Writing multiple POVs, or 'Points of View' can be really fun, but really tricky. I've read many authors on here who do as such and just as many commentators who get lost on who's who.
I found a message in my email, funny enough, that explained the best way to do this and I thought it would be a good thing to share here. I'll be sharing some key points from the site itself, then give the link to it as well so you yourself can go and do some in-depth reading if you find yourself interested or needing it.
Right, so, there are 7 tips being shared:
Tip 1: The bigger the cast, the bigger the scope
This means: By its very nature, a story with multiple points of view is going to be a "larger" story than one with only a single perspective. Not necessarily longer, but bigger in scope. Stories with multiple points of view usually deal with more character arcs, situations, and settings.
Tip 2: Don't add more points of view just for the sake of it
This means: Just because you want a story to feel larger, that doesn't mean you want to include scenes from every character.
Tip 3: Make your characters work for the spotlight
This means: Characters always need to serve a purpose in your story — otherwise, why are they there?
Tip 4: Keep ties between your viewpoint characters
This means: While it's true that each viewpoint character needs their own arc, don't lose sight of the fact that they still belong to the same story.
Tip 5: Every person has a unique voice, characters should too
This means: When writing multiple points of view, clarity is everything. To that end, your reader should be able to flip ahead to a random page and quickly identify who is telling the story. How would they do that? Character voice.
Tip 6: Only mix first person and third person for a reason
This means: One way you can define a character's voice is by telling one perspective in first person ("I, me, mine"), and the other in third person ("he, she, they").
Tip 7: Don't hide when you change points of view
This means: One of the most important rules of writing is Don't Confuse the Reader. When writing multiple points of view, remember that readers aren't psychic — they won't know you're changing viewpoint characters unless you tell them.
Each of these tips also has additional key points listed with them, so if you're a writer that does use more than 1 POV and aren't accustomed to it, new, or just unsure, I highly recommend giving this a read through. There are even a few videos where someone explains some of the finer points :}
There is an external link attached to this page that will send you to the blog site where all this can be found. I hope it helps!
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