transitioning to different characters

[wastelandprincess]

I am new here and am starting to write my first book. I am very early in the process of writing a fiction novel. I basically have written out an outline of sorts with my goals and whatnot.

One thing i am stuck on. There are two main characters. I'm not 100% how to properly ask this question so bear with me .

If i am speaking through the female and i want to transition into speaking in the males thoughts, should i only make it a new paragraph, or a new chapter altogether. such as a situation where a life or death decision is being made, but i want thoughts from each character.

Thanks for any tips or opinions you can share with me.

 

[Butterfly]

There are several ways to do this.

One POV per chapter.

A blank line left between the different POVs to indicate the shift.

But, to show the thoughts of each character at the same time, within lines of dialogue, or in sections of paragraphs is considerably more difficult to do as you run the risk of head-hopping and confusing the reader as to who is actually doing the thinking. It can break the connection between the established narrative and the reader's imaginings. You will need to set the shift up effectively before making the actual jump from one head to the other and don't do it too often for the reasons stated. If you can make it work go for it, if not stick to one POV.

Alternatively, you can show the male's thoughts and reactions from the female's observations of his facial expressions, body language, reactions to her suggestions and have her act accordingly to his hints. Remember that communication involves more than just words.

 

[Feo Takahari]

Most science fiction and fantasy writers think you can't switch between two perspectives in a single paragraph, which just proves to me that most science fiction and fantasy writers don't read romance. (Comedies can also head-hop, particularly if written in third-person omniscient, but they generally use one head per paragraph.) Anyways, it might be worth your while to write out various versions of the same scene, with various kinds of head-hop, then show them to other people and see which one they like best.

 

[Penpilot]

Sounds like you're wanting to use an omniscient narrator. My suggestion would be to find a book that uses omniscient narration and try to study how they do it. Off the top of my head I only know one, Dune. I can't say for sure but I think Jane Austin and Dickens use omniscient in their works. Maybe someone else knows some more.

Generally most of today's fiction is written in third person limited and first person, but don't let that change anything.

 

[BRappaport]

Butterfly's right. You really want to be sure you establish when you're jumping perspectives. You can start a new chapter, space them out, or use a small graphic. I've read some clunkers where you didn't know (and after a while, didn't care) who was who because the author kept jumping about. Develop each voice first. Even if it's third person, there are certain things one character would notice or feel over the other. Really good authors jump on that early so that you can flip between chapters and know who's talking without even seeing the title or opening. Cement what you want the styles to sound like, and the rest will be easier.

 

[Steerpike]

Ultimately, you have to decide if what you're doing works. Good authors can switch POV mid-paragraph, or maybe even mid-sentence in some cases. It is more difficult to do that well, and in general you are probably better off with some sort of break or transition to signal a switch in POV. Even in omniscient POV, you probably want to go with one POV per paragraph at the most. If you can tackle a more tricky transition and make it work, then great. If nothing else, try it in the way that seems best suited to your story and then look back at what you've written and see how effective it is.

 

[Snowpoint]

We can wait a few minutes to get the other person's POV.

We see an event through the man's eyes, but you indicate that the woman is feeling something different. Then in the next scene, they can argue about such differences, confess secret feelings, or talk about what they felt.

Pick the character with the most going on and give us his POV.

 

[ChristielleKeenan]

Oh, I didn't see this before. I am so grateful you have asked this question, as it plagues me as well.

 

[ChristielleKeenan]

Ultimately, you have to decide if what you're doing works. Good authors can switch POV mid-paragraph, or maybe even mid-sentence in some cases. It is more difficult to do that well, and in general you are probably better off with some sort of break or transition to signal a switch in POV. Even in omniscient POV, you probably want to go with one POV per paragraph at the most. If you can tackle a more tricky transition and make it work, then great. If nothing else, try it in the way that seems best suited to your story and then look back at what you've written and see how effective it is.

Thank you. This is quite helpful