Then, when you have a little bit better idea of what you're going to say and so forth, you will have a better idea of what POV to use. You might have to experiment a bit and try writing particularly tricky scenes from several POVs before you find one you like, but it will give you something to work with.
 

For example, at the start of every chapter you could include a section of a folktale about events that took place in the distant past, and the chapters would be the real story. Or, you could have a first-person relation of reactions to events as an introduction to each chapter, couched as notes in a journal. Or whatever.
 

The problem with first person, though, is that it isn't as easy to take the reader along with you. It's easy to write. It's apparently hard to read.
 

IN the third draft switch this back to 3rd person limited omniscient from the PoV of the main character but use framing at the chapter breaks to establish that the narrator is actually not the main character. The framing can be 1st person.

At some point it must be possible for the narrator to have talked to the main character about what was going on inside the main character's head.

But, you cannot maintain a 3rd person limited omniscient POV if the POV character is not there for the whole story without past perfect exposition through some other device such as dialogue. Your chosen PoV (non-MC) is going to be clunky.

You probably are going to have to go with 1st person to make this readable. There will be scenes you cannot tell about directly. Accept it and try to keep your narrator present for the big plot moves and accessible to know about the lesser ones.

I moved the story along using what I now call "The Faulkner Method". If any of you have read As I Lay Dying you will know exactly what I'm talking about.

Each chapter is written by a different character and Faulkner even uses the character's name for the chapter title.

When I'm in first-draft land I type characters name for whom I'm telling the story on the top of every page. It keeps me in that particular character's head - so to speak.

Hope this helps.

Liadan
 

POV can mean a couple of things:

1 - POV is how the story is told; i.e. first person, second person, third person limited, third person omniscient. For the sake of discussion, when I say POV, this is the definition I mean.

2 - POV is also what character is telling the story; i.e. Tom, Dick or Harry. For the sake of discussion, when I mean this definition, I'll call it viewpoint or viewpoint character.

While it is inadvisable to mix how the POV is being delivered, it is an easy task to change the viewpoint character.

Have you ever written a novel?

That isn't meant to be condescending, so please don't take it that way. The reason I ask is that writing a novel is very different than writing shorter fiction. Changing viewpoints in a shorter work can be jarring to the reader, however in a novel, where there are more characters and more time with the various characters, you have more freedom. You could tell each chapter from a different viewpoint as Liadan pointed out. It has been done and can be very effective.

Changing the POV to flip-flop from first person to third limited or omni is usually jarring regardless of the length of the piece. I have only seen it done a few times and even fewer times has it been done effectively.

HandEyeProtege asks some good questions. Really consider why you want to have this particular character tell the story if they are not a key player in it. Also, think about why you want only one viewpoint for the entire saga. Four novels is a considerable amount of time to spend inside one character's head. While it is done and can work, if you are already feeling limited and frustrated at the prospect, then why do it? Find a method that will work for you and the story.

If you really want this character to be the "narrator" as well as the viewpoint character (yes, these mean different things, too) but don't want him present as all the events unfold, then use third person. Establish an audience (other the reader) in the book and a reason for him recounting the tale. This can all be third person without violating POV or viewpoint. Perhaps he is a grandfather telling the story to his grandkids à la "The Princess Bride" (movie) or a town elder reccounting the history of the people to the next generation or perhaps he is a lonely bar fly, telling his story à la "Forrest Gump" to whomever will listen or a teacher addressing a class or whatever scenario you create!

All that can be done in thrid person and still allows your story to be in third person but follow different characters. Your readers automatically put themselves into the role of a listener to your tale -- they become one of the grandkids, townsfolk or bar patrons listening to the yarn unwind.

Before you consider using more than one POV, consider why you are avoiding other viewpoints.
 

It was quite effective. I sat there (as I read) thinking, 'Yeah! I've been listening to this guy tell these stories in his very distinctive voice and I'm just now getting to know him a little.' It felt quite natural to me.

Don't know if that's the kind of example you're looking for.

 

Also my perspective POV is in question for me as well. The only question for me now is whose point do I tell it from and how can I make it stand out??

I know that only like 3 of you guys out there have read the dribble of a rough draft. So when I rewrite it, would you be willing to read it again and crit it for me again??

-Monolith-
 

Imagine my surprise to find one of my favorite authors, Marion Zimmer Bradley, jumped all around with her POV between Morgaine and Viviane in "Mists of Avalon." I'm trying to figure out if it was just in the one section (perhaps an error missed by the editor?) or if this has been done throughout the book. So far I've not yet found another grievous example of it.

So, I am now beginning to wonder, how tightly do established authors stick to the POV rules? Anyone else notice an established author thumbing their nose at POV?