Interesting. Is your opinion on this the same if it's limited third? I have 3 different POV in my opening chapter, but the three people are all together experiencing the same story. I don't know if that makes a difference.
-Overly structured POV switching. Someone else mentioned this, how having a strict structure (like alternating POVs each chapter and making the chapters similar lengths) is artificial and annoying. It takes away an essential tool in writing multiple POVs in third limited, which is the ability to choose the POV character who will best be able to tell each scene.
Tangent question. What are people's thoughts on mixing whole chapter pov with shared chapter pov?
I note one person above mentions doing this, but I'm always unsure. Probably about 80% of my chapters work better from a single pov, and maybe 20% would work better with pov sharing. I don't want to be inconsistent though, so have avoided mixing and made do with that 20%.
Tangent question. What are people's thoughts on mixing whole chapter pov with shared chapter pov?
I note one person above mentions doing this, but I'm always unsure. Probably about 80% of my chapters work better from a single pov, and maybe 20% would work better with pov sharing. I don't want to be inconsistent though, so have avoided mixing and made do with that 20%.
I have chapters with more than one POV. I use scene breaks to make the change, and I make it clear which character now carries the POV. I don't see an issue with it.
ETA: I write in third-person limited, fwiw.
But do you have chapters which are one pov, interspersed with chapters which mix different POVs? Sorry, I worded it weirdly the first time.
nb--voices should always be distinct, multiple povs or single.
I'm not judging, just trying to learn and curious how others do it.
Yes, they could be broken up into separate chapters, but in some instances that might result in scene length chapters (say 700-1200 words) which don't have three act structure. Maybe, but again, what's wrong with that? 'Three act structure' is not cast in iron, doesn't have to be followed religiously, and also doesn't automatically mean length. A scene only needs to convey what you feel it needs to convey, in any manner you choose to convey it, and a scene can be any length at all- so can a chapter. 1200 words is 5 pages and some Chapters I've read were only half-a-page.
I suspect it's a case of something which doesn't bother other people but is a wholly irrational hurdle for me in regards to writing. I don't think I've read a story which mixes those techniques, though; the ones I can recall are all one or the other, which is probably part of the issue.
But do you have chapters which are one pov, interspersed with chapters which mix different POVs? Sorry, I worded it weirdly the first time.