Published by Deborah on 20 Nov 2005 at 08:15 am
How Many Points of View Does it Take to Overload a Story?
The most points of view I’ve ever used in a story was four. This proved to be too much because my plot started fragmenting. I think two is the best number because you use these for the protagonist and antagonist.
I’m using three POVs in Prosperity: the first for Amanda, the second for her sidekick (Travis), and the third for Bud. I use Bud’s POV sparingly because he knows all the secrets of Prosperity’s history, and I don’t want to give them away all at once. So far, my plan is working.
With Lost, I have fourteen POV’s. I may have to resort to rereading The Stand to see how King handled all of those people. I think he had close to that number of characters. What I remember was taking three tries to get into the story and putting it down because I got too bored. It wasn’t until I watched the movie that I was able to read the book.
Having this many main characters in a TV show has its challenges, but they seem to be pulling it off. Writing a book with fourteen main characters is the most difficult thing I’ve ever attempted. I’m not sure how I’m going to pull this off without winding up with a 2,000-page “opus.”
Okay, I may be exaggerating. 
The good news is that I’ve succeeded in condensing the flashbacks so they don’t take up the majority of the story. More thinking out loud to come later. Right now, I’ll ask you two questions.
How many POVs have you used to write a story? What was the most difficult piece you’ve ever written?
Pat Kirby on 20 Nov 2005 at 12:18 pm #
Fourteen? Wowie-zowie. I know George R. R. Martin has at least seven per book in his Song of Ice and Fire series. He names each chapter after the POV character.
I don’t think I’ve ever gone beyond about four POVs, with one or two dominating, while the others were largely peripheral.
I was having a heck of a time with “office scenes” in current WIP. I like the idea of having a very un-mundane, paranormal character working in an ordinary job. In fact, the character actually is better at her ordinary job than the paranormal one. But I was having a hard time getting into those scenes.
Ultimately, it turned out, I’d forgotten an important subplot I’d set up earlier. And in doing so, had rendered the office scenes pointless. Working with a critique partner helped sort that out.
Mariann on 20 Nov 2005 at 4:21 pm #
I tend to write a limited number of POV so I can emphasize and focus on those characters. Even when I had 10-12 characters of varying importance, the core group I wanted to write for, wanted to hear their voices speak, was only 2-4 characters. Even then, I found myself focusing only on two characters, who ultimately became the heart and soul of the story. The limited POV helped hone in on their feelings and motivations without taking the story all over the place.
The most difficult piece I wrote had eight characters on a survival type camping trip. Four women, four men. It was a bit nightmarish to write because I felt I had to get each character equal time in the piece while also keeping the story moving forward. In the end, it felt, as you already described, fragmented in both character development and plot.
Deborah on 20 Nov 2005 at 5:58 pm #
Hi, Pat!
I read the first book of George R.R. Martin’s series and enjoyed it. His other two are on my “To Read Someday” list. As for my story, I may print out what I’ve written so far and see if I can follow George’s example.
I like the idea of the paranormal character working in an office job. It’s too bad that you had to nix those scenes. Perhaps you can place them in another story?
Deborah on 20 Nov 2005 at 6:14 pm #
Hi, Mariann!
Were you able to finish the survival story?
Based on what I know about Lost to date, I’ve picked out five characters that I feel have the best chance of surviving this island. That’s still pushing it as far as the POVs go, but it’s more manageable than fourteen.
michaelm on 21 Nov 2005 at 5:32 am #
Hi Deb-
Memoir and essay writing leaves me little room to mess with POV. For me, it’s all 1st person.
I dabbled in a bit of fiction when I wrote a short story called “The Spaces in Between”, a story about the absence of my roots because I’m adopted.
Through the story, I felt as though I’d almost “met” my mother.
It was very emotional to write it. But I felt like such a whimp during certain sections when the tears would fall and I just couldn’t stop them.
~m
Deborah on 21 Nov 2005 at 7:26 am #
Hey, Michael!
There’s been many times where I’ve teared up while writing a scene that hits close to home. Luckily, I was by myself when those jags would occur so I didn’t have to explain them to my family.
Karen Lee Field on 21 Nov 2005 at 7:38 pm #
For me, it’s four, yet I prefer two major ones but I don’t mind a few minor ones. As always it depends on how it’s done.
Too many become confusing, however.
Deborah on 21 Nov 2005 at 7:57 pm #
I agree, Karen. I haven’t touched the story since yesterday morning because I’m trying to decide if I should continue until I reach the 50k or start over. Either way, I’ll be doing some major rewrites.
Patry on 21 Nov 2005 at 9:07 pm #
I’ve used 3 POVs in one story, but it made it something of a hardsell. Whenever you change POV midstream, you risk losing the reader who has already gotten hooked on the first narrative voice.
Deborah on 21 Nov 2005 at 10:19 pm #
Writing three POVs in one story is challenging. In my ghost story, I used my heroine’s voice for the first chapter and a half, ending her scene by having her walking to the gas station for help when the owner refused to loan her his gas can. In the next scene, I had her sidekick (a deputy sheriff) observing the conversation between her and the gas station owner before she walked to the sheriff’s office.
I wish all my scene transitions went as smoothly. Ah, that’s what the editor’s pen is for.
If you’re going to have more than one POV, each character must have a vital place in the story. Otherwise, they belong in the sidelines.