forum How to choose POV?

Started June 18, 2019 by @WriteOutofTime

tune

So, in my story there are two main characters. I was pretty much convinced I wanted to have the entire book written from the mainest (is that a word) main character, but now I lowkey want to write from the other character's perspective. What are the pros and cons of POV jumping? How do you keep the changes from feeling choppy or annoying?

Pros:

• More perspective on different issues in-universe
• More development for the characters who you see from
• We can see what characters who may not be in the same location as the MC are doing
• Works really well with a big cast

Cons:

• Changes, especially in first person books, can be confusing
• Buildup to something important in one character's POV, then switching to another character's POV is really irritating to read
• Can get dull if the alternating POV characters are all in the same spot together

I recommend writing a chapter or so with 1 perspective, and then another with both perspectives to see what flows better/works better for the story

• We can see what characters who may not be in the same location as the MC are doing

This is like the main reason why I wanted to do multiple POVs. Thanks for the comprehensive pros/cons list. I'll try it out and see how it feels.

You're welcome!