MANAGING POINTS OF VIEW - Where the Focus is on Your Story

MANAGING POINTS OF VIEW

By Simon Woodoint of View (PoV) characters are our storytellers. They carry the narrative from beginning to end and it’s through their eyes that we witness the tale. We only see something because the POV character sees it. Who can forget Phillip Marlowe’s cynical view of the world or Dr. Watson’s recounting of Sherlock Holmes’ astounding feats?

But Marlowe and Watson were the only POV characters in their stories. Telling a story from a single character’s point of view gives the reader insight into the mind of that one character, but it’s only one side of the story—literally. That character’s point of view is limited by their experiences, beliefs and prejudices.

Most stories have plenty of characters with their own tale to tell. Multiple point-of-view characters add depth to a novel. By using multiple POV characters, you can give the story a totally different aspect. Suddenly, the story is told from the perspective of multiple witnesses, all putting their distinctive interpretation on events. But the inclusion of multiple voices can bring with it its own problems. Those multiple points of view can get out of control and turn the story into a mess. In a novel, just like in a conversation, not everyone can speak at once. There are plenty of ways to give each of your characters a voice without having them talk over each other.

this is a simPle literary deVice, but an effective one. It allows you to draw a line under where one POV character leaves and another enters; giving the reader a clear indication that something has changed. Let’s say a chapter or scene is told from the perspective of one character. The reaction to this chapter or scene would have the most impact if it were told from a different character’s POV. To suddenly switch

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1. USE CHAPTER AND/OR SCENE BREAKS

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from one character’s POV to another’s could jerk the reader from the story, but a chapter or scene break would be the perfect signal to the reader to let them know something has changed.

For example: With a heavy heart, POV character, Molly, tells David on his twenty-first birthday that she adopted him as a baby. The chapter ends on this bombshell and the next chapter begins with David’s point of view and his reaction to this revelation.

as simPle as it would be to break for a new chaPter or scene every time you wish to switch from one character POV to another, it may not be convenient to do this. The story could end up as a series of short scenes and chapters, possibly making the flow of the story choppy. Additionally, a chapter and/or scene break might kill the tension you’ve just built. So instead of breaking for a new chapter or scene, change the scene’s location for the next POV. This can be as simple as having the characters switch to another room.

Returning to the previous example with Molly and David, instead of having a chapter break when Molly tells David that he’s adopted, you could switch locations. David reacts violently to Molly’s news and storms out of the house leaving Molly behind. David is alone and in a new locale when his POV scene kicks in. Although there has been no physical break in the narrative, the reader is fully aware that the POV has switched to David.

another way of switching Points of View with seamless ease is to take the relay approach where one POV character hands over the baton to another. This is achieved by using a pivotal point in the scene as a tool to hand over the POV. Consider a scene where two POV characters are on the phone. While the characters are speaking, keep the scene restricted to one POV character, but when the call ends, switch the POV to the other character.

Alternatively, use a setup in dialog to pave the way for a POV change. Consider the following example. A POV character says, “What’s your take on this, Bob?” This is an open invitation to switch the POV to Bob’s character and take the story in a new direction.

we’re talking about managing multiPle Points of View, but which perspective do you incorporate? You aren’t condemned to use multiple third person perspectives for your POV characters. Using a mix of first, second and/or third person makes for a clear change of point of view.

Several authors have used this technique to their advantage. In Harlan Coben’s Gone For Good, all the scenes featuring the protagonist’s POV were in first person, while all the other POV characters were in third person for their scenes. It made for a unique style and it was impossible to confuse POV characters. The first person narrative brought the reader closer to the protagonist and the third person

2. CHANGE SPACES

3. PASS THE BATON

4. MIX PERSPECTIVES


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perspective kept the reader at arm’s length from the other characters.

This same approach can also be applied to experimentation with present and past tense for POV characters. In Michael Gruber’s Tropic of Night, the story is told in third person, past tense, except for a character in hiding. That character’s POV scenes are told in first person, present tense, in journal fashion.

PoV characters must Possess their own distinct Voices. If all the characters have the same way of describing and seeing the world then there’s a danger the reader won’t be able to distinguish the differences between them. To ensure your POV characters don’t all sound like the same person, you need to remember what kind of people your characters are. A teenager’s view of the world is going to be much different than that of a senior citizen’s. There are going to be cultural differences between someone

Using a mix of first, second and/or third person makes for a clear change of point of view.

5. USE DISTINCTIVE VOICES


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from the US and Somalia. And how many books are there written about the differences between men and women?

Nick Hornby demonstrates how to make his POV characters sound different very well in A Long Way Down. The story is told from four first person POV characters (potentially a reader’s nightmare) but the four characters are very different people--one is an angst-ridden teenager, one is a middle-aged woman with a handicapped child, one is a disgraced TV personality and the fourth is a failed musician now delivering pizzas. The language, belief systems and outlooks on life of these four POV characters are so different that they never blur into one another. The reader is at no time confused about which character is speaking to them.

it’s not imPossible to haVe seVeral PoV characters from your novel end up in the same scene together. So who should tell the story of this scene—the protagonist, the antagonist, a secondary character or all of them? You need to step warily. Switching from one character’s POV to another’s throughout a scene can become annoying to the reader. While all POV characters might have something to say, there’s a danger of creating a “too many cooks in the kitchen” scenario. You have to choose one POV character to narrate the scene and stick to it. This doesn’t have to default to the protagonist. Who at this particular juncture of the story is the best storyteller or witness? You need to choose the character that will give the reader the best report or unique perspective on the situation at hand.

Return for a moment back to Molly and David. Molly’s POV is used to tell David of his adoption and the POV switches to David when he learns of the news. In this scenario, the reader first feels the mother’s anguish over telling her son and then the son’s shock that his mother kept this information from him for so long.

The POVs could have been reversed for totally different results. This would have put a different spin on events. Instead, we’d hear from David’s perspective first. It’s his birthday and he’s intrigued by Molly’s urgent need to talk to him. Then Molly tells him he’s adopted. In the next scene, David has run off and the perspective is Molly’s. She’s torn up by David’s reaction and wishes she’d gone after him. The story now takes a on a different complexion. It’s not that either arrangement is wrong. It’s up to you to decide which scenario works best for the story.

a key question you must decide at the outset of the story is who are my storytellers? If you decide there will be three, seven or a dozen POV characters, you must also decide how much page time going to be apportioned to each of these characters. This may not seem important, but it is. The protagonist is the primary storyteller in any story, so it only stands to reason that the majority of the POV scenes should

Who at this particular juncture of the story is the best storyteller or witness?

6. PICK THE RIGHT CHARACTER FOR THE RIGHT JOB


7. CREATE A HIERARCHY OF POV CHARACTERS


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belong to the protagonist. If not, there’s a danger that the protagonist will be swallowed up by the wealth of other characters exerting their view on the story.

If you’re writing a crime thriller with the investigating officer as the protagonist, the story should revolve around the officer and his investigation. The investigating officer’s mark on the story might pale into insignificance if his voice is drowned out by the voices of the suspect under investigation and the other investigating officers.

So you need to allocate page time accordingly. The protagonist is the lead character and should get the lion’s share. This should be followed by the amount of time we hear from the antagonist, then the secondary characters. Minor characters should be heard from in the minority, while bit players should be seen and not heard.

When it comes to page time, you need to think of it in terms of billings. The readers will want to hear the most from the character that receives top billing. They are the star of the show, after all.

the key to managing multiPle PoV characters is selection. While it’s fun to write from multiple characters’ perspectives, choose wisely. You need to decide exactly how many storytellers are needed to tell the story. Don’t keep creating POV characters just for the sake of it. The reader doesn’t have to hear from every character. A minor player with only a glancing blow to the story doesn’t need to leave his or her mark on the novel. You need to take an objective look at your planned POV characters, decide whether all are needed and eliminate unnecessary voices from the story. Remember: keep it poignant and relevant.

Managing multiple POV characters is a tough act, but don’t make it a juggling act. By making clear switches from one POV character to another and creating a hierarchy of key storytellers with distinctive voices, you can create a multifaceted story that no one will forget.

8. LIMIT THE NUMBER OF POV CHARACTERS


ABOUT SIMON WOOD

USA TODAY bestselling author Simon Wood is a California transplant from England. He’s a former competitive racecar driver, a licensed pilot and an occasional PI. He shares his world with his American wife, Julie. Their lives are dominated by a longhaired dachshund, cats, chickens and bees. He’s the Anthony Award winning author of Accidents Waiting to Happen, Paying the Piper, Terminated, and the Aidy Westlake series. His thriller THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY has been optioned for a movie adaptation. He also writes horror under the pen name of Simon Janus. Curious people can learn more at http://www.simonwood.net.

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MANAGING POINTS OF VIEW - Where the Focus is on Your Story

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