As a writer, you are made aware that there are a number of rules by which you must write. Part of me, the one pepetually stuck in my teenage years, wants to thumb my nose at this never ending list of Do’s and Don’ts. However, I’m a logical, thinking adult…and I still want to thumb my nose at the damn list. Since writing is a craft you are continually perfecting, I have no doubt that I have broken several of these rules without even thinking about it.
Yet, until my latest WIP, there is one rule I’ve been very careful of not breaking–keeping a consistent point of view.
If you’ve read (or are planning to read) my first two books, you’ll note that we are always in Raine’s point of view. Since I’m easily confused, will just label my style as Third Person Limited–basically the story is told from the protagonist’s POV using “he” and “she”. This has worked quite well for me, until Xander and Warrick decided to show up.
I’ve tried the First Person POV–everything told from the protagonist’s POV. This style lures you in with the promise of pulling your readers in closer to your character. Those snickers you hear as you dive in? That’s the style laughing it’s ass off at you because you have stepped into the quagmire of “I thought…”, “I moved…”, “I…”, “I…” and it so hard to drag yourself free. I have mad respect for all those writers who’ve used First Person POV brillantly. I’ll even admit to having a partial story in this style. It’s now sitting in a corner by itself until it learns to behave better.
There is this term–”Head hopping” that most writers hear. For those not familiar with this term, pick up a book and tell me, how many of the characters are telling the story? Are there chapter or scene breaks inbetween each character’s scene? If so, the writer is skating the thin edge of the rules, but doing well. But say you go from John’s perspective to Mary’s, then to Roman’s all within a page, back to John’s, then to Roman’s, then to Mary’s, all within two pages, that’s called head hopping. It’s a bit like standing in the center of the room with the characters surrounding you and you spin endlessly trying to follow along.
Now, one of my favorite authors (and no, I’m not sharing the name) likes to head hop, and they have TONS of books out there. As a reader I’m okay with it, those stories work for me. As a writer, I’ve tried very hard never to head hop. For me (THIS IS MY OPINION!) I always felt like I was cheating if I had to use multiple perspectives to get the story across to the readers.
*clears throat*
Recently, I’ve had to change my mind. Those who’ve been following along know I’ve struggled to get Shadow’s Moon under way as I searched for the correct POV to do the story from. Finally, this weekend, it hit–this story is about two very distinct people, therefore the reader needs to hear both of their voices.
*sigh*
So those rules you hear all the time, take them with a huge salt lick. Rules are a great way to help you start out in writing, but don’t be afraid of ignoring them and jumping off your creative cliff occassionally. You’ll be surprised what meets you half way down! 
This reminds me of a discussion I was having on twitter yesterday with a couple of writers I know. I ended up resorting to email for the end of the discussion as there was more to say when we got to head hopping than I could tweet.
I write limited 3rd myself, and I know the self-control it can take to avoid head hopping, given how tempting it is to show the extra bits, but I hate when published writers do that. I’m fine with them handing over POV for the rest of the chapter, for example, but if you’re just going to show me a single reaction or thought from one of the non-POV character, just don’t. When I write, I constantly ask myself if the POV character would really see something or if I’m just “getting cute” as I call it when I slip on this one and head hop a bit. Those always get edited out, because it’s like nails on a chalkboard to my inner editor. She screams.
You’re right about the rules though. They can be bent, sometimes broken. You just need to understand what you’re breaking and why, then try to do what you can to minimize the cost. That’s why you have to know them first though, right?
Exactly! Rules are very necessary but we shouldn’t be afraid to bend, twist, and sometimes snap them in half. The bottom line is it has to work for you and your work!
I’ve always been terrified of head hopping, so I stuck with first person POV for my first couple of attempts. Then I tried out third person. We get along okay, but me and first person? We’re likethis.
It seems to me with third person, a certain amount of head hopping is okay…as long as it’s not within the same conversation. That’s my rule and I’m sticking with it. Hopefully that means third person will get easier to work with. Or not.
Guilty as charged. I have been a terrible head hopper but I’m working hard to tame the wild beast. I switch between scenes and/or chapters, but occasionally one of my betas will point out a spot within the same scene where I’ve head hopped. *sigh* My crit group hasn’t been overly critical: they agree there aren’t hard and fast rules and like you, consider them guidelines.
I don’t think there’s a rule that says stick with one character (in third – in first it’s more controversial). Change of viewpoint character should be done with proper scene breaks or, if you are very, very clever, using proper transitions within the scene, such as sliding from third limited to omniscient and back to third limited in a new character. If this is done well, it can be virtually unnoticeable – Stephen King is one who can pull this off. As long as it’s not jarring the reader, it doesn’t matter. The ‘rules’ are more observations of what works – and for most of us, changing viewpoint characters within scenes doesn’t work.
I know some POV purists who insist on one viewpoint character – until I ask them about epic fantasy. The single viewpoint epic fantasy is an endangered beast. Not because these writers are sloppy writers who can’t follow rules, but because epic fantasy is the story of many characters.
Another ‘rule’ you’ve forgotten to mention is this one – the correct viewpoint character for a scene is the one with the most to lose. By implication, more than one viewpoint character may be appropriate.
Very true, Ciara! Whoever is the most invested should be heard. Still I’m all for trying out new things because you never know what the results will show you.
I think it’s great that you are trying multiple viewpoints, especially because you have a strong reason to do so. I was taught that you should be in the viewpoint of the character with the most at stake (unless you have a good reason not to). That might mean changing vp mid-scene, which is fine if you do the transition well. And if it’s important to the character, you probably need to be in his head for more than a couple sentences, so no head-hopping faux pas.
I so hear you, Marie. I’m discovering that by doing both POV’s my story is taking on unexpected depth, something I wouldn’t have found without stepping outside my “comfort zone”.
A tricky game isn’t it? I tend to stick with third person now since that seems freer and only one POV per chapter. If I change at all. Can be hard at times but it’s definitely my preferred style.