I have about three or four books half-read at any time. I usually read the first few chapters, then get distracted by my crazy life or the inspiration to continue on my wip. Usually, I have at least read enough of each novel to know whose pov will be used. And since I read mostly romance novels, the typical povs used in one novel are the hero's and the heroine's.
One of the recent books in my reading list began in the perspective of the hero. It was intriguing,
mysterious, unusual, and top-notch.
And then enters the heroine.
While she had some significant issues, the craft that shone in the hero's perspective was lacking in her's. I couldn't believe that the two povs were even written by the same person. Perhaps, I should read further and get comfortable with the heroine, but once I got back to the hero's pov, I sighed relief because it was interesting again!
And then enters the heroine.
While she had some significant issues, the craft that shone in the hero's perspective was lacking in her's. I couldn't believe that the two povs were even written by the same person. Perhaps, I should read further and get comfortable with the heroine, but once I got back to the hero's pov, I sighed relief because it was interesting again!
So, after talking with my fellow Alley Cats, I think I have a grip on what makes alternating povs
successful.
At first, I thought, well, maybe the
reason I had such a hard time reading the above book was because the
author went from “showing” the hero's situation, feelings,
stakes, to using a LOT of telling with the heroine. But the Alley Cats talked about books they have read where the author was
successful in this way, and come to think of it, I have read a few
that use telling as part of the “voice” of a character.
So then, I thought about the stakes.
Perhaps, each character should have the same intensity of what's at stake. If life is
on the edge for one character, then it should be on the edge for the
other. But that doesn't really work in real life or fiction.
Maybe it was voice. Maybe the voices of
each character were too different, too simplistic for one and too
complex for the other. But just the thought of that stirred my
creative juices and I want to tackle that idea at some point in my own writing!
I kept trying to put my finger on it,
wondering why I had such an issue with these unequally yolked povs.
Every point I thought about, had some sort of exception. And as I sat
down to write this post, it finally hit me...Whether you “show”
with one character, and “tell” with the other, whether one
character is in a “life” threatening situation, and the other is
sitting by enjoying life, whether one character is a man and the
other a woman, there is something very important needed when writing
two different point-of-views:
CONSISTENT CRAFT
Each pov in a book must be as
well-written as the other. It's as simple as that. If you don't have
it in you to write a character well, if you feel like you are much
more inspired by one character over the other, then seriously think
about nixing that pov...or spicing up that character so that you care
to write him/her!
Search for a distinct voice for each
character, but make sure you mold and shape each person to be unique,
endearing, entertaining, and well-written!
Final tips on Point Of Views:
Write each character's pov as if they are their own story, not as if one is assisting the other. Use the different perspectives to move toward the main plot-line of the book, to ramp up the tension toward the point of character collision or the characters' a-ha moment together.
Finally, two POVs are only powerful when they are both consistent in moving the story forward.
Consistent Craft vs. Inconsistent Craft would be:
- Fine-tuning voice in each character vs. giving a generic voice to the character you're not as thrilled to write about.
- Ramping the tension in one pov, then flat-lining with the next character. Even if a character isn't going through tragedy, use power words, make even the every day situation intriguing to bridge the gap between the characters until they are woven together in the plot.
- Language differences: Using power words, tight writing, good dialogue with one pov, then sprinkling adverbs, boring sentence structure, simplistic dialogue in your next pov. This is particularly tricky in historical and dialect of certain countries...for some reason we want to use adverbs for historical writing...it just seems...more proper, doesn't it? Something I am working on!
Final tips on Point Of Views:
Write each character's pov as if they are their own story, not as if one is assisting the other. Use the different perspectives to move toward the main plot-line of the book, to ramp up the tension toward the point of character collision or the characters' a-ha moment together.
Finally, two POVs are only powerful when they are both consistent in moving the story forward.
Thanks, Alley Cats, for helping me sort through these thoughts on POV. I am by no means an expert, so I would love to open the discussion to our readers and see if anyone else has tips or insight also!
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Angie
Dicken first began writing fiction as a creative outlet during the
monotonous days of diapers and temper tantrums. She is passionate to
impress God's love on women regardless of their background or belief.
This desire serves as a catalyst for Angie's fiction, which weaves
salvation and grace themes across cultures. She is an ACFW member and
CEO of a family of six.
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