A Point of View switch is when the author switches the story to another character's perspective. This can be done in both first person and third person, although generally it's less necessary in third person, but more difficult in first person.
An example of this is in The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini. In the first book in the series, Eragon, the reader follows solely in a single point of view; that of the main character, Eragon.
In subsequent novels, however, the reader is switched between several characters throughout the realm. The story-lines are all important to the main plot, but it is extremely jarring. Every three chapters, the reader is forced to drop out of their current thought process, and shoved unceremoniously into another plot-line.
This is a commonly used device in film and television. Scenes, or even entire episodes, are dedicated to certain characters and plot-lines. Game of Thrones*, for example, switches viewers from one plot to another, often several times in a single episode, without giving the viewer a sense of being forcibly evicted from the plot. It's easier on screen, because a scene can be quickly explained visually without taking away time from the story itself, leaving more time for explaining several different points of view.
This is difficult to pull off well in a book, however. Few tricks of the screen translate into written storytelling. Your audience cannot quickly pick up on a scene change visually, and as such, it takes a while to acclimate to the new scenery, story-line, and characters. However, sometimes this method can be implemented well, particularly when you're only switching between two characters.
For example, The Persistence of Memory** by Wattpad user ScarletteDrake, switches quickly and easily between her two main protagonists, Aidan and Eloise.This story is written in First Person, making the method of differentiation between characters different than if it was written in Third Person. The reader can quickly pick up on the difference in speech pattern in inner dialog, letting them know who's currently directing the story. She also changes perspectives about every chapter, so when a new chapter heading appears, you can assume you've switched points of view.
In my opinion, The Persistence of Memory did a better job of switching seamlessly than The Inheritance Cycle.
The problem often comes from timing. In The Inheritance Cycle, the reader is given three chapters in each character's plot before moving on to the next. Time had passed between the last time the reader saw this character, and generally the entire first chapter is used to set the scene for the action. It's difficult for the reader to empathize with whatever is going on, having been roughly ripped from the last action sequence. By the time the reader is in the third chapter, things begin to get interesting again, but by then they are forced into a foreign setting to repeat the cycle.
Eventually, the reader is able to pick up on the every-three-chapters pattern, making it a little easier to predict when they will have to change scenes. Each group of chapters feels like an individual story. When the characters meet, it's as strange and jarring as when Jon Snow meets Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones. We've become so accustomed to the characters existing separately, that when they finally meet, it's as strange and foreign for the reader as it is for the character.
Now, there's an obvious difference between The Persistence of Memory and The Inheritance Cycle that make certain aspects of the scene changes necessary; the first is a romance primarily between two characters, the second is a fantasy, involving many members of an entire country.
Similar to Game of Thrones, The Inheritance Cycle needs a wider array of characters, and therefore has to find a way to tell many stories at one time. The problem comes in when, as said earlier, the methods of screen do not translate to the methods of writing. While Christopher Paolini honed his skill as a writer later in the series, it's still very difficult for the reader to maintain an interest in what's happening to one set of characters, when they're still reeling from what happened to the last.
I believe that Point of View switches are not something to be taken lightly. It's not an easy task to follow through with, especially when you have more than two characters to switch between. The Persistence of Memory is able to pull it off so well because the reader is very interested to know what's going on in the head of both of the protagonists. They're often together, and so switching scenes is as simple as the use of certain words to signify that we are now reading from Aidan instead of Eloise's point of view. Even when they are apart, time moves slowly, and therefore needs less effort to explain what's been happening in the interim while the reader was with the other character.
Of course, there's also the fact that the romance takes place in an already established setting, being the real world, in a time similar to our own, so very little is needed to set up a scene. In a fantasy world, where the rules are not the same as in our own, and other creatures live alongside mankind, a scene, a plot, and the entire story takes more forethought and more explaining. But that's another issue, for another time.
If you are considering a story with a Point of View switch, think and plot carefully beforehand. Make sure that you give enough time to allow the reader to submerge fully in each point of view before switching, and that it is completely necessary. If the story can be told from one PoV only, stick with it.
Point of View switches can add an extra dimension to a story when executed correctly; or they can offset the entire plot when carried out poorly.
Cheers!
*I am aware that Game of Thrones is based on a book series, but for the purpose of this article, I am referring only to the television series.
**The Persistence of Memory is an excellent story, although I would highly recommend that young audiences steer clear, as it's very much a story for mature readers. But for those of you who are interested in seeing the Point of View switches, here's a link to the story.
No comments:
Post a Comment