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I am working on a story with more than 5 main protagonists, and two conflicting main antagonists. The environemnet involves at least five independent and uniquie political entities. Throughout the course of the story it is mostly told from the viewpoint of a select few characters who spend time in each. The milieu is so complex though I find it is portrayed best from the POV of several different characters. I have main characters in each entity and in my outline have plans to jump to their POV for particular places. I think this is fine, so long as the characters are developed, but will it confuse the reader? No POV changes occur unless at the start of a new chapter or with (****)'s to symbolize a shift, nut still.. Is this practice all right?
Posts: 295 | Registered: May 2003
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posted
I've seen POV shifts happen in quite a few books, and it depends on your need for hooking the POV sections together. You could do it by chapter, or one section per chapter per character. Whichever way you do it just remember to keep it consistant. Doing your sequences in order will make it easier for the reader to adjust to the multiple changes.
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As long as you make it clear which POV you're in, and switch POV like you described, it should be okay. A pattern of switching can help, especially if the changing get complicated in relation to the plot, but I've certainlly seen books that don't follow a pattern.
[This message has been edited by GZ (edited July 20, 2003).]
posted
Due to the nature of my story it is necessary for me to switch to several POV's, more than once I go to a POV for a "scene" and never return to it. Is this practice acceptable?
Posts: 295 | Registered: May 2003
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I've read various novels of "epic" scope which have some main characters whose POV is used a lot, minor characters whose POV is used occasionally, and then some characters whose POV is used only to give the reader some bit of information or event that none of the major or minor characters witnesses. (Often the characters in that last situation will end up being killed by whatever war or disaster is taking place.)
I don't think it's a problem for you to use one-shot characters like that.
One bit of fictional license that authors tend to take is that the major characters always seem to end up witnessing just about everything of importance that happens. That's not very realistic, but it's sort of a convention and so readers accept it. That doesn't mean you must follow the convention.
posted
The practice of switching POV characters is perfectly acceptable. Check out George R.R. Martin's Fire and Ice series (starting with A Storm of Swords) to see a major fantasy work that uses literally dozens of POV characters (some of whom don't even survive the book they are in ). It hasn't confused any of his readers. Posts: 180 | Registered: Jan 2003
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One minor point, George R R Martin's series actually starts with Game of Thrones. Storm of Swords is the third book in the series.
Posts: 293 | Registered: Apr 2003
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I should also admit that it does not "literally" have dozens of POV characters. Thinking about it, I can only come up with around a dozen POV characters in the first two books. But then I've heard he plans on writing seven books in the series, so I may end up right anyway in the end.
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Since you brought it up, I feel like I Should put in a note of caution here. Georege R.R. Martin's books work for many people, but they do not work for all. For example, I can't stand the dozen pov characters. Just when I'm finally getting into a character it switches out of the point of view. Now, when you do this once, then come back a couple chapters later, I'm still excited about moving on with the action. But by the time Martin gets back to character A, I've forgotten all about it and I don't even care anymore. I'm wrapped up in character E or F.
It's a terrible balancing act to make many pov characters work. It *can* work. It's just tricky. Mostly it's a matter of not teasing us. Keep in mind that if you leave a character in peril and don't get back to them for a hundred pages, the reader will probably not still care about their peril.
Good luck!
[This message has been edited by Christine (edited July 25, 2003).]
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I have to second that. Once you need more than about four POV characters to tell the story, you're not really telling a single story anymore.
Don't feel afraid of leaving some stories for later books, if it means making your first book set in that milieu more unified and concise. Readers (and therefore publishers) are more likely to want to read Joe in Muzienatia if Pete in Muzienatia left them wanting to see more of Muzienatia. On the other hand, if you innundate the reader with Muzienatia, then they might not even want to finish the first book, let alone buy another.
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). It hasn't confused any of his readers. 
