How to Write a Good Story

Writing from More than One Point of View (II)

When you switch viewpoints from one character to another in a novel, remember that your job as a writer is to make the transitions as seamless for the readers as you can. In practical terms, it should be obvious in the first paragraph, and preferably in the very first line, that a change has taken place.

Why? Because there is nothing more annoying for readers of fiction than to get a page or two into a new chapter before they realize that they are no longer looking through the detective's eyes, for example, but the murderer's.

And so, when you finish with one viewpoint character and step into the shoes of a new one, be sure to name them as early as you possibly can - ideally, in the first sentence.

But merely naming the new viewpoint character is not enough by itself. Just because you write, "Andrew poured himself a large scotch," it doesn't necessarily mean that Andrew is the point of view character. Jane, his wife, could be the viewpoint character watching her husband pouring the drink.

So you must also make it clear, as early on as you can, that we are looking through Andrew's eyes and hearing his thoughts. And you could do that by writing something like this...

"Andrew poured himself a large scotch and emptied it in one swallow. He hated the stuff, normally, but he needed something to take the edge off with his bitch of a wife giving him the evil eye from across the room."

So that has dealt with how you switch viewpoints. But when should you switch? There are a few simple rules here...

It is virtually always best, if at all possible, to start a fresh chapter when you switch from one viewpoint character to another. This is the simplest option of all for the reader.

Next best is switching viewpoints during a break within a chapter (the kind denoted by a line of white space, or by asterisks if the break occurs at the bottom of a page).

It is possible to switch characters where there are no breaks, but here it is critical that you make it clear immediately that a switch has occurred. Also, try to do it during a natural disruption to the flow. If two characters are talking at a dinner table, say, switch viewpoints in that moment of silence between one conversation and the next.

Try to maintain a consistent pattern of viewpoint switching throughout the novel, and make that pattern clear early on. If you write the first chapter from Fred's point of view, the next six chapters from Mary's, chapter eight from another character's viewpoint altogether, and the final two chapters from Fred's and Mary's viewpoints, with switches occurring every two or three pages, don't expect too much fan mail from your readers.

If you always try to put yourself in a reader's shoes, you can't go wrong...

You will always be sure to make it clear whose eyes they are looking through at any given point. There will be no jarring switches in unlikely places. And the overall viewpoint "pattern" will have a pleasing symmetry to it.

And the result of all that, of course, is that the readers won't even notice how you have handled viewpoint, because you have handled it seamlessly like a master, not messily like a novice.

Switching Viewpoints In Mid-Scene

In some novel writing guides, you will read that you should never, ever, ever switch viewpoints in mid-scene. To which I would reply (politely): why not?

A scene can be defined as a character pursuing a specific goal in the face of opposition and (usually) ending up in a worse position. (See the plotting section for more on this.) An example would be a husband pleading with his wife to forgive him after she caught him being unfaithful...

His specific goal is to achieve his wife's forgiveness. The opposition is the wife, who has no intention of forgiving him. And the bad outcome is her kicking him out of the house (serves the cheating rat right).

Now, the obvious way to write the scene is through the husband's eyes (because he's the one the scene is about), but I would suggest that you could also write it from the wife's point of view.

Yes, it is the husband's scene, in that he is the one with the goal. Writing it from his point of view would allow the reader to feel his humiliation and his desperation to win his wife back.

But told from the wife's viewpoint, the reader could feel her pleasure in watching him squirm, which would be an interesting, pleasing alternative.

So here is my argument...

If it is possible to write the scene in two different ways, it is surely possible to switch viewpoints in mid-scene - first we would feel the husband's pain, then the wife's pleasure.

I would concede that it is best to stick to one viewpoint if you have no compelling reason to switch. In other words, what is added to the scene by seeing it through two pairs of eyes should outweigh the disruption to the scene caused by the switch. But if you do have a compelling reason to change viewpoints in the middle of a scene, ignore the naysayers and go right ahead.