POV Question

scarletkettle · Apr 13, 2009

Is it ok to write a novel in 1st person past tense with two different characters? I don't know if I'm asking this question right. Let me try to explain.

I want to do a chapter in 1st person paste tense with my female MC and then the next chapter in 1st person past tense with my male MC. Instead of staying in one character's head through the entire book.

Is this ok? Or frowned upon?

ideagirl · Apr 13, 2009

scarletkettle said:
Is it ok to write a novel in 1st person past tense with two different characters? I don't know if I'm asking this question right. Let me try to explain.

I want to do a chapter in 1st person paste tense with my female MC and then the next chapter in 1st person past tense with my male MC. Instead of staying in one character's head through the entire book.

Is this ok? Or frowned upon?

No problemo. It's no different than writing in the third person limited and alternating chapters between two or three main characters (i.e., switching the character whose "shoulder" you're looking over in each chapter).

scarletkettle · Apr 13, 2009

Great. Thanks! One more question though, is there something I need to do to indicate who's pov I'm in? So the reader isn't wondering halfway through the first sentence?

maestrowork · Apr 13, 2009

Absolutely. Multiple 1st person is actually not as uncommon as you think... (I can name two best-selling books off the top of my head that do just that).

One more question though, is there something I need to do to indicate who's pov I'm in? So the reader isn't wondering halfway through the first sentence?

If you have two very distinct characters and personalities and voices, your readers shouldn't have trouble figuring it out. Otherwise, I don't see why it would matter if you have some kind of indicator (name, subtitle, heading, etc.). Again, I've seen that done to great effect.

OpheliaRevived · Apr 13, 2009

I've often wondered about the indicators.

gothicangel · Apr 14, 2009

I'm writing in multiple 1st; I indicate by instead of saying Chapter One I name the pov character.

Ulee_Lhea · Apr 14, 2009

A recent and successful example would be My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. She tells the story from the POV of the MC, her mom, her dad, her lawyer, her brother, her sister, etc. It's kind of a feat, and it actually works pretty well.

scarletkettle · Apr 14, 2009

Thank you all so much!

maestrowork · Apr 14, 2009

It's not easy to pull off multiple 1st person (so they don't sound like the same character), but it's quite a treat when you succeed.

Good luck!

courtneyv · Apr 15, 2009

I can't remember the name of it, but while browsing in YA, I found a book that did that. The author just labeled the chapters with each character's name, Brittany and Alex, and the names had different fonts. Just indicate whose head you're in, and there should be no problem.

Judg · Apr 15, 2009

Charles de Lint does things like that, but he makes it even more complicated, using multiple 1st person POVs and multiple 3rd person POVs. He does label each chapter with the name of the character whose eyes we're seeing through. It takes a little getting used to, but he makes it work.

You should make sure that your two characters have very different voices, so that after a couple of chapters we'd know whose viewpoint was being used just by the tone.

POV Question

scarletkettle

ideagirl

scarletkettle

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

OpheliaRevived

Real Men Have Gills

gothicangel

Toughen up.

Ulee_Lhea

Fear no darkness.

scarletkettle

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

courtneyv

Judg

DISENCHANTED coming soon