POV Problems

Chris M said:

So, I wrote my fantasy novel in third person from several different perspectives. I tried to only switch POV characters at chapter breaks, but toward the middle-end of my book several of the characters converge. I know what you're going to say, but I have to ask anyway. Do I have to give in and let the main character take over at this point? I feel like my other characters are losing their voice by doing this. Can anyone offer some guidance?

Four characters who have had their own voice are now in the same room trying to solve a problem. One has to take the lead, right?

Thanks in advance.

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I may get scathed for this, but I wonder if changing POVs sparingly and at the right point of the story might not be an interesting rhetorical device. If there's confusion in the story, the confusion supposedly generated by switching POVs might be an interesting way of text painting. Again, as with most rhetorical tools, which suffer devaluation each time they're used, it's a gamble. I'm not sure. How does it read to you?

I don't know if you're a fan of Steven Erikson or not, but he frequently and very effectively switches POV, especially in some of his latter books. You could check him out, if you haven't already.

I think most would agree that you should not switch POV within narratives scenes -- unless you have clear breaks (and these breaks do not have to be chapter breaks). In other words, you can have 10 grafs of one POV, then a break, then 10 grafs of a second POV, than a break, etc., that flow through one scene. Many readers might tell you that they find this technique jarring, but if it's done well then it can be quite effective, especially deeper in the book after the reader has gotten to know the characters.

Ouch!

I just re-read my last post and I do believe it's about the most unhelpful thing I've ever written.

Sorry, Chris.

You don't have to keep it in one POV if the average idiot can follow the shift. But you don't want to jar them out of the story, so you need to be careful. For shifts within a chapter, it's best to skip a line, but that's not an absolute.

deathwizard said:

I don't know if you're a fan of Steven Erikson or not, but he frequently and very effectively switches POV, especially in some of his latter books. You could check him out, if you haven't already.

I think most would agree that you should not switch POV within narratives scenes -- unless you have clear breaks (and these breaks do not have to be chapter breaks). In other words, you can have 10 grafs of one POV, then a break, then 10 grafs of a second POV, than a break, etc., that flow through one scene. Many readers might tell you that they find this technique jarring, but if it's done well then it can be quite effective, especially deeper in the book after the reader has gotten to know the characters.

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You certainly don't have to stay within one PoV. I can't imagine anyone ever saying such a thing. But changing PoV within a scene is rarely if ever a good idea. It is almost always looked on as "head hopping" and not well received. But you can certainly change PoV at scene changes with no one objecting.

there's only one rule with pov that I know - don't confuse the reader, beyond that, anyhting goes.

J. R. Tomlin said:

You certainly don't have to stay within one PoV. I can't imagine anyone ever saying such a thing. But changing PoV within a scene is rarely if ever a good idea. It is almost always looked on as "head hopping" and not well received. But you can certainly change PoV at scene changes with no one objecting.

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I agree with this, but I would remove the words "if ever."

Go with whichever POV will best serve the story in each scene. One of them will have the most interesting perspective, the most to lose, the most to gain, know info you want the reader to know, not know info you don't want the reader to know, etc. Whatever makes the reader turn the pages.

I don't mind POV shifts within scenes, especially when they all come together. It can be fun if you plan carefully. I like to use them for high-action or climactic scenes, but I'm careful to touch on each character as they have the most to risk, not just because I like being in their heads. I only break when the scene as a unit is complete, not when POVs change. But that's just my taste.

ETA: It's also fun to see the MC through other characters' eyes.

Nicole

While changing PoV mid-scene is sure to make me throw a book across the room with a few curses. It's something that irritates me no end.

It's differing tastes, but something to keep in mind. There is nothing wrong with changing PoV, including seeing the main character through other's eyes, but it is important when and how you do it. If you lose the emphasis on your main character or scene or confuse the reader or just make the scene annoying, this is not a good thing.

J. R. Tomlin said:

While changing PoV mid-scene is sure to make me throw a book across the room with a few curses. It's something that irritates me no end.

It's differing tastes, but something to keep in mind. There is nothing wrong with changing PoV, including seeing the main character through other's eyes, but it is important when and how you do it. If you lose the emphasis on your main character or scene or confuse the reader or just make the scene annoying, this is not a good thing.

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I agree with J. R. -- on all points.

Another downside to changing POV is that it can distance the reader from your story. That doesn't mean you shouldn't do it at all, but you should be careful that you are gaining more than you lose.

You could always try writing the chapter both ways and then deciding. A little more work that way, but you might find that the question settles itself very quickly once you lay them side by side.

I'm at the point in my story too where several POV characters are converging for the resolution. Scenes are getting shorter as I move from one set of eyes to another, that's for sure. It's as much a pacing issue as anything else. The crucial scene will probably be told mainly or even exclusively from the MC's POV. I'll see when I get there. At that point I will probably not want a fragmented view. It would be very, very hard to keep it tight and compelling, in my opinion. But if you can pull it off, and pull it off well, more power to you.