How many perspectives...?

vicky271 · Aug 23, 2017

Hello everyone! Forgive me if i don't make sense. I had a first year "How to Succeed" University session this morning that had topics like: Writing Essays, Studying, Taking Notes from Textbooks, etc. After sitting in a classroom for six and a half hours, i had to run to the other campus for a twenty minute interview. Between the two, my brain is dead. But it takes all the professional technical stuff to get a person sitting down to work on their story!

Sorry...I'm babbling...

How do you know how many perspectives you should include? I know it's up to the author, but recently I was watching a video of Brandon Sanders, and he was talking about multiple perspectives (when you switch perspectives in your novel). He was talking about how multiple perspectives can enhance the depth and immersiveness of your world. I think this is a interesting idea, and i wouldn't mind trying it.

The problem is i've read some books with multiple perspectives, and i don't like it. While I understand the concept, I find stories with multiple perspectives choppy and frustrating. I'm getting into a specific character's situation, and then the next chapter begins, and suddenly i have to rewire my brain and get use to another story because the character perspective has changed.

But on the other side, if the best way to tell this story is with multiple perspectives that change chapter to chapter, i don't want to not do it because i don't like it!

Hence the dilemma.

underpope · Aug 23, 2017

If you don't like it, don't do it. Trust me, if you don't like what you're writing, then your reader will pick up on that, and they won't like reading it.

Helix · Aug 23, 2017

Play around with points of view in your first draft. See what works and what doesn't. There's plenty of time for discovery in that first draft; later drafts give you the opportunity to change whatever's not working out.

I'm writing something with four PoV characters at the moment. They don't all have equal weight in the MS and some of them are unreliable narrators. Not sure if it's going to work, but there's only one way to find out*.

*There are probably others.

mccardey · Aug 23, 2017

Breathe. Stop stressing. Listen to the book, grasshopper. Let it tell you what it wants. Trust the process.

Harlequin · Aug 23, 2017

Sanderson's early work sometimes had (imo) poor transitions and pacing. He got round this by having multiple POVs.

Having multiple povs meant he could end a scene without transitions for either time or narrative, by switching to the next person.

I enjoy some of his stories but I don't tend to feel multiple POV adds depth to them in most cases.

blacbird · Aug 23, 2017

If, by "perspectives", you mean narrative points-of-view, my (as reader) suggestion would be "as few as possible". I think too many inexperienced writers get seduced subliminally into the concept of multiple POV narratives when they aren't entirely necessary. POV offers focus for the reader; the more of them you employ in your narrative, the likelihood is that that focus gets diluted, and confusing to the reader.

I've seen more than I want to of manuscripts in which, with multiple POVs, no single one of them was handled well.

caw

Bufty · Aug 24, 2017

It's only a dilemma because you are making it so. Focus on your story, not on how you don't want to write it.

Stijn Hommes · Aug 24, 2017

When I'm writing, the perspective is sort of baked into the ideas. I don't have to think about it at all. (Except to check that whatever I end up using makes sense.)

Myrealana · Aug 24, 2017

However Brandon Sanderson writes his books is not how you will write yours.

I have one completed book and two WIP. The completed book is in 1st person, entirely from one person's POV. The second is in 3rd with multiple POV's because there are a lot of things going on, and several principle characters to deal with. The third is in 3rd person, but only from one person's POV.

You do what works for the story and for you as a writer. There is no rule except don't confuse the reader.

Brightdreamer · Aug 24, 2017

IMHO, a book needs only as many perspectives as needed to effectively relate the story. In movies, you don't cut to a new camera angle just for the heck of it, you cut because the new angle shows you something or has an interest that the first didn't. (Not an exact analogy, but hopefully it gets the point across.)

Some books (and some authors) are just fine with one character, one camera. Some prefer more. Some stories would work fine with just the one angle, some gain enough depth with multiple views that it's worth the extra effort.

As for you, sounds like you're a one-camera author, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Many authors do it, and do it well. Own it. (There's a lot to learn from other authors, particularly those as successful as Sanderson, but you're learning about writing, not how to write exactly like them. Take what works for you and use it to develop your own style. As for the rest, if you at least understand why they say what they did - even if you don't personally agree - then the lesson has served its purpose in making you think about writing from their point of view. Put that extra stuff in a drawer somewhere in case you need it later, then follow your own gut.)

Jeff Bond · Aug 24, 2017

"As few as possible" is what you'll hear from the pros. I remember explaining to the first editor I worked with that Lonesome Dove was one of my absolute favorites, and I saw my manuscript employing a similar POV strategy. He promptly explained that Dove is a classic example of disastrous head-hopping POV. (Which I suppose proves the point that none of these rules matter if you pull it off.)

BethS · Aug 26, 2017

underpope said:
If you don't like it, don't do it. Trust me, if you don't like what you're writing, then your reader will pick up on that, and they won't like reading it.

I second that.

There are lots of ways to tell a story. Using a single POV is one of them. Nothing at all wrong with it.

Harlequin · Aug 26, 2017

I set out to have four, and ended up with five.

A fair few people have advised cutting down. I did try that, and it fell flat.

If you do use more than three multiple pov, it's probably better to not weight them equally.

Ancoelle · Aug 26, 2017

If you don't like it, then I wouldn't do it. I find that some authors do multiple POVs great, and others not so much. So when I was writing my first book which has multiple POVs, I went to one of my favorite authors (Sarah J. Maas) who does it well and looked at the techniques she uses. And I do think that limiting the number of POVs makes it more palatable to readers; I kept mine to three, with one of the POVs far overshadowing the other two, and the response has been good.

WriteMinded · Sep 3, 2017

I plan to never write more than three POVs per book, but plans . . . ya know . . .

How many perspectives...?

vicky271

underpope

Helix

socially distancing

mccardey

Harlequin

Eat books, not brains!

blacbird

Bufty

Where have the last ten years gone?

Stijn Hommes

Know what you write...

Myrealana

I aim to misbehave

Brightdreamer

Just Another Lazy Perfectionist

Jeff Bond

BethS

Harlequin

Eat books, not brains!

Ancoelle

WriteMinded

Derailed