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Writing Passionates discussion
Point of Veiw Question

Created by adi, Jun 10, 2008 75 views
adi Have you ever been writing a story from a first person PO, then tried to add a few scenes from another characters POV, in the same stroy? Is it ever hard for you to become that character?

Just wondering, since in SLIP, I'm trying to write a scene fromE mile's POV, but he sounds too much like Claire, haha.
Xerxes Break(Vivian Ephona) I've never done it. I've gone from first person to third person in the same story once. I guess you just have to think like that character would. I'm no help, huh? ^-^
Brigid ✩ my story, soul stealer, is written like that... the perspective switches between the two main characters. i don't find it too hard; but i get what you mean adi... it's hard to make sure that if you change perspectives your characters still have unique points of view. i think i have that problem too.

(btw, i'll add a link to soul stealer if anyone wants to see what i mean...)

http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/1...
Sella Malin Yeah...in Brigid and my story Moon Rise, it switches between three character's points of view, and it's in first person. It's not hard; but sometimes all three characters sound the same, like brigid and adi said.
Allie I like doing that! I love switching point of views, especially to a minor character for a few paragraphs! In one story, I dont' have a name for it, each "chapter" i switch point of views from the three main characters, in first person, so they can tell what's happening next.
Brigid ✩ i just read in this book about writing that it's 'a poor writing technique' to switch perspectives. but i was like, 'pffft!!! SCREW YOU!' i know how it can be confusing sometimes, but if you do it skillfully, it's really awesome. besides, that's just ONE PERSON'S opinion. it can definitely be pulled off i think... at least, i hope I pulled it off. lol. XD adi and sella i think you're both really good at changing perspectives! i think sometimes it's necessary; like, i don't think soul stealer would have made sense if i'd only stuck to one perspective. idk.
Allie ya, sometimes it's confusing. but i think it makes you understand different characters better when you switch to their perspective.
Xerxes Break(Vivian Ephona) I think switching perspectives is good if you do it in a orderly fashion. It makes it more interesting! Seriously! Sometimes there's more to the story you need to know
Brigid ✩ exactly!! sometimes something important happens to two different characters when they're in different places at different times, so it only makes sense!!!
adi Yeah, I've deiced I'm going to be switching around a bit between Emile and Claire, coz you kinda need to know what's going on with him :D
Xerxes Break(Vivian Ephona) In my newest story I'm doing that bcause you need to know what's going on between Jasmine and Arwan.
deleted user I've got a question for you, in my story fyre, http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/1...,
It's got two pov's, one in 3rd person, and the other in 1st person.
That's because There are these people reading a journal, and in journals people start with 'I' but the rest of it is 'she', and 'he'. I was wondering if it will get confusing.
because in my second and third books, it's just going to be the 'he' and 'she'. Which I think is 3rd person, I can't remember.
Kenzie I don't think it will be confusing. I've always wanted to write a story in two different views.
deleted user so it won't matter if it's in 3rd and in 1st?
Brigid ✩ as long as u make it clear when you're switching perspectives...
there was a part in this book, Destiny, that i wrote, where there was this one scene where it switched from first person to third person... i had to do it, cuz you had to know what was happening to one of the other characters. but my sister read it and she got kinda confused.
but i think it makes sense, personally. and if the reader doesn't get it right away, after the first paragraph or so he/she will figure it out. ;D
Kenzie Yeah, Brigid's right. As long as you make it clear it'll be easy to keep from getting confused.
Hannah jodi picoult is really good at that, like in my sisters keeper she made it really easy to understand
PLUS an amazing book
wow its really hard to type in the dark LOL
Brigid ✩ oh yeah i read that. i liked it until the end. it would have been amazing if the end hadn't been so amateur-ish. blah. :p everyone thinks the end is so great but i thought it was HORRIBLE!!! then everybody thinks i hate it just because it's sad, but that's not the reason! i like a good sad ending. but come on! that was the stupidest sad ending ever! well i don't want to give it away to those of you that haven't read it, but the end is really dumb in my opinion...
deleted user It switches within chapters though.
Alan it might help to write the POV of the first person from start to finish but make notes of it chronologicly. then do the same with the next persons POV and if needed the third and so on. this means your not switching from character to character every chapter.
Alan oh yea then blend the POV's easily using the chronological notes you made
deleted user well, it's got, let's see, just read my story and tell me if it gets confusing at all.

http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/1...
Xerxes Break(Vivian Ephona) James Patterson does the switching from first person to third person in Maximum Ride all the time!
Veronica Well, in the story I'm writing, it's in third person, but I still sort of switch views, if you know what I mean. Because most of the time, the focus is purely on just one character, but then I went and switched it to another character for a while. Once was just a paragraph or two to show somebody else's feelings. The other time was to show somebody elses reasoning for something that was kind of nessicary. And the third time (which is not posted online as I am in the middle of writing that chapter) is purely to get to know a character that will shortly share in the spotlight.

AND OMG I JUST GOT AN IDEA!!!!! But it might make to story too much like a soap opera. Ew. Oh well...we'll see what happens.
deleted user He does?
Brigid ✩ oh yeah, ephona ur right! XD yaaay!!! luv those books... at least i luv the first two... :P
Hannah i liked the ending. it was such a shock. your just sitting there staring at the page thinking WHAT?
i think it was about the mom though. to live with one sick daughter and then... yeah i dont want to spoil the ending.
it certainly made it memorable
Brigid ✩ i like the ending of a book to be a shock. i just thought the end to that particular book was SO STUPID!! it could have ended in a different shocking way. it could have had a really good ending. that ending though... i thought it was just so lame.
deleted user of what? what ending?
Sella Malin I think switching perspectives is great. It lets the reader see the story in different ways, and sometimes something happens to one character that you need to know...also, it's cool to see what others think of the main character. XD

Whoever wrote that writing book, where it said that switching PoV is a bad technique- that's an opinion, not a fact!!

I was just thinking...the following is for twilight readers...you know how stephenie meyer is going to write the whole twilight book in edward's point of view, called midnight sun? (and if you didn't know that, surprise!) well, what if she had included that into Twilight- what if she switched views, like one chapter Bella, and one chapter Edward!! Wouldn't that have been REALLY cool?
Brigid ✩ callie, i was talking about my sister's keeper by jodi picoult.
yeah, sella i agree w/you. i luv switching perspectives!!! yaaay!!! i can see how it could be a bad technique if you used it excessively, but i think it's fun. hee hee. XD
Hannah that would have been really cool sella. the twilight thing. but i still think midnight sun is gonna be super
Brigid ✩ totally!!! ;D
deleted user yeah . . . it will be cool.
But Breaking dawn, goodness gracious! SO FAR AWAY!!!! BUT GETTING SO CLOSE!!!
LESS THAN ONE MONTH PEOPLE
17 MORE DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brigid ✩ yaaay!! can't wait. ;D
Veronica If she did switch with twilight, it would have sort of ruined the story. You would have found out things before you were supposed to.
Sella Malin i know, midnight sun is going to rock...oh i see what you mean, veronica!! maybe it would...

OMG I CANNOT WAIT FOR BREAKING DAWN!! and I mean that LITERALLY. its almost painful!! at least its only (how many days? 17?)
Kenzie I'm saving up to buy a new laptop, so I'm going to have to wait until November, when my birthday comes around, to read Breaking Dawn. -sniffles- I don't think the library will ever have it in, they always get things months late and never have the books I want to read.
Sella Malin Oh...I got a lot of money for babysitting this summer and now I have about 500 dollars in all, so I'm covered.
deleted user 15 days today!
Brigid ✩ whoohoo!!! XD XD XD
Sella Malin yay yay yay yay yay
Sella Malin hey you know that steph. meyer is posting quotes taken directly from breaking dawn on her site? every day she adds a new one. they're awesome, and some of them give really big clues to what's going to happen!!

go to http://www.stepheniemeyer.com

then click twilight series

then click breaking dawn

then click quote of the day

omg its awesome. one of them is really clue-giving:

Tanya: Oh Edward how I've missed you!
Brigid ✩ hmmmmm... ;D
Sella Malin okay...so i think that edward actually had this little fling with tanya, despite what he says. i mean, when bella asks him if he did, he says no without looking her in the eye, and he goes all silent and evasive...

so i think that edward still has tiny feelings for tanya, and when the denalis come to visit in breaking dawn, there will be a conflict. at least we can predict a bella-jealous scene coming up!! and maybe an edward sharing his true feelings and such.

omg wat if...wat if edward left bella for tanya??

okay maybe he wudnt. but something might happen...
Sella Malin lol sorry, just analyzing the facts...thats me for ya...i always go deep when i read. ill go ballistic at the tiny little sentences that might suggest something.

like in another series, the warriors series, i sprung up this whole entire BIG theory one just one word!! (or maybe it was two)
Sella Malin OMG I TOTALLY AGREE!! If zac efron was cast as edward i would sue the company. and i woudnt watch it. but i would buy the dvd just so i could tear into into shreds and then throw it into the toilet.
Brigid ✩ if zac efron was edward I WOULD KILL MYSELF!!!!
okay, maybe not. but i would probably scream in fury.
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