a few thoughts on pov
I've been thinking a lot about Point-of-View lately.Probably because I've been reading a story where the author head-hops. Just about every character has a POV, regardless of how large or small a part they play in the story, & the POVs switch back & forth every couple of paragraphs. Normally, this would drive me crazy. It's wrong!
Isn't it?
When I first started writing--& more importantly, learning the craft of writing--I was taught that ping-pong POV was a bad thing. The rule of thumb was to stay in a character's POV for at least one full page before even thinking of switching. And also that the hero's & heroine's points-of-view were the only acceptable ones to use, unless you had a good, strong, & pressing reason to get into the head of a secondary character. For instance, a villain or perhaps a matchmaker.
But the problem with this book I'm reading, with its ping-pong POV that's so offensive to my delicate sensibilities :-P, is that it's good. It is a fabulous story, one I can hardly bear to put down. And the frequent POV switches that I was taught were wrong with a capital W don't bother me at all. The story is so compelling & keeps such a great pace, I barely notice them. (Well, all right, the intellectual, writer's side of my brain makes note every time it happens, but the less retentive side that reads only for entertainment couldn't care less.)
So what should my opinion of POV switches be now? There are authors out there who use ping-pong POV all the time & have been very successful with it. Nora Roberts comes to mind. Nora's point-of-view jumps around quite a bit, but she's not the least apologetic about it. It's a part of her voice, her style, & I don't think anyone would argue with the fact that it obviously works for her. Her readers certainly aren't complaining.
But then you also have what a friend of mine calls the "POV Purists." These are the writers who don't believe it's acceptable to change POV ever unless it's within the boundaries of a very strict structure. Those boundaries range from sticking with one POV exclusively through the entire novel...to two POVs only (that would be the hero's & heroine's), using one for an entire chapter before switching to the other...to perhaps, at most, changing from one point-of-view to another only once per chapter.
I fall somewhere in between. I definitely believe POV changes are okay, I just don't think they should be made willy-nilly or without reason. When I switch point-of-view, it is a conscious decision. I know exactly what I'm doing & why I'm doing it.
One of the "rules" I learned early on was to write from the point-of view of the character who has the most to lose. This factor is much easier to define when you're writing something like suspense (i.e. when the potential loss is frightening or life-threatening...say a heroine being stalked by a demented killer; of course being in her terrified POV the majority of the time is going to have a greater impact than spending most of the book in the cop hero's POV). But in any story, you can ask yourself the same question--who has the most to lose?
And that is, for the most part, how I decide what point-of-view to use. But the longer I write, the more natural & instinctual the decision becomes. I rarely even have to think about it anymore.
I also follow my instincts when it comes to when to switch point-of-view. I've noticed that I switch more often in some books & not as much in others. It all depends on how the story needs to be told to have the greatest emotional impact. The same is true of which character's POV I tend to use more...some stories seem to lend themselves more to one character than another or need to be told more from one POV than another, while others don't. That's the sort of thing that can't really be taught, it has to come from your gut.
So, after all these deep thoughts about point-of-view, this is what I've decided: There's no such thing as "right" or "wrong" POV. There is only the method in which it's utilized & whether or not it works.
In my opinion, that's the most important aspect of any story. Does it work? If it does, you're golden. But if not...then you might need to rethink your personal opinions about point-of-view & how you apply them to your own writing.
