Writing Advice Unpacked: Stick to One POV Character
As a new writer, you might have been told that your story should only have one point of view character and that we should stay inside their head (whether you’re writing in 1st or 3rd person) for the entire narrative.
Thinking about writing in 3rd-person limited with multiple points of view?
Don’t be surprised to see some well-intentioned writing instructors and editors clutching their pearls and shaking their heads.
This advice isn’t malicious, and no one is trying to sabotage your glorious, century spanning epic. Usually, the advice comes from a well-meaning, but limited (ha, see what I did there!) viewpoint.
First, here are some of the reasons why newer writers are discouraged from writing a book with more than one point-of-view character.
1) Writing multiple points of view can be more difficult.
Instead of getting to know one character really well and staying in their head the entire time, you have to develop the same intensive characterization for all of your POV characters. Then, you have to find a way to immerse your readers in each character’s perspective.
2) Increasing the number of POV characters can inflate your word count.
The more characters we have to get to know, the more words you need on the page. If you go too far above the word count expectations for your genre, then you risk turning readers, agents, or editors off of your project.
3) Depending on multiple-POVs can sometimes indicate writing issues.
Sometimes writers include multiple points of view because they haven’t nailed down the story’s main idea or central character. In that case, the advice to stick to one point of view character is actually advice about finding the heart of your story and making decisions that serve the story you are trying to tell. Sometimes, that will mean narrowing your focus to one point of view character.
4) Modern readers tend to favor deep POV.
Modern novels tend to favor deep-POV and writing instructors may try to change your omniscient or objective third person novel to fit that mold. I’m not going to do a deep dive on POV here, but it’s important to note that simply following multiple characters around does not make for a multi-POV novel. As I mentioned earlier, this post is about multiple 3rd-person limited narrators. A book written in the omniscient or 3rd-person objective POV has one perspective—that of the narrator. Whether the narrator is implied or explicitly made known to the reader is a question for another day.
5) Some genres and readers favor single point of view stories with straightforward, linear plots.
There’s nothing wrong with that! If your instructor/editor reads and writes in one of those genres, their advice will reflect that bias. You’ll just need to seek out feedback from someone who has a better grasp on the nuances of your genre and its associated reader expectations.
Now, on to the good stuff.
Here are some reasons for you to ignore that advice and write the complex, multi-POV story of your dreams (even if you’re a newbie writer):
1) Some genres welcome (and sometimes expect) multiple points of view).
Just as there are genres that favor single point of view stories, there are genres that favor multiple perspectives. Many romance fans love seeing the perspective of both leads—especially as their relationship stumbles through mishaps and misunderstandings. In epic fantasy, the world-altering scope often requires that we see multiple characters in multiple locations. There are of course single-POV epic fantasies that work, but some of the biggest names in the genre are multi-POV. The same goes for family sagas, sweeping historical epics, and some thrillers.
2) Done well, multiple POV stories can work really, really well.
I see two primary draws of the multi-POV story. First, readers get attached to certain characters and will stay up way past their bedtimes to find out what happens to their favorites (hmm..just me…okay then…). There is a risk that readers will hate the other point of view characters, however, in my experience that won’t prevent a reader from finishing a book. A well-placed cliffhanger that leaves the fate of a beloved character in jeopardy is likely to give readers enough motivation to continue reading through the sections of the others.
Second, utilizing multiple points of view allows you to play with dramatic irony. Giving readers access to information that the other characters don’t have puts the reader in a position of superiority (and don’t we all love that). When the implications of that information are revealed (often with devastating stakes in play) readers will tear through the book to find out if the characters find out the truth in time or if they are defeated by their ignorance.
I don’t know if this is a primary draw for most readers, but I’m a sucker for multi-POV stories that seem disconnected at first and then come together at the end. There are few things more satisfying than slowly realizing the connections between characters and plot events as the story unfolds. Maybe that’s why epic fantasy has always had such a hold over me. I’ve always been a big story kind of gal, and even though big stories can be told from one point of view, it’s often more satisfying and engaging to see the earth-shattering conflicts unfold from multiple perspectives.
3) Writing multi-POV stories frees you from certain writing limitations.
If you decide to write from one character’s point of view, then you are stuck with that character’s point of view. Unless that one character is an omniscient narrator, you’ll be stuck with the limitations of that character’s knowledge, biases, and senses. You cannot let us know how another character is feeling—at least not directly. You cannot tell us historical information that the character wouldn’t know (again, unless you’re writing from an omniscient POV) and if you’re writing in deep POV you can’t share information that the character wouldn’t be thinking about in that situation.
Sometimes these limitations are helpful—they force you to think carefully before dumping in information and can keep you from adding in paragraphs of needless description and sensory detail. Sometimes, however, there is necessary information that you’ll be forced to withhold because the main character isn’t privy to it. Sometimes, you can add in a single scene or chapter from another character’s point of view, but that choice can be jarring if readers aren’t expecting the transition. You can also have the main character conveniently show up at the right place and right time to overhear a secret they shouldn’t have access to, but that can only work so many times before it becomes stale and overly convenient.
If you find yourself constantly looking for work arounds that allow you to divulge information your main character isn’t privy to, it may be time to think about writing multiple-POVs. [P.S. Decided to write multiple POVs but not sure who to focus on in each scene? Read for my tips on choosing the POV for each scene here!]
The takeaway…
Ultimately, there isn’t one right answer. Some books benefit from having a single POV character. Some are begging to expand out and showcase multiple character’s perspectives. If you know that your story needs multiple voices to work, embrace it, no matter what you’ve heard. You may have to work a little bit harder to make it work, but I believe in you and your story!
