A POV issue

[seun]

I'm about 20,000 words into the rewrite of my WIP. So far, it goes well in terms of story. The issue is the original draft was 3rd limited - an area I've only used in short fiction. My books have either been 1st person or 3rd omni. I do write quite instinctively and that's worked well so far. So by instinct, I started the first draft in 3rd limited and eventually realised it didn't work for the story. I decided to keep at it and sort it in the rewrite.

But:

Having different POVs now feels very odd and it's distracting me. Part of the original problem came from the plot. It's a big, world changing event so it felt too small only having one POV (and it got boring pretty quickly). At the moment, most of my characters are in the same location so it now feels as if I'm not adding much to the story by writing from different POVs. I'll keep at it and hope it works out eventually. If it doesn't, there's always the next rewrite.

Has anyone else faced a POV issue like this from first draft to rewrite?

[Gillhoughly]

Yes, I was 50 pages into my first novel, which was 3rd person limited.

It sucked canal water because I could not feel that character's sweat.

I shifted to 1st person, and it turned out rather well.

About six sold novels into my career, someone informed me that 1st person was the most difficult to write. Glad they didn't tell me that before I started!

Some writers prefer one type of POV exclusively over another and only use it, but over the years I've learned to tackle 3rd person as well and make it work for me.

It's a matter of what you're comfortable with and what's best for telling the story.

[dawinsor]

My husband says my first impulse in any case is to buy a book, so you might want to take this with a grain of salt but I've been reading Alicia Rasley's "The Power of Point of View: Make Your Story Come to Life" and she's so good on the strengths and limitations of various points of view. I found this book really insightful.

[Shadow Paetz]

I wrote the first draft in a single pov for the one I'm working on now. The word count is too low. And, I think it needs more. So, I added in a second pov (always write in third limited, just for this kind of an issue). I am now attempting to add in at least one subplot. Problem -- running out of things for the second character to do. lol So, now I'm back to adding in events, running through the first pov in order to keep the flow. I think I might go over on word count this way, but it's fun. ;)

[windyrdg]

Had just the opposite expierence. I finished my book in first/third and decided I wasn't happy with the first person portions and did a complete rewrite. I'm happier with the book now than I was before.

[FennelGiraffe]

At the moment, most of my characters are in the same location so it now feels as if I'm not adding much to the story by writing from different POVs.

What do you mean by 'same location'? Everyone packed into one tiny room? Everyone sleeping and waking in unison?

If your location is any larger than that, it isn't just one location. Different characters will witness different events and participate in different conversations. Plenty of scope for multiple viewpoints.

[Sunshine13]

I write 3rd limited, and it can get tricky with a fantasy having a lot of stuff going on, but I strictly kept to two POVs. My MC and my supportive MC. Not even my antag got his own POV, but I think it works really well. Some chap[ters are even dedicated to one strict POV, hers or his. Sp maybe you could do that with yours. I personally wouldn't go over 3 or 4 different POVs, depending on what you're writing, but maybe do it via chapters or something? Not sure if this helps or if you were even looking for advice :P

[Danthia]

I've had that happen when I wasn't trying to tell a story, but explaining a situation, if that makes sense. For example, if I had a really cool premise and wanted to show all the neet aspects of it, so I did it in various POVs. But since none of my POVs were really driving the story, it kinda went all over the place and felt disconnected. No one had anything at stake, so it was flat and readers didn't care.

If this is a "world changing event" story you might be running into a similar problem. You might be focusing too much on the events themselves and not enough on how that event also changes the people involved. It's typically the personal stories that help show the full meaning of a larger event. Makes it easier to relate to the issues and see how they truly affect things. I just read World War Z by Max Brooks (fiction, about the "Zombie War" and how it almost destroys humanity), which is an amazing book. It deals with a major world event, but it's told through the stories and interviews of the people who lived through it, so you get the sense of scope but through the personal side of it.

I have a story in the works that also deals with a major world changing event, and I"m actually doing it in first person because I felt seeing that event through the eyes on a single person would allow me to better show the effects of it. But the one person I choose is deeply changed from the experience and she has a LOT to lose from it. There are others in the world who would "know" more and be able to show the premise-based stuff better, but they don't have as much to lose so they'd be boring protags. "Life As We Knew It" does this well. First person, seeing the effects of the moon being knocked closer to earth, and the catastrophic effects that has on the world.

Perhaps take a close look at your POVs and see why you chose to tell the story from their perspective. There might not be anything at stake for them on a personal level, which could be why the story feels off. If the only reason you're using their POV is to show an aspect of plot, then there probably isn't a reason to care about what happens to them. That'll definately make things seem boring.

[seun]

What do you mean by 'same location'? Everyone packed into one tiny room?


:ROFL:

Not quite. They're on a cross country walk and will eventually split into two groups. The problem I have at the moment is it feels odd to go from one POV to another when they're all together.

It'll work out (fingers crossed). It usually does.

[Danthia]

If you switch POVs like that, then the other POVs would probably need to bring a new perspective to the story you can't get from the other POVs. Do they have information the others don't that affects their journey? Secrets? Motives that are hidden but need to be revelaed to the reader?

[Selcaby]

I'm doing what ChristaCarol's doing. Two MCs, two viewpoints. I only switch POV at chapter breaks but I don't strictly alternate because the story doesn't work that way. In previous versions I had anything up to half a dozen POVs, and while it might have worked if I'd been a better writer back then, I'm happy with what I'm doing now.

[RunawayScribe]

I write mostly in first person. I can do third, but I don't prefer it. I did complete one project which was primarily in first, but shifted to third a couple times to cover instances for which the MC wouldn't have been present. I'd say POV preferences depend on the story and the author's strengths. Some people write killer third person and dread first, but I'm the opposite. The more you play with things, the more you see what works for you.

[AyJay]

I'm in a similar place revising my manuscript - started out 3rd person with one MC and 3 or 4 supporting character's POV's, including the villain. But it was way too long, and one solution I came up with was to ditch the other POV's. None of them seemed strong enough to hold their own, and I had similar concerns about having to throw together sections in their POV just to give the manuscript more balance. Now I'm trying to do 3rd limited, just my MC. It's hard! A lot of information has to come out in different ways and I sometimes find myself painted into a corner. But, I'm working through it. Good luck with yours.