Mutiple perspectives - yay or nay

amillimiles · Jun 9, 2014

This has always been one big question mark for me. I took one look (or two chapters' worth of very, very reluctant looks) at Allegiant (the last of Veronica Roth's Divergent series, thank God) and hated it. I'm currently reading Sarah J. Maas' Crown of Midnight, which features three perspectives. In her case, I feel like some of the perspectives are pret-ty useless, especially when they serve to reiterate mutual feelings in a romance. Switching from "Celaena's heart ached at the sight of him" to "Chaol would do anything to be beside her" as the two characters stare at each other seems utterly pointless to me (but that's because I'm not a huge fan of major romantic subplots).

I won't mention George R. R. Martin, since I feel like those are of a different scope (epic fantasy homg), but what are some examples of multiple perspectives done well or horribly? What are your opinions on multiple perspectives? I do admit, sometimes it can push the plot forward faster, or make the reader sweat over facts they know but the protagonist doesn't. However, J.K. Rowling did fantastically without multiple perspectives.

Edit: To clarify, I'm asking about third person limited.

Also, is it weird to narrate from one MC's POV, and then suddenly insert an important scene in another character's POV?

Bufty · Jun 9, 2014

I'm not sure I know the purpose of the question.

Are you talking about the effectiveness of using Omniscient POV where the narrator can focus in and out on different characters or are you talking about Third person Limited POV where more than one POV character is used?

Effectiveness depends on execution and both approaches can work extremely well.

Whether or not everyone likes the way any particular story is told is up to the individual - and we are all individuals, thank goodness.

amillimiles · Jun 9, 2014

I'm sorry, I edited it literally seconds before your post to clarify I was talking about third person limited.

Bufty · Jun 9, 2014

Okay. My answer still stands, and no, of course it's not weird to switch to another character's POV. Use of Third person Limited POV with more than one POV character is perfectly normal. You don't have to have more than one POV character and usually the fewer the better. Using only one can be very effective.

Just be sure the POV switch is needed and effective and it is clear that a POV switch has been made. A common place to switch POV is at a scene break via a # symbol or with a new Chapter.

Osulagh · Jun 9, 2014

Snowbeamer9 said:
However, J.K. Rowling did fantastically without multiple perspectives.

...um, she does quite a lot of POVs. Actually, the whole Harry Potter series is slightly written in omniscient for this purpose.

It's not really a question if they should or should not be used, but rather if they are of any use to the writer and how that writer can use them to better the reader's experience.

Bufty · Jun 9, 2014

To me, perspective and POV are not the same thing. Relating events to reflect someone's perspective, as in an Omniscient narrator periodically focusing in on a chosen character, is not the same as using that character's POV. In Omniscient there is only one POV- that of the narrator.

amillimiles · Jun 9, 2014

Also, is it weird to narrate from one MC's POV, and then suddenly insert an important scene in another character's POV?

To clarify: is it weird to narrate almost the entire book in the MC's POV (third person limited), and then insert a single scene in another character's POV? Just to supply a crucial bit of information or whatever.

I don't have much experience writing in multiple perspectives; thank you for your patience!

Amanda Harper · Jun 9, 2014

I can't think of a 'horrible' example right now, but the multiple POV novels I've enjoyed the most are Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus trilogy novels -- one of the POVs is 1st person, but the others are in third limited. He doesn't incessantly hop heads (which I would hate), and each POV gets its own chapter, and the character have distinct, strong voices.

That's how I prefer to see POV changes. No more than one POV per scene, and you need to make it very clear who's narrating in every scene.

I enjoy multiple POVs, if they add something to the novel, just as I enjoy a single POV if it's well-executed.

amillimiles · Jun 9, 2014

I loved the Bartimaeus trilogy! I can't believe I didn't think of it as an example.

If anyone has read the Throne of Glass series, am I the only one who thinks some of the POVs are redundant? Just throwing that out there.

Bufty · Jun 9, 2014

If you have held the reader's attention through one POV character for a whole book and then suddenly switch to another POV there should be very good reason for it and it should be crystal clear that there is a fresh POV.

It is not 'weird' per se - but there is a risk of jarring the reader. Like everything else if it is executed well it may work.

By multiple perspectives I assume you mean multiple POV characters.

Snowbeamer9 said:
To clarify: is it weird to narrate almost the entire book in the MC's POV (third person limited), and then insert a single scene in another character's POV? Just to supply a crucial bit of information or whatever.

I don't have much experience writing in multiple perspectives; thank you for your patience!

Bufty · Jun 9, 2014

If you have held the reader's attention through one POV character for a whole book and then suddenly switch to another POV there should be very good reason for it and it should be crystal clear that there is a fresh POV.

It is not 'weird' per se - but there is a risk of jarring the reader. Like everything else if it is executed well it may work.

By multiple perspectives I assume you mean multiple POV characters. In Third Person Limited the POV character is not the narrator.

Snowbeamer9 said:
To clarify: is it weird to narrate almost the entire book in the MC's POV (third person limited), and then insert a single scene in another character's POV? Just to supply a crucial bit of information or whatever.

I don't have much experience writing in multiple perspectives; thank you for your patience!

Motley · Jun 9, 2014

The vast majority of my stories are told in multiple limited 3rd person POVs. I enjoy experiencing different character's takes on the story.

Marlys · Jun 9, 2014

For me, it depends on the needs of the story I'm telling. In one book I had multiple storylines so used multiple POVs. Another leaned more towards suspense, and I thought it was more effective to filter everything through my MC, so I used close 3rd with only his viewpoint. And in my current WIP, the MC is narrating events from his life in 1st, and I'm having a ball with his voice and perspective.

Each choice has pros and cons, but one is likely better for your story than another.

But I do agree that having the majority of a book in one POV and switching for a single scene is going to be difficult to pull off. Ask yourself if you need another POV at all--you may be able to work around it. If you can't, maybe you can add scenes in this other character's POV earlier so the reader is used to switching back and forth.

Jamesaritchie · Jun 9, 2014

Snowbeamer9 said:
However, J.K. Rowling did fantastically without multiple perspectives.

Edit: To clarify, I'm asking about third person limited.

Also, is it weird to narrate from one MC's POV, and then suddenly insert an important scene in another character's POV?

I'm not sure what you mean by "perspectives"? Using multiple POVs is probably the norm, and I'd say eighty percent of the third person books I read use multiple POVs.

Rowling wrote in third Omniscient, and used teh perspective of nearly every character in teh book, though tshe stuck to Harry whenever possible. But omniscient really has no POV except that of the narrator.

But multiple POV needs to be consistent, so I'm not sure what you're asking. Just slipping in a single scene from a different POV in an entire book is usually an amateur mistake, most often done because the writer doesn't know how to get in what another character thinks/feels/believes, or is doing without changing to that POV.

If this is what you mean, I'd advise not doing it.

Axl Prose · Jun 9, 2014

Snowbeamer9 said:
To clarify: is it weird to narrate almost the entire book in the MC's POV (third person limited), and then insert a single scene in another character's POV? Just to supply a crucial bit of information or whatever.

I had a problem like this. I had something I really wanted to show, but the MC couldn't be present, and the whole book was told from his 3rd POV. To me, it did feel a little off when I broke off for just one scene to another character's POV. So, I actually added a few more scenes later from that character's POV. Now instead of, bam, a chapter in the middle of the book that is told from a different character, it has more of a multi 3rd POV feel.

Sonsofthepharaohs · Jun 9, 2014

Yeah, I have multiple third limited POVs in my novel, and I can't think of any other way to tell it. It's far too complex for one POV.

My POV characters, in order of book time:

MC
MC's love interest
MC's antagonist
MC's wife
MC's brother in law (added to show what was happening in another city, before the MC joined him there)

Oh and.... I do have one sneaky little scene that might be from a random character's POV. My agent wanted me to show the murder, but none of the above were present, so I had to give the murder victim one scene. It was the least I could do before I bashed his head in

thedark · Jun 9, 2014

Just want to chip in and say that multiple third person POVs is entirely normal.

And just to mess with you, it's also okay (though rare) to have a first person POV and other third person POVs.

To add to Kallithrix's trend, I have:

First person:
- MC's POV

Third limited:
- MC's Captor
- MC's Sister, Leather-Clad Assassin
- MC's Sister 2, Gentle Soul
- MC's Sister 3, Sarcastic British Chick
- Captor's Boss, The Big Bad (with very little screen time)
- Captor's evil underling trying to usurp captor's position with Big Bad Boss.
- Evil underling's slutty sidekick.
- Supportive Side Character (who only gets screentime in a moment when the other POV characters are unconscious)

And yes, all the POVs are necessary, and yes, somehow they manage to work really well. But it took thought, and clarity, and second guessing if this was the right approach.

It is, for my WIP.

What's right for yours?

amillimiles · Jun 9, 2014

I've heard the complaint that too many POVs can get confusing, and the reader won't get to know the MC(s) as well.

thedark · Jun 9, 2014

Snowbeamer9 said:
I've heard the complaint that too many POVs can get confusing, and the reader won't get to know the MC(s) as well.

I'll ditto this. Done well, it's effective. Done not so well, a good beta reader will advise you to stick to fewer POV characters.

RightHoJeeves · Jun 9, 2014

My current WIP is in 3rd person limited with a few different perspectives, but it's mainly constricted to the MC. The bare bones plot could probably work fine without the multiple perspectives, but they add a bit of thematic dimension to it, I think.

But I don't think just because you have a character you need to necessarily write from their perspective.

Mutiple perspectives - yay or nay

amillimiles

Bufty

Where have the last ten years gone?

amillimiles

Bufty

Where have the last ten years gone?

Osulagh

Independent fluffy puppy.

Bufty

Where have the last ten years gone?

amillimiles

Amanda Harper

Lurking fish.

amillimiles

Bufty

Where have the last ten years gone?

Bufty

Where have the last ten years gone?

Motley

New kid, be gentle!

Marlys

Resist. Love. Go outside.

Jamesaritchie

Axl Prose

Sonsofthepharaohs

Still writing the ancient Egyptian tetralogy

thedark

Weaving through the night.

amillimiles

thedark

Weaving through the night.

RightHoJeeves