Last chapter POV problem... help?

Jordygirl · Jun 23, 2007

I'm in the long process of editing my 42,000 word YA novel. Throughout the book, the POV alternates between the two main characters, which works really well until the last chapter.
The last chapter is a scene between the two characters, and I don't want it to be from either person's POV, but I don't want to call it an 'epilogue' either because it isn't really. So what do I do? Can I just have the last chapter/scene from the narrator's POV and not worry about it? What would you guys do?

JoNightshade · Jun 23, 2007

Difficult decision. Choose.

Actually I suggest writing it twice, one from each character's point of view. After that you might realize that one is superior to the other.

JamieFord · Jun 23, 2007

I've always thought that the POV belongs to the character with the most interesting problem. Are they equal in that regard? Or does one stand out? Since you're at the end, is there one character that has more vested interest on the part of the reader?

Jordygirl · Jun 23, 2007

The two characters are sisters and the premise of the story is their relationship... by this last chapter all their external issues/problems have been resolved, but I wanted to bring it back around to their relationship. I just think that if I do it from one or the other's POV, it will put that character foremost in the reader's mind and as if the story is about her more than her sister.

scarletpeaches · Jun 23, 2007

If the rest of the book is in first person, why not do the final chapter in third? But beware of head hopping. Pick one head and stay in it, or write it in remote-third person.

FennelGiraffe · Jun 23, 2007

Is the alternating POV limited 3rd?

Try omni for the final scene. If the omni is done well, it won't come across as head hopping, although I'm sure a few nitpickers will complain anyway. Sometimes it's OK to make an informed choice to break the "rules", as long as it works.

Alternatively, depending on what the scene needs to do, objective is another option. If everything is out in the open at that point, and you don't need to show us either char thinking or feeling anything they don't reveal in dialog, that might work better.

Whose POV was the opening scene in? You may want to have the final scene relate back to the first one.

This may be a case of writing multiple versions until you find the one that works best. If the story is strong enough, and the final scene is powerful enough, then you should have so much momentum going that readers won't (consciously) notice what you're doing with the POV.

JanDarby · Jun 23, 2007

I was going to say that one of the sisters SHOULD be more at the forefront of the reader's mind than the other, b/c there's only ONE protagonist in any book. But then I was thinking that it's possible the second sister is the Antagonist, in which case, she's of equal importance to the first sister.

If the last scene is, as it should be, the protagonist and the antagonist resolving their final battle, then, in a sense, it doesn't matter which POV it's from. Let's label Sister A as the sister who's the first POV character of the book, so she'd be the protagonist. Sister B, then, is the antagonist. By the time the reader gets to the last scene, where Sister A and Sister B resolve their differences, then the reader is going to know what Sister B is thinking and feeling, based on what's gone on before that point and the external signals that Sister B is giving (dialogue, body language). The reader is going to think about what happened in the last scene in the context of a struggle between both sisters, as protagonist and antagonist, regardless of the POV, so they're equally important.

One thing you might do to emphasize that is to have Sister A be the POV character, but give Sister B the last word. Sort of (and this is bad, but just an idea):

Sister A handed over the contested piece of clothing, glad it hadn't come to sororicide. They might actually be friends some day.

"Remember that blue dress you thought the dry cleaner lost?" SIster B said.

Sister A nodded.

"Actually, I claimed it and wore it and spilled mustard on it and then burned the evidence," Sister B said.

Good thing she hadn't known that last year, Sister A thought, or they'd never have gotten through their current battle. "I forgive you."

"And I forgive you for anything you've done to me," Sister B said. "So can I borrow your green dress? Now that we're friends, and all?"

Well, that's not good writing, but just a suggestion. One sister (the one whose pov started the book) is the pov here, but the other one gets the last word, so she's the last voice heard by the reader.

JD

Shady Lane · Jun 23, 2007

JanDarby said:
I was going to say that one of the sisters SHOULD be more at the forefront of the reader's mind than the other, b/c there's only ONE protagonist in any book. But then I was thinking that it's possible the second sister is the Antagonist, in which case, she's of equal importance to the first sister.

If the last scene is, as it should be, the protagonist and the antagonist resolving their final battle, then, in a sense, it doesn't matter which POV it's from. Let's label Sister A as the sister who's the first POV character of the book, so she'd be the protagonist. Sister B, then, is the antagonist. By the time the reader gets to the last scene, where Sister A and Sister B resolve their differences, then the reader is going to know what Sister B is thinking and feeling, based on what's gone on before that point and the external signals that Sister B is giving (dialogue, body language). The reader is going to think about what happened in the last scene in the context of a struggle between both sisters, as protagonist and antagonist, regardless of the POV, so they're equally important.

One thing you might do to emphasize that is to have Sister A be the POV character, but give Sister B the last word. Sort of (and this is bad, but just an idea):

Well, that's not good writing, but just a suggestion. One sister (the one whose pov started the book) is the pov here, but the other one gets the last word, so she's the last voice heard by the reader.

JD

I like this idea.

But I also think you should consider the fact that one sister is probably naturally more important to the story than the other.

I once wrote a book that alternated POV between four characters, and I was trying to make them all equal.

One of my betas gave it a read and said, "Okay, this book is obviously about THIS one and THIS one, and you should stop pretending otherwise."

I took out the subplots involving the other two characters, used their chapters to further explore the two main characters, and further developed the two mains.

It ended up MUCH stronger.

Jordygirl · Jun 23, 2007

Hm... I've never heard that there can only be one protag before. So I have two and maybe one of them is naturally more important to the story, but then again maybe not.
Since the rest of the book has been in 3rd limited I think the last scene will be 3rd omniscient.

RLSMiller · Jun 23, 2007

Jordygirl said:
Hm... I've never heard that there can only be one protag before. So I have two and maybe one of them is naturally more important to the story, but then again maybe not.
Since the rest of the book has been in 3rd limited I think the last scene will be 3rd omniscient.

Neither have I, and I don't see why there should be only one. Some stories simply have a greater scope than the life of one character. If I cut out one or (God forbid) two of my protagonists, the story wouldn't have anywhere near the same depth. That's one of the reasons why I decided on having multiple protags - I was tired of the tried and tested protagonist + two sidekicks that a lot of stories follow. I always feel shortchanged in those stories, as the sidekicks invariably end up being more interesting than the main character, and yet they're never really expanded on. I do think it helps if your protagonists are all linked towards a common aim or plot (which I believe yours are). Otherwise, it will seem like two disconnected stories, rather than one story with many different shades.

You should check out Anne Mini's blog if you haven't already. She has a few posts on multiple protagonists which you might find helpful.

In regards to your situation, I would try third person omni or objective. If it's for the final chapter, it could actually work quite well stylistically, and by that point there is very little chance of someone throwing down the book in disgust at the POV change anyway.

Claudia Gray · Jun 23, 2007

I agree with those who say that you should end it in one of the sister's POV instead of breaking your format only at the very end. If they are genuinely of equal importance within the book, then ending in one POV is not going to tip the balance, IMHO. You might consider choosing a moment told in one sister's POV but that describes an action/meaningful statement made by the other sister, which could maybe balance the "weight" of the scene.

Feathers · Jun 23, 2007

In my YA novel I have three MC's, and had this exact same problem with my ending. I rewrote it about a million times, and ended up with three consaquential scenes, one from each Mc's view, as the timeline of the ending progressed. My end method was this: I let each of the MC's have thier big revelational moment in POV, each one at a slightly different time.

Depending on your ending, this might not work for you, but my ending just felt fake until I ended it in each of the MC's eyes.
Hope I helped!

reenkam · Jun 23, 2007

I think the third person omni sounds good...I'd like reading a book that moved between two characters and then finally included both at the same time at the end. I don't think most people would find it annoying or anything...it's breaking from the norm, which is usually a good thing

JanDarby · Jun 23, 2007

Can anyone name a book that you've read recently and that was published in the last five years and is YA that has more than one protagonist? What about the last ten books you read in your genre: how many protagonists?

There may be a couple exceptions out there, but as a general rule, there's just one per book. Everyone else, except the antagonist, who should be equal and in some ways superior (stronger, smarter, faster, meaner or whatever, so he's a really challenge) to the protagonist, is secondary.

Even with ensemble stories (e.g., Lord of the Rings), there's always one character who's more important than the others.

JD

Legionsynch · Jun 23, 2007

The Balefire series by Cate Tiernan has two main characters: identical twin sisters who are very different. She has the same setup you mentioned: alternating POVs. The climaxes switch between the two, giving vastly different perspectives (even though real time continues to pass between chapters) as it all goes down.

Shady Lane · Jun 23, 2007

JanDarby said:
Can anyone name a book that you've read recently and that was published in the last five years and is YA that has more than one protagonist? What about the last ten books you read in your genre: how many protagonists?

There may be a couple exceptions out there, but as a general rule, there's just one per book. Everyone else, except the antagonist, who should be equal and in some ways superior (stronger, smarter, faster, meaner or whatever, so he's a really challenge) to the protagonist, is secondary.

Even with ensemble stories (e.g., Lord of the Rings), there's always one character who's more important than the others.

JD

Just mentioned this one in the other thread--The Year of Secret Assignments.

britwrit · Jun 23, 2007

Or, if you're really, really stuck, you could have it from another character who's been there all along. I don't know... like a parent or a teacher or a neighbor?

Jordygirl · Jun 23, 2007

JanDarby said:
Can anyone name a book that you've read recently and that was published in the last five years and is YA that has more than one protagonist? What about the last ten books you read in your genre: how many protagonists?

There may be a couple exceptions out there, but as a general rule, there's just one per book. Everyone else, except the antagonist, who should be equal and in some ways superior (stronger, smarter, faster, meaner or whatever, so he's a really challenge) to the protagonist, is secondary.

Even with ensemble stories (e.g., Lord of the Rings), there's always one character who's more important than the others.

JD

I accept your challenge.
The Year of Secret Assignments, as Shady Lane said (at least I think it was her);
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series;
Flipped;
Peaches.
I think plenty of YA books have more than one protag - those are just the ones I could find in my bookshelf.

Shady Lane · Jun 23, 2007

Shattering Simon Glass
Smack (I. Love. Smack.)
Doing It
Life is Funny

I'm not saying it's the way to go, but it's been done recently and it's been done well.

JanDarby · Jun 24, 2007

How about that?

I haven't read these books, but I did take a look at the Amazon summaries of them, and they do appear to have multiple protagonists.

So, mea culpa. And heaps of respect for anyone who can carry off multiple protags (actually, multiple stories) interwoven into one story.

JD

L Anne · Jun 24, 2007

Oh...there was also a book called Armageddon Summer, which had two mains and the same POV switching format as yours. In the last chapter, instead of narrative it ended with a series of letters between the two characters. But that was pretty much an epilogue, and you don't want that...Hm....

I agree with the people who said you should end with one of the sisters' POV to be consistent. Although, it's still your choice, so whatever you decide should work out. Good luck!

Shady Lane · Jun 24, 2007

I'd say stick with one sister as well--not necessarily as the protag, but for the last chapter.

Last chapter POV problem... help?

Jordygirl

Nothing doing.

JoNightshade

has finally arrived

JamieFord

giving resonant directions

Jordygirl

Nothing doing.

scarletpeaches

FennelGiraffe

It's green they say

JanDarby

Shady Lane

my name is hannah

Jordygirl

Nothing doing.

RLSMiller

Claudia Gray

Feathers

emerging from the writing cave

reenkam

aka cupcake

JanDarby

Legionsynch

Shady Lane

my name is hannah

britwrit

Jordygirl

Nothing doing.

Shady Lane

my name is hannah

JanDarby

L Anne

Shady Lane

my name is hannah