game in the 1st book, I think, where we go from Harry's head into (possibly) Hermione as she tries to "stop Snape". This shouldn't technically work, but for that scene it did. I think Rowling has done something like this a few other times, but I can't be certain.
Aw I'm so happy to hear that, and thank you!! Honestly? Ever since making that video I've noticed it a lot more too! 😂 I taught a workshop last week and about five of my students were writing in omniscient, but all of them were doing it in such different ways---and each way worked! It really just comes down to knowing why you're making that choice, as you said. I think head hopping is just something that naturally happens when you're new to writing and once you see it, you can't unsee it, haha.
OMG I forgot about that scene!!! Yes, that felt SO random to me too! I mean, it worked, and I get why she had to do it, but it's odd that she never does that in any of Harry's other POV chapters. She has a few chapters written from side characters' POVs in the later books but I can't recall another instance of head hopping (although to be fair, it's been a minute since I've read that series...)
Currently experimenting with a third person pov (omniscient) and a first person pov. Switching back and forth throughout the novel as main character tells her story.
This video was very helpful as I tend to like writing in multiple points of view (I have a thing for creating with dual main characters) and sometimes I question whether I'm doing it in the right way a lot and this helped answer some questions for me. Thank and I look forward to the next one!
Thank you so much, JC! I absolutely love dual POVs too. It's funny how we're all like "what are the rules?" when really we can do whatever we want so long as we know why we're doing it! :) I'm so glad this was helpful, and thank you for watching!
Ok wow this was awesome! I was struggling so much with my current story and whether I was "allowed" to do this or that with the POVs. And now, when I think about it from "would my reader enjoy this", it just made so much sense? Like, I remember I was reading this romance novel, and then at some point, a scene was written from the POV of the hotel staff, they were just like, gossiping and talking about how they saw the couple. And it was just a fun little scene to read? I'm sure the author wasn't trying to make their "writing life" easier, they just wanted us the reader to have a little fun by hearing people's terrible speculations about the main characters. And then this hotel staff person became a little side character that would show up again and again to tell things from her side. Oh, and this is Alice hahahaha I changed my name on youtube :P so thank you so much for taking my suggestion for a video! This was incredibly helpful to me!! I'm looking forward to the next POV video!! Absolutely lovely
Alice/Allie! :D I'm so so glad this was helpful, and thank you SO much for the great topic suggestions! 😄 That romance example is SO great! I know exactly what you mean. I think in that case, that POV choice fit the genre -- romcoms are full of gossip and scandal, so of course it'd be a total delight to slip into a side character's head for a minute and see how others are observing the main couple.
Catch 22 lots of POVs, brilliant novel, read it at least 6 times if not more. Got better each time I read it. I found I had to persist to get over the first 3 chapters but boy was it worth it. I actually like novels with lots of POVs. Don't know if I'm just peculiar that way.
this is what I needed. currently writing a third person adventure story and one of the characters is about to tell the story of why they are the way they are, and I was going to write that segment in first person. Thanks for the advice
the first time i ever expereinced a POV switch in a YA novel was the Breaking Dawn book where the middle third is in Jacob's POV instead of Bella's. I remember being so confused but really sinking my teeth into it once I understood what was happening. Another one that does it well is Hatched, one of my favorite books of all time.
Amazing video! I have this character that only appears half of the story, and I'm painfully torn between whether to give him a pov or not. I'm trying to think as a reader: "would I prefer never to find out if the few good things the villain did were genuine - even though his last decision caused a lot of harm -, or to be brutally sure that despite having done good things, in the end, he never had good intentions?" As a reader, I feel that both options are fascinating: the harsh reality and the cruel doubt; the "all-along terrible human being without a drop of empathy" and "the terrible human being who hesitated, but never really made it". At the same time, giving him a pov is giving him a chance to try to justify his atrocities, but I, as the author, can't think of a single argument, so atrocious they are.
Thanks so much! That's really interesting. Showing that he did some good things through his POV wouldn't necessarily come off as justifying the bad things he's done...it might just make his character more layered! But I see what you're saying. That's a really tough call!
Many thanks for this video! I actually chat a bit about shifting perspectives in the latest video on my channel. The last novel I wrote alternated between first person plural and second person, with the second person segments shifting between different characters across chapters. It was technically quite difficult, but a lot of fun.
In both Twilight and Divergent, the authors add a POV to the final book. Though it was interesting to see into the head of a new character, it didn’t really make sense with either of them (twilight makes a little sense, I guess, but not much)
Great examples! I remember someone saying as soon as they started Allegiant and saw Four's POV, they knew Tris was going to die, which...fair point, haha
I'm writing a story with 2 protagonists and 2 villains, I changed it to third person because it sounds way better, I've been confused about third person limited and omniscient. What I am doing is giving the character's their povs in third person limited and some of the scenes are in third person omniscient, I just want to know if I'm allowed to do that mix without it being head hopping?
Hi! First, I love how straightforward you are in your topics! I’ve been following you for about three months now and your videos have been invaluable!! 😊 I’m working on a WIP that’s genre blending and I’m trying to figure out the dad’s point of view. His daughter is really detailed but he isn’t. I’m having trouble picturing him describing something. Do I just keep it simple?
The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow and A Song Below Water by Bethany C Morrow both have multiple povs and both are done really well. In The Sound of Stars you get to see Janelle struggling and her growth but also Morris and his growth which was really important to the story to me becuase you really see him go against what's going on and it's more powerful and believable than if it had just been Janelle's pov simply because she expected the worst of him for a while. It would have felt awkward to me for this girl who really hates him to notice all that internal work her was doing on himself. It still would have been a great book but also through Morris' pov you also learn more about the worldbuilding than you would have through Janelle. It's so well done. In A Song Below Water you get to see just how much each girl cares for each other but also their own personal struggles and there are parts of the plot that wouldn't be as impactful if it was only told from Tavia's pov or Effie's only. It's done so well that it wouldn't be the same story with just one or the other pov. They're both fantastic at it. Also The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin. I could be here all day about it lol.
Oh wow - those first two books sound fantastic! I love your justifications. Sounds like dual POV was absolutely the right choice for both stories. I really love this: " It would have felt awkward to me for this girl who really hates him to notice all that internal work her was doing on himself." Yes! Characters/people are selfish. Not always in a bad way, but we really are just wrapped up in our own issues, and we project stuff onto those around us. Getting those other POVs really helps the reader empathize with everyone. Look we could devote an entire channel to Jemisin and we still couldn't rave enough. 😂
@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Thats so true😂😂 Reading books where you can see why the characters got their chapters, plus this video, has really helped me figure out my own pov choices in my wips!
I have 5 Main characters, and they all get POV chapters. And I give my villain/antagonist a POV chapter. Each chapter is someone's POV and the chapter titles are their names. They each have a POV because they are all equally important and their experiences are important to the reader. I will even throw in a random POV because I need that scene to be known to the reader. For example, I am writing a King Arthur retelling, and while Merlin is not one of my Main 5, he sometimes has POV chapters because the reader needs to know something important he experiences that may or may not tie in with the villain-who also has an ARC. Like how in Game of Thrones, the first chapter is some random dudes POV where they encounter a White Walker. My book is set up similarly. It's hard to explain without spoilers at the moment lol
@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor I do too!! It's almost like a mystery. I love seeing all the puzzle pieces eventually come together. It's also so fun to write. Although, sometimes very difficult to keep the timelines correct.
Let’s say there are three somewhat consistent pov’s with arcs. Then you have a sometimes fourth for the villain, showing he’s closing in. Is that okay? We really get to know him through the other characters, so we *do* know him before the villain’s first pov. V.E. Schwab handled multi-pov expertly in ‘Vicious’, in my opinion. She even switched through timelines and it was actually easy to follow. It mostly follows Victor and Eli’s pov’s with others around them. A couple of these others are small. It works because I can see the intention behind it. The whole book plays like a movie in my head while I read. This is sorta what I want to achieve with the pov’s, though one is small. I just hope I’m heading in the right direction.
I don't think any POV shift will ever top the one in FEED by Mira Grant for SHEER AUDACITY. It's been almost a decade since I read that damn thing, and still. Damn.
Hi, Very informative vid again, thanks. How do you write dialogue between different characters and switch scenes, using third person POV and an all knowing narrator?
Hey Michelle, thanks for your advice! I've been writing comics and realized my approach to novel format for a fantasy Novella, was following an outline of events that helps track the timing for when things happen. So even if your character did something in the 'timeline' or 'order' of events, you should wait until their character 'arc,' or 'chapter?' And let's say that it would be appropriate two chapters later. So, even if the event discussed happened two chapters earlier, I should save it for their particular chapter arc two chapters later? So I have to tell it from the POV of a narrator? Since the character has already moved on from that point in the story. Is that what you mean by switching POV after the halfway point? Or is this specifically only for 1st person POV change?
Well timed video. I am currently working on a multiple first person POV novel and was wondering if this is a "bad" thing. But, each time I tried to write it from the view point of the original MC it just felt too "telly". Now that I've added two other characters POV it flows better because now there is a person learning about the original MCs world (so she doesn't have to tell it), and there is also someone who is knowledgeable about the dangers her world possesses even though he's not technically from there so his trepidation can add to the suspense. Now, question: what are your views on multiple first person POV in novels? Or, for that matter, a FPPOV where the MCs story gets occasionally narrated by a 3rd person POV side character? I'm doing both, and that last one (when writing like a reader) helps move the story on without an abrupt scene change that skips you past this stuff you want/need to know. (Like if you had a character knocked out or in a coma or some such thing and you need to know what's happening in the in-between rather than jumping right to the "okay, I'm better, whaddid I miss?") But as a writer, I do wonder if this is a no-go form of writing. To me it keeps the story flowing and limits any chance of having to tell. But to an outside reader do you think it would be too jarring? Thank you again for another wonderful video. ❤
Ooooh that's such a great video topic, K - multi-POV all in first person. I might have to add that to the schedule... :) It's not a bad thing at all. The main issue is distinguishing between the voices, because in third, the reader always knows whose head they're in, but in first it's easy to forget. The voices have to sound very distinct to each character. But it can be done well! Children of Blood and Bone is 3 POVs, all first person. The occasional third person POV mixed with first can work too! I'm positive I've read books that do this and now I'm blanking out on titles...but like mystery-thrillers where the MC is in third and the killer is in first (to hide their identity), or conversely, the MC is in first and then you get some third person chapters to show the reader what's going on to the characters around her. All of that can be done to great effect!! I really think the key is just making sure anyone who has a POV has an arc -- that they are (to some degree) changed by the end of the story, for better or worse. Thank YOU for watching! And for giving me another video idea, hehe...
@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor glad I helped to keep your awesome content going. I am also glad yours was a channel recommended to me by one of the other authortubers because while I can pick bits and pieces from people like Alexa Donne and Jenna Moreci for inspiration and help, not everything they say resonates with me. So far everything you've taught does. (Even that bit of using astrology, despite the fact that the most I care to know about the subject is my sign for both the regular and Chinese zodiac, only because those are interesting to look at. But delving into the personality traits of other signs for a character? It blew me away because it really does help to get a firmer grasp on things. Unlike the overload I got from "please understand me II" a Myers-briggs test book that neither fit myself nor the characters. Which was something recommended in a writing book by a dude who's gaga over it.)
I've always wondered if more than one pov was allowed. In my current(and first) book I want the aliens to have a few chapters so we can see their thoughts and their backstory as well as a way to lengthen the book.
im currently writing a story about a hero turning into the villain and right now the story is in the hero’s pov but i was wondering if i could shift the perspective to a third person pov once he becomes a villain
what about switching between two pov's in the same chapter i have already done that and i like how it flows between them I am just not sure if that's the best way to lay out a book. Also a sugestion was journal entries between both characters but i'm not sure how I feel about that.
I have an opening chapter where I switch from the main characters' POV to his mother's POV for a scene. I am confused if I should still refer to her as Ethan's mother or by her name Angie when I switch to her POV?
okay, great advice, now- i have a question, What. if. i'm. writing. a. novel. i mean, i'm writing a series (gee i have no idea what it's called it's multiple books following the same story) but in certain planned books, the pov must change in order to properly tell the story (pls note that the povs it takes on are both main characters) i haven't seen anyone cover this and it makes me feel i might be alone with this struggle
Hello Michelle, I wanted to first say that this is a very insightful video. The question I have is that I initially planned to write the book from a single POV. I wanted to convey the perspective of a character who is blind. Would it be acceptable to introduce a new POV in chapter 5, despite having used only one character's POV until then?
I've got another episode coming up about POVs, so let me know any questions you have that I can address!! :)
Ooohh how yo switch povs and make it glow instead just throwing it in there
Lauren!! I'm so sorry I missed this comment! I just uploaded my next POV episode (it's going up Monday) and it addresses this very question! 😀
Michelle Schusterman oh cool I’ll see check it out
I have a question on changing POV in a third person limited story:
During a chapter, the POV is written in the main character’s perspective, this character watches as a few kings discuss policy issues among each other and then leaves afterward to a new room to be alone. - Would the author be forced to write a new chapter with a new POV to show the continue discussion between the kings?
Clarification is much needed.
i am currently looking for a book that is written by one author that in the book pretended to be multiple fake authors written somewhere in the 1800s to 1900s i cant find it
I want to add that you can do more pov's in one chapter just like Frank Herbert or James Clavell does. Of course they do it only with the main characters so the reader can see the feelings and thoughts of both characters.
And just as a side note, since watching your head-hopping video... I'm starting to see everything differently. When I read other hobby writers' works, I notice head-hopping immediately now, and I also noticed that I naturally find it jarring, even when I didn't know what it was. And now that I'm learning to not head hop in my own work, it pushes me to be very aware of why I'm choosing a certain character's pov to tell a certain scene. It feels a lot more purposeful. Anyway, I love the videos and they're crazy helpful! Thank you for all the work you put into them!
I had the same experience when I first learned of it. It always irked me, but like you said, I didn't know why.
The only person, I think, that has done this well is J K Rowling in Harry Potter, I just remember this bit at the quidich game in the 1st book, I think, where we go from Harry's head into (possibly) Hermione as she tries to "stop Snape". This shouldn't technically work, but for that scene it did. I think Rowling has done something like this a few other times, but I can't be certain.
Aw I'm so happy to hear that, and thank you!! Honestly? Ever since making that video I've noticed it a lot more too! 😂 I taught a workshop last week and about five of my students were writing in omniscient, but all of them were doing it in such different ways---and each way worked! It really just comes down to knowing why you're making that choice, as you said. I think head hopping is just something that naturally happens when you're new to writing and once you see it, you can't unsee it, haha.
OMG I forgot about that scene!!! Yes, that felt SO random to me too! I mean, it worked, and I get why she had to do it, but it's odd that she never does that in any of Harry's other POV chapters. She has a few chapters written from side characters' POVs in the later books but I can't recall another instance of head hopping (although to be fair, it's been a minute since I've read that series...)
Currently experimenting with a third person pov (omniscient) and a first person pov. Switching back and forth throughout the novel as main character tells her story.
This video was very helpful as I tend to like writing in multiple points of view (I have a thing for creating with dual main characters) and sometimes I question whether I'm doing it in the right way a lot and this helped answer some questions for me. Thank and I look forward to the next one!
Thank you so much, JC! I absolutely love dual POVs too. It's funny how we're all like "what are the rules?" when really we can do whatever we want so long as we know why we're doing it! :) I'm so glad this was helpful, and thank you for watching!
Ok wow this was awesome! I was struggling so much with my current story and whether I was "allowed" to do this or that with the POVs. And now, when I think about it from "would my reader enjoy this", it just made so much sense? Like, I remember I was reading this romance novel, and then at some point, a scene was written from the POV of the hotel staff, they were just like, gossiping and talking about how they saw the couple. And it was just a fun little scene to read? I'm sure the author wasn't trying to make their "writing life" easier, they just wanted us the reader to have a little fun by hearing people's terrible speculations about the main characters. And then this hotel staff person became a little side character that would show up again and again to tell things from her side.
Oh, and this is Alice hahahaha I changed my name on youtube :P so thank you so much for taking my suggestion for a video! This was incredibly helpful to me!! I'm looking forward to the next POV video!! Absolutely lovely
Alice/Allie! :D I'm so so glad this was helpful, and thank you SO much for the great topic suggestions! 😄
That romance example is SO great! I know exactly what you mean. I think in that case, that POV choice fit the genre -- romcoms are full of gossip and scandal, so of course it'd be a total delight to slip into a side character's head for a minute and see how others are observing the main couple.
i can't believe I just found your channel last night, it's been so helpful, thank you so much
I'm so glad! Thanks for watching! :)
Actually thanks... This gave me an idea on how I could introduce first pov into my story
Catch 22 lots of POVs, brilliant novel, read it at least 6 times if not more. Got better each time I read it. I found I had to persist to get over the first 3 chapters but boy was it worth it. I actually like novels with lots of POVs. Don't know if I'm just peculiar that way.
this is what I needed. currently writing a third person adventure story and one of the characters is about to tell the story of why they are the way they are, and I was going to write that segment in first person. Thanks for the advice
the first time i ever expereinced a POV switch in a YA novel was the Breaking Dawn book where the middle third is in Jacob's POV instead of Bella's. I remember being so confused but really sinking my teeth into it once I understood what was happening. Another one that does it well is Hatched, one of my favorite books of all time.
Thank you for sharing this I
Like using different povs
Thank you so much, Lauren! I'm glad you liked it!
So grateful to have found your channel 💗
Aw, thank you so much! :)
Amazing video! I have this character that only appears half of the story, and I'm painfully torn between whether to give him a pov or not. I'm trying to think as a reader: "would I prefer never to find out if the few good things the villain did were genuine - even though his last decision caused a lot of harm -, or to be brutally sure that despite having done good things, in the end, he never had good intentions?" As a reader, I feel that both options are fascinating: the harsh reality and the cruel doubt; the "all-along terrible human being without a drop of empathy" and "the terrible human being who hesitated, but never really made it".
At the same time, giving him a pov is giving him a chance to try to justify his atrocities, but I, as the author, can't think of a single argument, so atrocious they are.
Thanks so much! That's really interesting. Showing that he did some good things through his POV wouldn't necessarily come off as justifying the bad things he's done...it might just make his character more layered! But I see what you're saying. That's a really tough call!
Many thanks for this video! I actually chat a bit about shifting perspectives in the latest video on my channel. The last novel I wrote alternated between first person plural and second person, with the second person segments shifting between different characters across chapters. It was technically quite difficult, but a lot of fun.
This was sooo helpeful! Thank you so much!
In both Twilight and Divergent, the authors add a POV to the final book. Though it was interesting to see into the head of a new character, it didn’t really make sense with either of them (twilight makes a little sense, I guess, but not much)
Great examples! I remember someone saying as soon as they started Allegiant and saw Four's POV, they knew Tris was going to die, which...fair point, haha
This is so confusing, but with every video I watch you bring some more clarity. Do you have any videos on self-editing?
I do! :) ruclips.net/video/-OovVKrH_-U/видео.html
I'm writing a story with 2 protagonists and 2 villains, I changed it to third person because it sounds way better, I've been confused about third person limited and omniscient. What I am doing is giving the character's their povs in third person limited and some of the scenes are in third person omniscient, I just want to know if I'm allowed to do that mix without it being head hopping?
Hi! First, I love how straightforward you are in your topics! I’ve been following you for about three months now and your videos have been invaluable!! 😊 I’m working on a WIP that’s genre blending and I’m trying to figure out the dad’s point of view. His daughter is really detailed but he isn’t. I’m having trouble picturing him describing something. Do I just keep it simple?
The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow and A Song Below Water by Bethany C Morrow both have multiple povs and both are done really well. In The Sound of Stars you get to see Janelle struggling and her growth but also Morris and his growth which was really important to the story to me becuase you really see him go against what's going on and it's more powerful and believable than if it had just been Janelle's pov simply because she expected the worst of him for a while. It would have felt awkward to me for this girl who really hates him to notice all that internal work her was doing on himself. It still would have been a great book but also through Morris' pov you also learn more about the worldbuilding than you would have through Janelle. It's so well done.
In A Song Below Water you get to see just how much each girl cares for each other but also their own personal struggles and there are parts of the plot that wouldn't be as impactful if it was only told from Tavia's pov or Effie's only. It's done so well that it wouldn't be the same story with just one or the other pov.
They're both fantastic at it. Also The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin. I could be here all day about it lol.
Oh wow - those first two books sound fantastic! I love your justifications. Sounds like dual POV was absolutely the right choice for both stories. I really love this: " It would have felt awkward to me for this girl who really hates him to notice all that internal work her was doing on himself." Yes! Characters/people are selfish. Not always in a bad way, but we really are just wrapped up in our own issues, and we project stuff onto those around us. Getting those other POVs really helps the reader empathize with everyone.
Look we could devote an entire channel to Jemisin and we still couldn't rave enough. 😂
@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Thats so true😂😂
Reading books where you can see why the characters got their chapters, plus this video, has really helped me figure out my own pov choices in my wips!
Yep - reading novels > reading books about craft, imo. (And I love books about craft!)
I have 5 Main characters, and they all get POV chapters. And I give my villain/antagonist a POV chapter. Each chapter is someone's POV and the chapter titles are their names. They each have a POV because they are all equally important and their experiences are important to the reader. I will even throw in a random POV because I need that scene to be known to the reader. For example, I am writing a King Arthur retelling, and while Merlin is not one of my Main 5, he sometimes has POV chapters because the reader needs to know something important he experiences that may or may not tie in with the villain-who also has an ARC. Like how in Game of Thrones, the first chapter is some random dudes POV where they encounter a White Walker. My book is set up similarly. It's hard to explain without spoilers at the moment lol
Chelsea, I honestly love books like that - it's so fascinating to get to see the story from all these different perspectives. GOT is a great example!!
@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor I do too!! It's almost like a mystery. I love seeing all the puzzle pieces eventually come together. It's also so fun to write. Although, sometimes very difficult to keep the timelines correct.
@@chelseawritesbooks8763 yes, exactly!! It's just like a puzzle. (Timelines give me a hard time too, haha)
Great video as always!
Thanks so much, Julia!
Let’s say there are three somewhat consistent pov’s with arcs. Then you have a sometimes fourth for the villain, showing he’s closing in. Is that okay? We really get to know him through the other characters, so we *do* know him before the villain’s first pov.
V.E. Schwab handled multi-pov expertly in ‘Vicious’, in my opinion. She even switched through timelines and it was actually easy to follow. It mostly follows Victor and Eli’s pov’s with others around them. A couple of these others are small. It works because I can see the intention behind it. The whole book plays like a movie in my head while I read.
This is sorta what I want to achieve with the pov’s, though one is small. I just hope I’m heading in the right direction.
Your videos are great. Thank you
Thanks so much for watching, Millie!
Rebel Angels, by Robertson Davies. Masterful stuff... just about anything by him fits this category. So interesting to read, so hard to write!
I don't think any POV shift will ever top the one in FEED by Mira Grant for SHEER AUDACITY. It's been almost a decade since I read that damn thing, and still. Damn.
Whaaaaaaat I haven't read this!! Damn in a good way or a bad way??? (I'm assuming good way...)
@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor GOOD WAY GOOD WAY GOOD WAY. You gotta read this thing. It's the only zombie apocalypse series that matters.
Hi, Very informative vid again, thanks. How do you write dialogue between different characters and switch scenes, using third person POV and an all knowing narrator?
Hey Michelle, thanks for your advice! I've been writing comics and realized my approach to novel format for a fantasy Novella, was following an outline of events that helps track the timing for when things happen. So even if your character did something in the 'timeline' or 'order' of events, you should wait until their character 'arc,' or 'chapter?' And let's say that it would be appropriate two chapters later. So, even if the event discussed happened two chapters earlier, I should save it for their particular chapter arc two chapters later?
So I have to tell it from the POV of a narrator? Since the character has already moved on from that point in the story. Is that what you mean by switching POV after the halfway point? Or is this specifically only for 1st person POV change?
Well timed video. I am currently working on a multiple first person POV novel and was wondering if this is a "bad" thing. But, each time I tried to write it from the view point of the original MC it just felt too "telly". Now that I've added two other characters POV it flows better because now there is a person learning about the original MCs world (so she doesn't have to tell it), and there is also someone who is knowledgeable about the dangers her world possesses even though he's not technically from there so his trepidation can add to the suspense.
Now, question: what are your views on multiple first person POV in novels? Or, for that matter, a FPPOV where the MCs story gets occasionally narrated by a 3rd person POV side character?
I'm doing both, and that last one (when writing like a reader) helps move the story on without an abrupt scene change that skips you past this stuff you want/need to know. (Like if you had a character knocked out or in a coma or some such thing and you need to know what's happening in the in-between rather than jumping right to the "okay, I'm better, whaddid I miss?")
But as a writer, I do wonder if this is a no-go form of writing. To me it keeps the story flowing and limits any chance of having to tell. But to an outside reader do you think it would be too jarring?
Thank you again for another wonderful video. ❤
Ooooh that's such a great video topic, K - multi-POV all in first person. I might have to add that to the schedule... :) It's not a bad thing at all. The main issue is distinguishing between the voices, because in third, the reader always knows whose head they're in, but in first it's easy to forget. The voices have to sound very distinct to each character. But it can be done well! Children of Blood and Bone is 3 POVs, all first person.
The occasional third person POV mixed with first can work too! I'm positive I've read books that do this and now I'm blanking out on titles...but like mystery-thrillers where the MC is in third and the killer is in first (to hide their identity), or conversely, the MC is in first and then you get some third person chapters to show the reader what's going on to the characters around her.
All of that can be done to great effect!! I really think the key is just making sure anyone who has a POV has an arc -- that they are (to some degree) changed by the end of the story, for better or worse.
Thank YOU for watching! And for giving me another video idea, hehe...
@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor glad I helped to keep your awesome content going.
I am also glad yours was a channel recommended to me by one of the other authortubers because while I can pick bits and pieces from people like Alexa Donne and Jenna Moreci for inspiration and help, not everything they say resonates with me. So far everything you've taught does. (Even that bit of using astrology, despite the fact that the most I care to know about the subject is my sign for both the regular and Chinese zodiac, only because those are interesting to look at. But delving into the personality traits of other signs for a character? It blew me away because it really does help to get a firmer grasp on things. Unlike the overload I got from "please understand me II" a Myers-briggs test book that neither fit myself nor the characters. Which was something recommended in a writing book by a dude who's gaga over it.)
I've always wondered if more than one pov was allowed. In my current(and first) book I want the aliens to have a few chapters so we can see their thoughts and their backstory as well as a way to lengthen the book.
im currently writing a story about a hero turning into the villain and right now the story is in the hero’s pov but i was wondering if i could shift the perspective to a third person pov once he becomes a villain
what about switching between two pov's in the same chapter i have already done that and i like how it flows between them I am just not sure if that's the best way to lay out a book. Also a sugestion was journal entries between both characters but i'm not sure how I feel about that.
I have an opening chapter where I switch from the main characters' POV to his mother's POV for a scene. I am confused if I should still refer to her as Ethan's mother or by her name Angie when I switch to her POV?
Could you have one character do a monologue in the prologue and then have the rest of the story be in the perspective of the true main character?
okay, great advice, now- i have a question, What. if. i'm. writing. a. novel. i mean, i'm writing a series (gee i have no idea what it's called it's multiple books following the same story) but in certain planned books, the pov must change in order to properly tell the story (pls note that the povs it takes on are both main characters) i haven't seen anyone cover this and it makes me feel i might be alone with this struggle
Hello Michelle, I wanted to first say that this is a very insightful video. The question I have is that I initially planned to write the book from a single POV. I wanted to convey the perspective of a character who is blind. Would it be acceptable to introduce a new POV in chapter 5, despite having used only one character's POV until then?
Zeros was great
👏👏👏
Thanks for the advice. Beautiful eyes darling.
Don't, just don't. It's jarring.