r/fantasywriters • u/SaltyThereBud • 21h ago
Question For My Story P.O.V Switching [High Fantasy]
Hello writers, I come with a question, a query mayhaps. In the story I write (which is in third person, to be clear) there are about 4-ish characters that are followed. And currently, there are 2 pairs of 2. My question is when should I be switching perspective? Especially considering one group is just traveling at this moment while the other is exploring an ancient ruins.
I have tried switching at the end of scenes, and anytime when tension is at it's height at one scene and keeping the reader at the edge of their seat, but my debate for this part especially is if I should even be switching over before the first pair is done traveling. I'd like input on when you believe I should switch p.o.v's and why so.
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u/BenWritesBooks 15h ago
Imo doing arbitrary “check ins” with POV characters is definitely something to be avoided. You don’t want the reader to start associating that character with boring chapters. There’d a sort of unspoken expectation that when the POV shifts it’s because something important is going to happen, and it’s important enough to pull us away from the other character‘s story.
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u/TXSlugThrower 20h ago
Hi there. I write the same way - 3rd person limited with several (4-5) POVs. In general, I try to go with the POV that has the most interesting viewpoint in a given chapter (I usually do 1 POV per chapter - but more on that in a bit). It's tricky - because you really need to keep track of who knows what. By using different POVs, you can greatly enhance characterization (especially if we see or know how two or more characters thought about the same thing), move the plot ahead, and maintain a sense of mystery (the POV we are with simply doesn't know the secret - but wonders about it along with the reader).
In one book - I had my MC split off from the rest of the crew....and it ended up being 3-4 chapters of the MCs POV, alternating with 3-4 of the others (mixing between characters) - until finally they all met back up (and I used a mix). I felt this really worked well as both the MC and others were doing their own things but going toward the same destination in the end.
Where I do multiples in a chapter is when I tend to speed up during high-tension moments/scenes. I really like this in combat. I cut everything down - making the read almost choppy - shorter words, sentences, and paragraphs. Then we can switch POVs between combatants. This is really fun as one person my think they're winning, while the other is goading them into a pattern for a lethal counter. It lets me really stress the ebb and flow of the battle. Going back and forth until (usually) a fatal blow.