Changing POV

kbax · Aug 28, 2006

So...I'm a little over 20k into my 2nd novel. It's written in 3rd person limited. YA contemporary fantasy.

I've been having problems with my MC (Haley). I feel like she's not...clear enough, I guess. She's flat, is what I'm getting at. A lot of my secondary characters have vivid personalities, are smart, witty, clear-cut but not (at least from where I'm sitting) too stereotypical.

And today...as I'm writing...the STUPID thought occurs to me that maybe, just maybe, it would be better in 1st person, with Haley as narrator. All of a sudden, I can hear her voice loud and clear in my head. I say that this is STUPID because I'm 20k in.

Now, in my heart I know that what's best for the book is what needs to be done. I haven't yet determined if this is what's best or not. I'm going to try it out, from the very beginning, and see how it goes. And if I have to start all over, I will, and I'll scratch everything written so far up to a learning experience. After all, I did write those 20k words, and I learned something from each and every one.

But...jeez...to start all over? I'm terrified and excited at the same time.

Anybody else ever had an experience like this?

Siddow · Aug 28, 2006

I have a novel that I switched to first person about 30k into the first draft. I wrote it that way for a while, then switched back to third, then ended back at first person. I'm rewriting now to first person. (Also a second novel, I think is important to add)

My suggestion? It's a first draft! Go ahead from here with first person. Wouldn't you hate to get to 40k, and then realize AGAIN that you're using the wrong POV? First drafts are for discovery. Maybe one of those great secondary characters would be a better narrator.

Or do whatever works for you, even if that includes starting over.

Xathax · Aug 28, 2006

From what I've read, the main difficulty is first person is hard. You only get your main character's perspective. You have to reveal everything important about other characters through that character's perspective, limiting many stylistic options that are possible with third person. Also, people tend to slip into third-person while they are writing, creating serious editing issues.

Personally, I usually find first-person annoying unless that character has attitude. That attitude doesn't have to be extreme, but everything you write will be flavored by who that character is. All description is through the filter of that character - what they see, what they think, what they feel. People who write in first-person with the narrator-voice that most third-person novels adopt make me lose interest fast.

Thoughts of a random passerby...

Cath · Aug 28, 2006

I agree that it's hard, Xathax, but probably no harder than limited 3rd person, which is also jolly restrictive. I guess trying new things is part of growing as a writer.

I'm with Siddow - use the first draft to experiment and fix it in the re-write.

JanDarby · Aug 28, 2006

Just make sure you're not thinking about doing this as a procrastination tool. You're at the point in the manuscript where a lot of authors feel their book is no good, and they'll do anything to avoid slogging through the middle, and they're tempted to go back and mess with the beginning, and what they really need to do is just keep writing to the end.

Switching the POV may be a good idea, but it's also possible that the first-person voice only sounds so good because it's DIFFERENT, and it gives you an excuse to avoid writing the middle. Just be sure you know what your real motivation is: to improve a real flaw in the story or to procrastinate by fiddling with things that are actually working or that can be fixed in revisions later.

JD

kristie911 · Aug 28, 2006

I wrote my first novel in first person but after finishing it (yes, completely finishing it, even had a good revision under my belt) I decided it would work better in third person. I completely re-wrote the entire thing. It was much better in third person because it was possible to get inside other characters heads and made the story much stronger.

I say, if your gut is telling you to switch POV, then switch. But I would get further into the work before you really decide. JD is right, it could be just the midbook slump.

Kristen King · Aug 28, 2006

I really appreciate Siddow's advice. The first draft is for getting the story out. Later drafts are for working out the kinks. Go for it.

Kristen

Changing POV

kbax

Refrigerate After Opening

Siddow

I'm super! Thanks for asking

Xathax

Cath

The mean one

JanDarby

kristie911

Happy to be here

Kristen King