Art of Writing Multiple Viewpoints

Every week I deal with different subjects in this blog. I also post my blog to my Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld. This week I am taking a look at Writing Multiple Viewpoints also known as Multiple 3rd Person.

In this blog I will be exploring a
difficult, yet in my opinion, profitable methodology. I previously wrote about
1st and 3rd Person viewpoints or POVs, but in the following I am writing about
having multiple primary characters. Now, as a rule of thumb, you never want
more than one primary character at the
same time.

If you read any of my books I often have
multiple POVs. You should also notice that I follow my own advice and clearly
identify the person who’s POV I’m using.

One last thing before we dive into the
subject, don’t let the subject intimidate you. You can master it if you focus
on applying the principles of good writing.

Below is an excerpt from my book TR Independent Books Guide to Writing:

Principle

Imagine yourself as a reader who gets to read the minds of the characters. Not necessarily all the time, but at critical times. It gives you, the reader, the power and knowledge to understand what is going on to a greater degree.

In Third Person Viewpoints you are reading or “listening” to the thoughts of the primary character. But in Multiple Third Person Viewpoints this is multiplied so that the reader has the opportunity to grasp more and understand more.

That being said, I would not suggest too many characters at one time. Generally I try a limit of to two or three characters. And only with the primary character do I have constant contact.

Tip#1: Generally speaking, multiple characters with observable viewpoints
should be introduced early. An exception is when a book spans many years; you
can space them out.

Tip#2: Unless you are truly great with prose keep your primary character as
your primary POV. In books spanning many years make sure you have a smooth
transition between the old POV and the new POV.

Example

In Perished: The World That Was
you have a book covering 1656 years. It starts with Adam being the primary
character but he eventually dies and another takes his place. This continues
until Noah becomes the primary. One difficulty was that these characters
sometimes lived at the same time, so I had to be careful about the transition.
In most cases this happened at the death of one or in other cases it was in
different scenes.

I do not recommend doing this in a story that is more compressed in time. Most likely your primary character will be constant throughout the book.

Another example from the same book is the inclusion of multiple
primary characters. But it is rare for both to appear in the same
scene at the same time. If such a situation presents itself, however,
only one should be the primary at that time.

Application

Advantages of
Multiple POV

Greater
flexibility within storyGreater
or wider view of storyMore
information available to reader

Disadvantages of
Multiple POV

Requires
a great deal more diligenceRequires
more workCan
confuse reader if not done right

Multiple Person Viewpoint is in my
opinion the most flexible (and hardest) viewpoint for the author to use. That
flexibility is a valuable asset for the author. So don’t shy away from it.

Try it out. Buy books on viewpoint and learn what works for you.

To learn more about multiple Points of View and other writing needs TR Writing Services is currently giving away – that’s right, it’s FREE! – our TR Guide to Writing. Simply contact us and request a copy (PDF or docx) and we’ll send it to you. While at it, why not request the TR Writing Service booklet? This booklet will tell you about our different plans and prices. (The current plan discounts expire June 30th.)

For more on TR Writing Services contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com.

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am
always looking for book reviews. Whether it is Perished The World That Was
(Book One), World of Noah and the Ark (Book Two), World of Shem
(Book Three), World of Abraham (Book Four) or Death Ship (Book One), Pauline A New Home (Book Two), Task
Force Hunter (Book Three), Black Death (Book Four), or Rise of
I.C.E.S. (Book Five), I value your reviews.

If you would like to review any of these books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an
appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email
make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy
(PDF or ePub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick
Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing
Services providing help to struggling and/or new
authors to write and publish their books. In addition he is the author of
several books and is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative
Fiction. For more information on him or his books visit his Amazon Authors Page. He is also
co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. To reply to any blog you have the
option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.