Q&A with Beth Groundwater discussion
Switching points of view
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Beth, it appears we are on the same page with points of view.I'm enjoying your posts and wish you good fortune with your writing.
Betty Gordon
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I think switching point of views is one of those things that either works beautifully or turns into a disaster.
I hadn't met the mixture of 1st and 3rd person in one novel till recently. I've read a couple of novels with more than one first person narrator, and I actually found them easier to read than the mixture of 1st and 3rd. Not sure why.
"Beth, what is your opinion about switching points of view from one chapter to the next in a manuscript? I'm currently reading a novel by a New York Times Best Selling Author wherein she changes from 1st person to 3rd person about every other chapter. I find it disconcerting and that it jerks me out of the storyline. I understand this approach has gained some popularity."
In my opinion, whether or not you stay in the main character's point of view or switch between multiple character's viewpoints is a decision the author makes based on the needs of the story. In most mysteries, and in my Claire Hanover mysteries, we are in the the sleuth's head the whole time, trying to solve the question of whodunnit right along with the sleuth. And what drives me absolutely crazy is if once the sleuth finds the all-important clue that solves everything, all of a sudden the author throws us out of the sleuth's head and keeps that vital clue a secret from the reader. I don't think that's playing fair.
Multiple viewpoints are often used in suspense novels, where suspense is created by the reader knowing something that the sleuth doesn't--like the fact that the sleuth or one of their loved ones is in danger. Sometimes we even go into the head of the killer. My first manuscript, still unpublished, was a futuristic romantic suspense, and I went into multiple characters' heads (including the killer's) at different times, depending on the needs of the story. Sometimes the sleuth just isn't there in an important scene that needs to occur.
As for switching from first to third person, what I've seen most often is the use of first person for the main character and third person for everyone else. Diana Gabaldon does this, for example, to good effect. Usually, though, when the author uses multiple points of view, they're all in third person, so the switches are less jarring.
Great question!