Viewpoint--how important is it to you? As a reader, does it bother you if the author "head hops"? Or do you notice it? If you're an author, how often do you switch viewpoints? Not that there's any fast rule, but do you tend to move between vps often? Stay in one vp for an entire scene? Entire chapter? Some authors tend to switch fairly quickly, others less so.
Story may dictate this to some extent, but my argument is this is more of a stylistic choice by the author. However, I want to see a REASON for it. While I love Nora Roberts' storytelling, I can't read her books because of the vp switches that happen so often I feel like I have mental whiplash. Yet her storytelling is strong enough that most people don't seem bothered by it.
Stylistically, books written 75-100 years ago are slower, more deliberate, and tend to be 1st person, which doesn't lend itself to vp switches. Today's books are much faster paced. Has the vp switching happened as a result of the demand for "faster" plotlines?
If you're a vp purist, how much does it bother you when an author head hops? If you don't particularly care, do you even notice when the vp switches to another character? Do you think that adds or detracts from the story?
Louisa May Alcott
An American writer
3 comments:
I'm definitely not a purist when it comes to reading. As long as I don't have to count lines to figure out who's speaking, I'm okay with it. Nora's style doesn't bother me a bit. When it comes to writing, though, I stick to one VP per scene or occasionally switch to the other person during a scene, though much more rarely.
To me, it's all about flow. Now matter how you do it, if it doesn't flow and jerks me out of the scene, I'm done. :)
I will read stories with frequent pov shifts, but now that I write, I notice them and they make me pause.
I'm currently writing my second story that is all in one point of view. It's a great exercise in description.
However, my belief is that pov depends on who has the most to lose.
Great topic, Carol! Thanks for posting!
Great comments, guys. I did try a trick once that really helped a scene that wasn't working. I re-wrote it in first person, which made me immerse myself in the scene more. It was a great way to see which vp it should truly be in. Anyone ever done that before?
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