Who Said That? Changing Your Point of View
- Print
- 7/2/2009 |
- 10:00 am
When I look back at some of my earliest attempts at writing, one particular mistake pops up over and over again. I didn't know any better, so I was constantly shifting the story's point of view within chapters, even within paragraphs. Yikes!
Believe it or not, as long as you only use it to practice, that error might actually be helpful. Read on to get a new look at your story...
Point of view (POV) essentially determines which character's eyes we'll be looking through as we read your story. You get to feel their emotions, understand their initial reactions, and generally live the story as they do. When you suddenly shift to another character's point of view, it can be a bit jarring.
In my Galahad books, beginning with The Comet's Curse, I made sure to never jump from one character's POV to another's without either starting a new scene, or a completely new chapter. There should be a logical break in the story before you shift POV.
Ok...having said that, this allows you to improve your writing skills by writing a scene with two characters, using the first character as your POV. Then, take a look at the scene, and re-write it, only this time looking through the eyes of the second character. Chances are, the story will be told in a totally different light.
If two characters are arguing, for instance, they are certainly not going to be seeing things the same way. So it's great practice to write a scene twice, shifting that POV to see how much emotion plays in a scene.
Then, when you're ready to actually draft the story, choose the one that works the best for you. Often that means the POV which delivers the most powerful scene, the most dramatic, or the most emotional.
Have fun!
