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Switching View Points



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Fri May 04, 2012 2:03 pm
Paracosm says...



Hey ya'll! I'm writing a detective novel (of course) where I think I might need to switch POVs. I have it where the narrator is this guys friend, she's a Watson-esque character. I need to do a scene from third person POV, or the protagonists POV. Is it okay to switch point-of-views like that?

I have it where she is recounting the story after it happened. The scene I need to switch POVs for his the MCs court ordered therapy sessions. Can I just jump from one POV to another, no questions asked?
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Fri May 04, 2012 2:53 pm
Rosendorn says...



Usually you need to establish a pattern for switching between PoVs in general, let alone switching from first to third. For now, write the scene if you think that's what needs to happen, and see how it fits in when you're editing. I've found you can really only decide this stuff upon rereading drafts for editing.
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo

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Sat May 05, 2012 1:18 am
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Paracosm says...



Thank you Rosey! Will do!
Review unto others as you would have others review unto you.

Don't panic!

Also, Shino!
  





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Wed May 09, 2012 4:11 pm
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Tenyo says...



I don't know if you mean changing the perspective of first or third person, or using first or third person from different characters, so I'll generalise.

There are people who would tell you to *never* switch viewpoints because it's a mortal sin of writing. Of course, you should ignore them. However, like with morality and grammar and law and everything else, you have to know the purpose of the rule before you break it. You have to understand why people say 'don't change point of view,' before you can figure out a way around it.

The key things you have to remember are:

Coherency.
The most important. You have to make it very clear even to the lesser intellectual reader what's going on. You can do it by changing the style of writing, using italics (sparingly) or by simply saying 'that's John Smith, that's me, but three years ago,' kind of thing.

Consistency.
You could have one perspective from the antagonist and the other from the protagonist, so the consistency is that both are main characters, at least on their side of the fence. Like above, you can use one perspective in future tense and another in past. The thing to remember though is to always keep it that way. Don't switch to the perspective of a random side character, or change tenses and not viewpoints.

Variation.
Different people talk in different ways, so if you plan on changing perspective you have to be even more in tune with your characters ways of viewing the world and the language they use. Think of techniques you can apply that you wouldn't be able to otherwise and take advantage of these.

Purpose.
Make sure that convenience isn't the only reason for chosing to switch viewpoints. Some writers are more comfortable in first person than third, or writing from male perspectives rather than female. If you try to force the wrong one it will come out awkward, so if you're going to be switching viewpoints make sure that you're comfortable doing so. Practice a few scenes and get feedback. Breaking rules should be done for a reason, not for convenience.

I hope this helps somehow.
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Fri May 11, 2012 12:40 am
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Paracosm says...



Thank you Ten! That does help, quite a bit. I think the solution to my particular problem has been figured out. It goes as follows: The protagonist (not narrator) is a super intellectual dweeb type character, and I saw on Animal Planet that people record experiences like snake bites to help study the symptoms and stuff, so the scene I want to do in his viewpoint will instead become a voice recording that the narrator relates through the book! Thank you guys!
Review unto others as you would have others review unto you.

Don't panic!

Also, Shino!
  








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