Is it possible ,in a third person story ,to switch point of views?
I mean for example ,in the harry potter stories,would it have been possible when the characters were separated to go to someone else's point of view instead of harry's like in the lord of the rings when they had almost three separate story lines?I know that the lord of the rings was a different type of style,but i could not think of another example.
2007-08-29 06:11:19 · 10 answers · asked by irene i 3 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
Yes I do it all the time. So do many authors like James Patterson. I write murder mysteries. Very often my antagonist and protagonist are in two different places, doing different things. I switch back a lot - showing both of their POV's. It makes for an interesting story and allows me to dig into the head of my antagonist really deeply. I just give them their own chapters - often showing the same scene from two different POV's. Yes, you can even write one of them in the first person if you want. It is not difficult at all. However that is not my style.
I write character based novels rather than plot based. It tends to work better on character based novels, but Patterson writes a lot more plot based and he is able to do it too. I can't remember the author, but there is someone out there who writes pure mystery where you don't know the killer to the end. And they occasionally write chapters through the killer's eyes without identifying the narrator. LIke a mystery narrator. Very intriguing. Pax - C
2007-08-29 06:25:11 · answer #1 · answered by Persiphone_Hellecat 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is absolutely possible and lots of stories do this. (LOTR is a good example) But you have to be careful when you change POV, it can get very confusing. Also, often writers change POV just as a reader is getting interested in a character. If you switch too often, readers never feel like they know anyone character very well. A good idea for beginning writers is to only change POV at chapter breaks, stick with one character for at least a chapter. This helps keep shifting from being annoying to the reader.
2007-08-29 13:23:05 · answer #2 · answered by tnk3181979 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, it's possible to do that. To me that makes a story more interesting when you can "interact" with more than one character. Alot of crime mysteries and suspense books switch characters throughout the entire book.
Are you a writer? If you are looking for some examples try reading Tami Hoag, Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware books or even Dean Koontz. These are all really good authors who write from more than one point of view quite often. Tami Hoag is my favorite.
2007-08-29 13:21:30 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, as long as the reader knows who's head they are in at all times. When you make the switch, put a page break between the last POV and this new one, and make it clear right away that you've made the switch. Changing POV this way is a good thing, if you do it correctly, but avoid going from third person to first person. It's much trickier to do and if you don't do it write, the reader won't just be confused, but put off. They'll stop reading, in other words.
2007-08-29 13:17:16 · answer #4 · answered by justin schwan 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The main thing I know about style is that it really should be consistent. Stay in one viewpoint... or start out with several, but isn't LoRings still always in the third person point of view, just with different "people" at different times?
Can't recall, but I think so.
Consistent, yes; even if you try switching... don't go too far.
2007-08-29 13:19:34 · answer #5 · answered by LK 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Barry Eisler does this very effectivley in his John Rain books. They are written in first-person (John Rain), but then he will describe a scene involving Rain from third-person, so that you are getting a different perspective of the characters.
2007-08-29 13:26:15 · answer #6 · answered by stay_fan2 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i have come across books that have alternating point of views per chapter. like first it would be one persons point of view, then next chapter it would be another. however i would only do this if they were in different places or even different time periods, otherwise use third person omniscient for your point of view.
2007-08-29 15:08:44 · answer #7 · answered by ღஜღ Øŧåķų Ťŵĩŋş Åŧ Ħęåŗŧ ღஜღ 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's most definitely possible. It's your story, so you can do whatever you'd like with it. It may be more difficult, but definitely possible.
2007-08-29 14:31:26 · answer #8 · answered by Friends_with_Buttercup! 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
that would be second person, if different people tell the story.
2007-08-29 14:39:25 · answer #9 · answered by monkq2 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
of course it's possible, it'd just take a long time to edit the written material.
2007-08-29 13:17:13 · answer #10 · answered by smartcat3000 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋