Would it bother you, as a reader, if you were reading a ya novel from two pov's, and the chapters weren't split evenly betweeen both mc's? The story is "theirs", kwim? This isn't a "are the two pov's even necessary" issue.
Would it bother you...
- Thread starter OpheliaRevived
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How 'evenly' are we talking? Like, there are twenty chapters for character A, and five for character B?
It wouldn't bother me at all. So long as it works for the story, change perspectives as needed. I certainly do, and haven't had any complaints (although my manuscript has one distinct main character, with occasional POV chapters from the antagonist, and love-interest perspectives.)
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It wouldn't bother me, but I grew up reading epic fantasy where POVs come in and out of the story all the time. As long as you're not skipping over any important scenes from Character 2 to pull one over on the readers (like, say, if Mockingjay were told by both Katniss and Gale and Collins chose to portray Katniss languishing in bed over Gale's rescue of bread-boy), I can't imagine it being too big a problem.
I'd say the percent is something like 60/40. One pov is more "intense" and that's the one that has less page time. I want the pov change to feel natural and necessary.
As long as you do it from the start...
I mean, if you give the first 5 chapters to one character and then, out of the blue,
you change it to the other, I'd be bothered. Mainly because I wouldn't see it coming.
But if you start chapter one with MC1 and then chapter two with MC2
and more or less keep the consistency throughout the novel, I'd be perfectly ok with it.
What I don't like is thinking that I'm gonna be in a character's shoes
all the way 'til the end, to later on discover that in fact, no, I am not.
The sooner you let the reader know
about the two-POVs-thing, the better.
I mean, if you give the first 5 chapters to one character and then, out of the blue,
you change it to the other, I'd be bothered. Mainly because I wouldn't see it coming.
But if you start chapter one with MC1 and then chapter two with MC2
and more or less keep the consistency throughout the novel, I'd be perfectly ok with it.
What I don't like is thinking that I'm gonna be in a character's shoes
all the way 'til the end, to later on discover that in fact, no, I am not.
The sooner you let the reader know
about the two-POVs-thing, the better.
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This is how I feel. I wouldn't want 50 pages of one character only to get jerked into the head of another. I'd rather have knowledge not too far in that we're going to have more than one narrator.
I think it's fine, as long as you make it clear early on that there are two different POVs. I'm working on something on the side that switches POV every few chapters - when the action shifts. So I wouldn't bat an eyelash at reading something like this.
Nah, it wouldn't bother me. But of course it's always a question of if the story is written well and if the POV's make sense.
This wouldn't bother me at all.
As others have said, I do like to know as soon as possible if there are multiple POVs. I'm not sure why, but it throws me otherwise and then I don't enjoy it as much.
Hah...I totally have 40 pages of one character before jumping to another viewpoint. It's a storyline set a few months prior to the "present" storyline and it currently has 9 chapters out of 30. Pretty quickly you discover how they stories are related, though.
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I'm really glad you asked this question, because I have a WIP where one of the MCs is being stalked and we meet her stalker at like 80 pages, and from there the split between them is pretty even. So, I kind of cheated by having a prologue set from the "Bad" MC's POV so that it wouldn't be so jarring when she comes into play again, if that makes sense. And, I thought about separating the story into two parts, so when the POV-swapping begins, it's like a second story is starting.
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This. I'm a conservative reader, so I only love surprises and twists in a book's plot, not in its structure.
I'm guessing a lot of you aren't epic fantasy readers.
As long as it is third person, I'm never thrown by a POV change as long as it is clearly established in the first paragraph of the scene.
So no this wouldn't bother me at all.
As long as it is third person, I'm never thrown by a POV change as long as it is clearly established in the first paragraph of the scene.
So no this wouldn't bother me at all.
Wouldn't bother me whatsoever as long as I knew from about page 20 that there were going to be two narrators.
Black_Swan
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No, it wouldn’t bother me as long as having 2 POV's is relevant to the story. Like say, what’s happening from the main character and then having another chapter from someone else to explain something in the plot you wouldn’t otherwise have known about. Does that make sense? I'm currently writing like this. I have my main character who the story is about, but then occasionally I skip to my other one to give history reference‘s and back story to make it all make sense, to help the reader understand. I think the only time it could possibly bother me is if you’re writing the same scene from both characters POV….Although saying that, I do like Midnight sun. I think I like it better than Bella’s narration in Twilight lol!.........So blahhhh scrap it all. I don’t have a problem with it. In fact I think it adds more dimension to a story. Just write what you feel is right at the time, you can always edit later and cut the things out you don’t think you need. I’m a year into editing and polishing off a manuscript and I’m still adding and deleting things. Is there any end to it…?