Young Writers Society

Hello everyone! c: So in my spy story, which I'm currently editing, there is a scene. (I know obviously but anyways)
I want to have the same scene twice, one after the other in two different chapters, but I want to have it from two different perspectives. One being the main character, and the other being the villain.
What do you all think about having that kind of set up on perspective?

You'd better have the perspectives down pat.

This type of perspective switch can work, but you have to remember different people will see it different ways. I'm talking drastically different ways. Like will flat out get some facts wrong and will naturally twist the story away from objective "drastic".

If you want to avoid the scene feeling repetitive, you'll have to get that level of differentiation. There's a one act play in three scenes. Each scene shows the same thing— a robbery on a couple— from the man's perspective, the woman's perspective, and the thief's perspective. Each scene is totally different from the next, and you have no idea what the "right" version is.

The reason I say you really need to nail perspectives down is, otherwise readers will very likely find the same events told in only slightly different ways boring and repetitive. And if your scenes are mostly identical with just slightly different twists, then yeah, they'll be justified in finding it repetitive.

You have to ask— and answer— "why is it important I show the same scene twice?" If you can't find something that makes both scenes different enough readers don't get bored, then I'd reconsider. However, if you'll get plot critical information that will not appear unless you do it and/or you'll really make each scene different to the point people aren't completely sure what happened and you have to keep reading to find out, then doing the scene twice is important.

Rosey seriously I love you. You always go into such depth and that amazes me. *bows down to you*
Back to the topic at hand, so as long as there is crucial information on both sides, and two completely different scenes in a way just at the same time, it wouldn't get boring?

Pretty much.

And the changes can simply be different details noticed. A character who never notices details will, well, not notice details, while a highly detail oriented character will notice things the other character missed.

You can also notice different things based on your emotional state, motivation, values, and self view. There are a lot of ways to make the scene different.

Thank you so much!!! c: