Writing Tip: Play With Perspective (Multi-POV)
Narrative perspective is one way we are able to shape the reader's experience, and playing with perspective or exploring various vantage points to tell a story offers unique challenges. It also offers us different insight into our characters. That’s why it’s so important to be intentional with our perspective choices.
I’m writing another post about common perspectives for single-POV narratives (first, third, etc.) which will be published here within the next month or so, but today I’m talking specifically about writing multi-POV stories. Sometimes a narrative benefits from being told from multiple perspectives, so let’s discuss the pros and cons of different viewpoints. I’ll also do my best to provide practical tips for experimenting with narrative perspectives.
Writing from Multiple Perspectives: The Pros and Cons
Pros:
Depth of Understanding: Writing from multiple perspectives allows readers to get into the minds and emotions of different characters and see the world through several different lenses. It often gives us the opportunity for greater understanding of the world, the characters, and the plot than if we stayed in one singular perspective.
Complex Characterization: Each character brings their own experiences, motivations, and voice to the plot, which means that we can view the same plot event but have wildly different understandings of it based on whose perspective we’re in. Exploring the story through various perspectives adds layers, not only making the cast more dynamic and relatable but also giving us limitless opportunities for character development. Seeing how different characters internalize and act upon the same narrative event can give us insight into who they are—their values, fears, hopes, goals, etc.
Richer World Building: Not only is it fun to explore different facets of the story's world, but readers gain a broader view of the setting, cultural nuances, and societal dynamics, enriching the overall experience. We might have characters who never visit certain locations or interact with certain structures within the world we’ve built, but with multiple characters we’re able to show those to the reader, thereby allowing our world to feel far richer and more developed.
Narrative Unreliability: As I already mentioned above, characters may perceive events differently, which means we can introduce (and even highlight) when one perspective—or several for that matter—might be unreliable. This narrative device can keep readers engaged and questioning the truth behind the unfolding story. We can create all kinds of tension by showing those inconsistencies.
Cons:
Complexity and Challenge: Juggling multiple perspectives typically requires careful planning and execution. I’m sure there are prodigies out there who can wing it, but even they probably go back through during edits and revisions to make sure it’s executed effectively. It can be challenging to maintain a consistent narrative flow and ensure that each character's voice is distinct. There’s also a risk of confusing or overwhelming readers if we don’t get it right. It can certainly be done (and well), but in my experience it helps to have a plan and then seek feedback from beta readers to make sure it’s working. More on this in a minute.
Reader Attachment: Readers may find it challenging to connect deeply with a vast array of characters. Investing emotionally in multiple perspectives can dilute the impact of individual character arcs, even when we’re paying super close attention to these things as the writer. Maintaining reader engagement isn’t always easy when one character is more developed than the others, so it’s important to fully develop each one in meaningful and relatable ways. As readers, we’ve likely all read a multi-POV story where we loved one character’s perspective, while another’s felt like we were slogging through just to get back to the person we connected with. It’s a pretty common experience for readers to prefer the chapters where their favorite/most relatable character is in the perspective seat. As writers, it’s our job to make our readers invested in all of them, whenever possible.
Time Constraints: Covering the story from multiple perspectives can extend the narrative timeline. Writers must carefully manage pacing to avoid sluggish progression. Balancing the exploration of different characters with a cohesive and well-paced plot is a delicate task. This particular issue is probably one of the ones I struggle with most in my own projects. In the following section (tips), I’ll share some of the things I’ve practiced to hopefully mitigate this issue, as well as the other typical challenges.
5 Tips for Writing from Multiple Perspectives
1. Establish Distinct Voices
Voice is everything! Ensure that each character has a unique voice and perspective. Distinctive dialogue patterns, vocabulary choices, and thought processes contribute to individuality, which not only makes it easier to follow, but helps people connect with them. Readers should be able to identify the character based on their voice.
2. Consider Timing and Sequence
Plan the timing and sequence of perspective shifts thoughtfully. Allow each character's perspective to unfold at a moment that enhances the narrative tension or provides valuable insights. I had to learn to avoid arbitrary shifts that disrupt the flow, because I had it in my mind that they needed equal time on page, and therefore determined that I should shift perspective every chapter, alternating back and forth between my two main characters. While that worked for most of book one, it did not for subsequent books in the series. I was trying to stick to a formula, rather than allowing the sequence to play out in its most intuitive way.
3. Highlight Contrasts
Whether through conflicting opinions, contrasting experiences, or differing reactions to events, we can add depth to the narrative and keep our readers engaged. It can also help readers connect more with the characters, because they see them as distinct, unique people.
4. Balance Depth and Breadth
Strike a balance between diving deep into individual character experiences and providing a broader view of the overarching plot. Each perspective should contribute to the collective understanding of the story while maintaining a strong focus on character development. I try, in each scene, to make sure I’m hitting on both of these. Even if the scene is a “smaller” one—maybe a conversation between two characters while they’re going about their day—I try to focus not only on the details specific to those characters and that scene, but also on the larger picture. How does this conversation interact with the overall story and world? If it doesn’t, I need to have a really compelling reason for keeping it in the final draft.
5. Use Perspective to Enhance Themes
Each character's viewpoint can shed light on specific aspects of the narrative's thematic elements, contributing to a deeper, more meaningful exploration of the story's central ideas. V. E. Scwab’s A Darker Shade of Magic comes to mind, as Kell, Lila, and Holland are all exploring the major themes of the book, especially ones surrounding the idea of duty and power, but from entirely different angles.
Writing in multiple perspectives is a skill I’d consider to be more advanced, and I’m glad I didn’t know how hard it would be when I dove head-first into my multi-POV novel with literally no prior experience writing this way. My naivete allowed me to boldly explore something new, and I’m grateful for that! It did lead to lots of later adjustments during edits and revision, but ultimately it has helped me grow.
As a final note, I want to acknowledge that I’m still learning, so these pros/cons and tips are based on information I’ve picked up throughout my study of writing, and through my limited experience writing multi-POV stories. My unpublished fantasy series, The Manifold Chronicles, is told in dual-POV in book one, and multi-POV in books two and three. I’ve only fully written and edited book one. Books two and three are drafted, with book two currently undergoing a developmental edit. I should have those notes back next week to begin revisions, but this series is literally my first full-length multi-POV project, so take my thoughts in this post with a grain of salt. I happen to believe these tips are good ones, and they address some of the things I noticed while writing my own story, so I do hope they help. Perhaps once I’m more experienced with writing multi-POV narratives, I’ll do a follow-up to this post with more personal insights.
Happy writing!
