Advice on POV

I've read novels where the author has the pov of the protagonist in first and other pov characters in third (Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon comes to mind), but it's not a really common approach. If the two characters are of comparable importance to the plot, I'd be more inclined to give them both first-person or both limited third and simply focus on giving each their own voice and personality. The issue with the voices being too similar could be a problem if you have one in third and one in first, also, since with deep limited third (I assume that's what you mean by close third), the voice and attitude of the pov character will be very present in the narrative. And anyway, you wouldn't want the more neutral narrative voice of a more distant limited third to sound too much like your first person narrative either.

I'd go for whatever approach feels most comfortable for you to write in. Don't expect the first draft to be perfect, but you'll likely get feedback from critiquing partners or beta readers who can help you decide whether or not the narrative viewpoints and character voices work.

A 1st/3rd split POV is done enough that I wouldn't worry about it being weird. But, like Roxxsmom said, no matter what POV you choose, you will still need to make sure your characters have a distinct voice of their own.

You might try writing to the two parts separately, so you can do all one voice, then all the other voice, instead of switching back and forth and having to reset yourself every time. (And of course, when you're done, you can knit them back together and do some minor editing to fix any flow issues that might arise.) It was helpful for me with my ever-switching POV problems.

lizzieamy said:

So do you think it would be better to keep the whole project in 1st (and run the risk of having two narrators that sound similar), or to alternate between 1st and 3rd?

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Unless you can really differentiate the voices, it's probably better to go with first- and third-person viewpoints. I've read books that use both. It's never bothered me.

Can you focus on the main difference between the girls? Are they different ages? Different backgrounds? Different personalities? Different phrases that they like to use? Maybe you can use the time gap to show differences in slang or technology.

Barbara Kingsolver used the alternating first-person PoV of four young sisters in The Poisonwood Bible. To get the voice for the eldest girl, who was a bit of an airhead, Kingsolver read some of the teen magazines from the era (1950s) and patterned the girl's speech after that. This means she is clearly distinguished from the second sister (who is more earnest), the third sister (who has a love of palindromes), and the youngest girl (who speaks like a typical five year old).

I hate novels — very subjective view — that switch from 1st to 3rd. But in this case you said, "The earlier storyline is told in journal entries so is of course 1st person." I'd have no trouble at all with that.

Another example of a novel with different POV characters written in first person is An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Whereas I think it's Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood where it has one character in 1st and another character in 3rd (namely to denote past and present).

Without knowing anything about your plot, I think you might achieve more of a sad, nostalgic, or melancholy tone by switching from 1st person in journal form to third person. The experience for the reader will be abrupt, maybe even disorienting depending on how you do it. Switching from first to third person flips the way we develop intimacy with people. In real life, you start with some distance between yourself and others and get to know them more over time. If you get to know these two in first person, then are suddenly and forever pulled away from them, the feeling I think would be very melancholy. The characters would become like best friends from our childhoods who we meet again as adults and don't know anymore. I think that choice would give you a great opportunity to deepen the reading experience.

lizzieamy said:

Alternatively I could write the later storyline in close 3rd, but then I have the issue that jumping from 1st to 3rd and back may jar readers out of the story. So do you think it would be better to keep the whole project in 1st (and run the risk of having two narrators that sound similar), or to alternate between 1st and 3rd?

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Welcome to AW lizzieamy.

For me, most of the work of getting a novel started is finding the right voice. The cruelest part about the whole process is there's hardly any concrete standard by which you can tell if you're doing well--you simply have to go with what "feels right."

If 1st person seems right to you, then by all means, use an alternating first-person. I've seen it done in many novels, though the one that comes quickest to memory is Trouble by Non Pratt. You're right: readers will notice if the voices are too similar, but just like any other novel with any other POV, the voice is going to take time to develop. Just to get the story down in the first draft, and work on crafting the two voices as you go on. In the next draft, adjust the voices so they are consistent across the whole mss.

I've translated entire novels from first to third and back again, to see what worked best.

Frankenstein is three nested first-person narratives. King's Christine is mostly first, but has a section in third.

The only rule is, if it works, its right.

Simplicity is a virtue.

caw

I'd say alternate so that it's clearly distinct. And can you introduce the earlier storyline by having the later girl read the earlier's journal? Then it will be clear why we're jumping to different types of POV.