Help me! I am writing a book that started at third person. Then I realized that it would work better as a first person account. So I went back and changed all seventy odd pages to first person. The book took off. However, there are a few sections where I went to third for the hero's POV. Now I know I've seen this done before, but I'm not sure how comfy I am with it. I feel...ornery doing it!
I'm pretty much fine with people hopping heads from chapter to chapter or with a section break. I am not fine with people head hopping in one sentence or paragraph. Do not go from man's head to woman's head in the same sentence, paragraph or page because that seals it. I'll put the book down.
So if I section off his little bits of input and there's a clear line of demarcation can I head hop a few times? Yay or nay? I'd love to hear from readers and writers on this. I'm curious.
XOXO
Sommer
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8 comments:
I say yay...but then I'm head hopping from one POV to another in my current WIP, so not sure you want me to answer!
ooooh....security word...
olick as in "Olick me please!"
I don't see a problem with it, as long as it's clear what is going on. Of course, you could twist it a bit by making it what the heroine *thinks* another person is thinking, than finding out she's right - or wrong if the situation requires - because she's that intuitive. Or not.
I think it needs clear separation. Some little visual device.
As long as you've good reason for doing it though, and it doesn't make your character seem to have dissociative personality disorder... :)
yikes, WV is 'disses'. No no! That's not what I'm doing!
I don't see why a first to third shift wouldn't work as long as you put some kind of break between sections.
Honestly, I think it might be a bit of a jar to the reader at first; they might think it's an error. But I think its one of those things that they will adjust to, and probably appreciate getting into the other character's head. But I also think, you should probably visit the other character's head more than once or twice, because you are in essence developing him in a more direct way and you've established a pattern with the reader. If you only do it once or twice, it might interrupt the flow.
Thanks all for yays and nays and KEEP THEM COMING! This is an issue that our family, believe it or not, has argued on more than one occasion. My son will not read books where they hop from character to character too much. He prefers one POV all the way but will let two, maybe three, slide. I am fine as long as you can tell there's been a shift. But if you have six hundred characters and I need a score card...i get pissed.
I agree with what you said, Craig, I think what I'm offering the reader a glimpse into his head when things get intense emotionally. My guess would be a total of 5-7 times for a standard novel.
I guess the trick is to go with what feels organic. (Not to sound like a looney.)
But I love people weighing in on stuff like this. I find it so intersting how much it varies from person to person. :)
xoxo
S
I don't head hop often, but I have one story where I do, and I think I do it rather well. I keep the same voice within paragraphs, but will switch between paragraphs as I see fit. It's not paragraph 1: her; paragraph 2: him, etc. I just switched whenever it felt right. It took some revision to get perfect, but I enjoyed experimenting.
As a reader, I often enjoy the swift change between points of view. I don't have any hard and fast rules for when I like it and when I don't, but it's always something I've been attracted to. I enjoy seeing how the same story looks from another character's perspective.
i like the organice idea. Don't do it if you're fighting it.
I wonder, would I wonder whose viewpoint it was? Or would it just be clearly omniscient. I suppose that's what I meant about personality disorder.
I don't mind head hopping but, like you said, as long as it is done neatly and not so you're wondering, "who did what with their fingers where?" I don't think a visual device is needed just so long as everyone's thoughts are properly inside their heads.
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