Featured Writer's Digest ArticleWriting Multiple Points of View by Wendy Heard
When a story calls for more than one narrator, it’s exciting (at first). In a way, starting a new book is like diving into a new relationship—a potentially abusive relationship with a high-maintenance narcissist who demands you spend every moment obsessing about them. I’ve now been in two multiple points of view relationships, one with The Kill Club, a thriller released December 2019, and one with She’s Too Pretty to Burn, a YA thriller out in 2021. Going through the rounds of revisions on these two projects taught me a lot, and I hope what I’ve learned is useful to you. Of course, there’s no one right way to create art. If these tips resonate with you, wonderful. If not, I’d love to hear what does work for your particular brand of artistry. That said, let’s dive into some suggestions I have for writing multiple POV projects. Determine your primary POV. Even if you have just a couple of narrators, one of them will likely carry the theme of the book and serve as the dominant POV. I spent a lot of time figuring this out with She’s Too Pretty to Burn, where I had dual narrators with almost the same amount of real estate. If you’re not sure who your primary narrator should be, consider the logline for your book in terms of the following structure: “X person must do Y or [some bad thing] will happen.” For example, “Harry Potter must defeat Voldemort or the wizarding world will be ruined forever.” Sometimes putting your logline into this sentence frame will help determine who’s carrying the central conflict in the story. In general, I’ve heard from many different people that it helps a reader orient themselves in a multiple POV story when the primary narrator goes first and gets Chapter One. Read more . . . |
Last month's Writer's Digest Writing Prompts - Posted Every Tuesday"Need an idea to help you get started writing? You’ll find hundreds of fun writing prompts here – perfect for beginning a new novel or short story, or simply giving your writing muscle a workout." - Blurb from site
Small Delights
By: Cassandra Lipp | June 2, 2020 Write a scene or short essay that celebrates a small, simple pleasure. Invent a Word
By: Cassandra Lipp | June 9, 2020 Write a scene or story that includes a word of your invention. The Premonition
By: Cassandra Lipp | June 16, 2020 Write a scene or story that includes a destiny predicted for the future. Flashing Back
By: Cassandra Lipp | June 23, 2020 Write about your or your character's earliest memory. Why is it so special? How has it informed their life today? Imposter Syndrome
By: Cassandra Lipp | June 30, 2020 Write a scene or story that occurs when an imposter makes their way into the setting. |