Seeing Double: Tips for Balancing Multiple POV’s in One Piece
Using multiple perspectives can expand the scope of the story you’re telling, giving insight into areas of the world, other characters, and to the conflict at hand in a richer way than through a singular gaze. When done well, it feels like the story could have only been written this way, that the other eyes and voices are necessary inclusions to make the piece what it is. However, when poorly executed, the story hobbles like a flat-tired car on the streets of Manhattan.
Have you ever read something with more than one point of view (POV) where one feels much weaker than the other? Or where you find yourself slowed by one, just waiting to get back to the other character where the story seems to flow better? If you have, you know the frustration as a reader and the intruding thoughts of “if this author cut this POV, I wonder how much stronger this story could be.” Bringing in more than one POV is a balancing act and one that should be approached carefully with consideration for the story as a whole. However, it can also be an exciting mode which every author should experiment with. No pressure added!
Main Character Energy
When considering if a character should have their own POV sections, it’s helpful to look at their arc, how it coincides with the centerpoint protagonist (or, the character(s) who the story relies on the most), and how essential it is to the story as a whole. It’s important to know whose story you’re trying to tell and, if there are multiple “who’s”, how they all meet together. For a dual set of POVs that continuously interchange throughout the piece, this meeting point is essential, even if the two characters are walking different paths, physically and/or internally.
There are two examples of dual POV structures that come to mind which can be used as malleable templates for a slew of paired POV structures. In the hero-villain POV exchange, the “hero” and “villain” have their own sets of chapters, following their own forked story paths which eventually reach one or many meeting points. The differing POVs allow the reader to see the story from two sides, to be clued in on information that one or the other character does not know, and to find similarities between the characters which they themselves might not realize exist. For a different sort of tension, romantic partnership dual POV stories work in much the same way, alternating between either side of the couple, only with romantic interests rather than opposing forces. Unless you’re writing an enemies-to-lovers, then the lines between these types get blurry!
Too Many Hobbits in Isengard
Even books by the most acclaimed bestselling authors can fall into the trap of including unnecessary POV characters. This usually happens when an author wants every character’s story to be fleshed out, which is fine in some cases, but not always pertinent to the overall story being told. Sections from these weaker POV characters can often feel random or unnecessary to the piece, and can sometimes be a distraction that disrupts the flow.
Writing with multiple POVs consistently throughout the story (i.e. not just an outstanding chapter here or there) can be like juggling multiple protagonists and should be handled with an equal degree of weight. As soon as you start writing an additional character’s POV into the story, you are validating their voice and their biases as a necessary lens from which to view the story. With ensemble casts, this is a brilliant way to bring in a variety of thoughts and experiences while also including diverse voices. However, when the other characters you’ve brought in all sound like your centerpoint protagonist and are relaying the same information, then perhaps it is a sign that the new POV(s) should take a step down. Rather to have a strong side character than a weak main POV!
From All Angles
One of the most dazzling ensemble cast series I’ve read is Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows duology, a fantasy tale about a rag-tag group of troublemakers, performing heists on the grungy streets of Ketterdam. I reference these books more often than others mainly for how Bardugo expertly juggles six very different characters’ POVs. Because of this structure, she is able to manipulate withheld information more strategically, keeping pieces from one character while the rest already know, making for a more shocking reveal. She is also able to bring in characters who may not be as enveloped in the group, giving readers an almost omniscient perspective on the workings of the group and how each member plays their role. But more than anything, using this POV structure allows her to give the fleshed-out story of each of these characters, whose individual dreams, pasts, and motivations bring and keep them together throughout the adventure that ensues.
Using multiple POVs can allow you to create a more dynamic experience for your reader. Say you have a wonderfully diverse cast of characters, each with their own unique personalities, who cross paths in a group or story-world setting. You might have just opened the door to broadening the scope of the tale you are telling! Multiple POVs—particularly with larger ensemble casts—allow you to time travel and teleport in a sense, giving different pieces of information and experience which act as puzzle pieces for the story as a whole.
If you’re nervous about incorporating multiple POVs into your piece—whether it be a short story, a novel, or a series—it’s first good to remember that not everything you write is set in stone. Allow yourself to experiment, writing a scene you’ve already written from another character’s perspective, or creating a new scene for them entirely, and see how it stands within your story. Who knows, you might unlock a side of your piece you never knew was there before.
