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YouWriteOn Message Board > Literary Forums > Professional Writing Tips and Techniques - New Help Search Recent Posts
Multiple POV
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iwritethereforeiam
 22 Jun 2011, 08:32 #121228 Reply To Post
I am struggling with a story - a novel really - in which I would like to use multiple POV. It is a love story, but each of the characters have secrets they are worried about the other finding out.

Anyone using multiple POVs in their stories I can take a sneak peak at? Anf what do you suggest? I know the two main characters need to have strong stories...

V confused! Help.
Clairann
 22 Jun 2011, 09:14 #121230 Reply To Post
I suggested to someone else recently a good example (I think) of how to do this well. There's a novel called 'The White Family' by Maggie Gee that has various narrators and POVs in it. She separates them into chapters, so each chapter focuses on a specific character and their story. Might be worth a look to see if it's helpful for you?
www.clairhumphries.com
iwritethereforeiam
 22 Jun 2011, 09:20 #121231 Reply To Post
Thanks. I will check that out. In fact that is what I am now doing. I was switching POV within the same chapter and I was picked on that, so I am now focusing on a different character in each chapter
SusieHolmes
 22 Jun 2011, 12:16 #121249 Reply To Post
Hiya

I don't know if this helps, but my YA book has 2 characters (a boy and a girl) with utterly different stories, across two different times, falling in love. I am writing it in alternating chapters. And there are secrets for both of them. It's been really tricky trying to tie up their lives with each other, knowing what the other one is doing whilst you are 'living' in the other one's chapter etc.

The first 2.5 chapters are on my page - Imprisoned Angels.

I'm not saying it's a fine example of work and you desperately need to read it so you know how accomplished it is, I'm just saying that I can empathise with how tricky it is!
sewise
 22 Jun 2011, 22:04 #121282 Reply To Post
Susie is being modest - Imprisoned Angels is very good.
SusieHolmes
 23 Jun 2011, 11:06 #121311 Reply To Post
Shucks Sewise.
Thanks.
pam123writing
 23 Jun 2011, 19:47 #121354 Reply To Post
Quote: iwritethereforeiam, Wednesday, 22 Jun 2011 09:20
Thanks. I will check that out. In fact that is what I am now doing. I was switching POV within the same chapter and I was picked on that, so I am now focusing on a different character in each chapter


It's perfectly acceptable to switch POV in a chapter, so long as you have a break like *** to show you have switched heads. I do it in all of mine. I've had hundreds of reviews and no one has ever picked that up as I make sure I define the switches. If you want to check my novels Always On My Mind, you will see there are switches in that first chapter and also in my novel 'Til I Kissed You. These few chapters are still up on site under my name. All three are published as Kindle e-books at 70p each and are high in the Amazon top 100 Family Saga charts if you want a more in depth read.
Three Steps to Heaven
'Til I Kissed You
Always On My Mind
A rock'n'roll romance series by Pam Howes all available on Amazon in paperback and e-Books.
Visit my website for details.
Fast Movin' Train - A stand alone love story.
Amazon links on:
website

"And, in the end, the love you take / Is equal to the love you make." Lennon and McCartney 1969
erict
 24 Jun 2011, 22:03 #121462 Reply To Post
I recently posted a similar query. I’m currently plotting out a three voice novel. I got a number of good suggestions

(Still visible in the dark & stormy night forum "Picking Brains")


I have been put off multi POV by books that rigidly head hop each chapter. I’m aiming for a more random mix. I’m a fan of Trudi Canavan and she happily skips heads mid chapter with a mere extra line space between. This did throw me a few times in her last book, indicating that the shift does need to be clearly sign posted. Sulcus suggested using a sigil at the top of the chapter to show who’s story we are in and that would work for my layout.

Happy to share work/ discuss, but as I’m un-published I would suggest chasing down a few published pieces and looking at those would be more constructive.

ET
browser1
 25 Jun 2011, 20:35 #121540 Reply To Post
It's interesting that I've just stumbled on this topic. My most recent piece, 'Suffer. The Little Children', had two seperate viewpoints, both of which are in the first person.

All of my reviews commented on how confusing the changes in POV were, so what I've done is I've prefaced each POV section with the narrators name.

I've just uploaded it in the last few minutes.
Talking Horse
 28 Jun 2011, 18:38 #121812 Reply To Post
Manhattan Transfer (John Dos Pasos) is one I've learned has several different points of view as the hero arrives into the maelstrom that was New York of the 1920s that has multiple points of view. Could be worth a look.
A writing course I was at some time ago mentioned researching characters otherwise a person that you might not know a lot about becomes a simple caricature.
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