3 Tips: How to Switch Point-of-View When Writing Fiction
Have you heard the phrase “no head-hopping?” What does it really mean? Keeping your character’s point-of-view (POV) clear and consistent is key to making your story easy to follow. Plus, when you want to switch from one character's perspective to another, it's important to do it right!
In 3 Tips: How to Switch Point-of-View When Writing Fiction, we’ll guide you on how to smoothly change perspectives. This way, you can keep your readers engaged and wanting more!
In the post below we will discuss:
- What are the Different Types of POV (Point-of-View)
- What is Consistent Point-of-view?
- How Do You Switch from One Character’s POV to Another?
1) What are the Different Types of Point-of-View (POV)?
In Fiction Writing, there are several types of Point-of-View. Understanding which type you are using in your novel helps keep you on track.
First person Point-of-View (POV) is written as if seeing the world through the eyes of one character and one character only. The reader cannot see what is happening with other characters in the story or know information that is not gained through the POV character’s experience. The main character tells the story as if speaking to a friend, referring to themselves as ‘I.’
Example:
(First person, present tense):
I walk deep into the forest, on a cold, dark, winter’s night, and the sound of an eerie howl prickles the hairs on the back of my neck. However, I see no one.
(First person, past tense)
As I was walking deep into the forest, on a cold, dark, winter’s night, the sound of an eerie howl prickled the hairs on the back of my neck. However, I saw no one.
While this type of POV can draw in the reader for a more intimate connection, First Person POV has limitations because only one character’s view is revealed, which may place restraints on the plot. However, a lot of Young Adult Fiction is written in First Person point-of-view, so it also varies with genre.
Second Person Point-of-View: This type of POV uses ‘You’ and ‘Your,’ referring to the reader or another character, which is why second-person POV is almost never used in popular fiction. This POV is mostly used in choose-your-own-adventure novels.
Example:
You went to the store and then you drove to your son’s house. You knocked on the front door, but nobody answered. This makes you feel uncomfortable, so you decide to leave. What do you do next?
Third Person, Past Tense Point-of-View:
This is by far, the most popular type of POV used in fiction writing. Third person, past tense POV uses the character’s name, along with pronouns he/she/they/him/her. The reader connects with the POV character’s thoughts, emotions, and experiences in the story and many times the POV may shift back and forth from one character to another. Similar to First Person, this brings the reader close to the characters.
Example:
Ted shivered, his face stinging from the cold, and hoped he could snowboard down the steep terrain without falling. He couldn’t get hurt this season or he wouldn’t qualify for regionals. He’d practiced, but the slight throb in his knee from last year’s torn ACL was a real concern.
Within Third Person, Past Tense POV, there are also:
Third Person Omniscient (unlimited) Point-of-View:
This type of POV is referred to as ‘all-knowing’ or ‘all-seeing,’ or having a God-like perspective over the story. The narrator appears to be someone outside of the story-world, telling the reader what is happening as if looking down on multiple characters within the story and watching the events unfold. The narrator provides the reader with access to the thoughts, feelings, and actions of every character. Sometimes this type of POV is used in mysteries or thrillers but isn’t widely used in today’s fiction because it distances the reader from the characters.
Example:
Catherine didn’t know it, but while she was rehearsing backstage, the director of the play was speaking to another actress up in the theater balcony, offering the woman the lead role for that night’s performance.
Third Person Objective (Limited) Point-of-View:
Similar to Omniscient, the narrator (like a fly on the wall or a news reporter) observes everything, providing the reader with everything that is seen and heard, but cannot reveal the inner thoughts or feelings of the characters. The reader must interpret how the character must think and feel by their actions. Again, this distances the reader and is not widely used in modern fiction.
2) What is Consistent Point-of-View?
Once you know which type of point-of-view you are using when writing your fictional novel, it is important to stay consistent with that POV. You should not start writing a novel in First Person and then randomly switch to Third Person or Omniscient POV.
Special Note: Some Time-Slip Novels use First Person POV for the present storyline and Third Person for the historical storyline, but each storyline stays consistent with their POV type even as the two storylines switch back and forth.
No head hopping. Assuming you are writing your novel in Third Person Past Tense POV (the most widely used in popular genre fiction), this means that you should stay in the point-of-view of one character per scene. Only use that one character’s thoughts, feelings, and experiences using the 5 senses (see, hear, smell, taste, feel/touch.) The POV character cannot know anything outside of their knowledge. Do not change POV or allow the reader access to the thoughts, feelings, or experiences of any of the other characters within that scene.
Also, do not combine your POV character’s thoughts with another character’s dialogue or actions in one paragraph or the POV becomes confusing to the reader. Each character should have their dialogue, actions, and etc. in their own paragraph.
POV is also easier for the reader to follow if each character (dialogue speaker) has their own indented paragraph within the scene. Especially when there are no dialogue tags with the character’s name attached.
3) How Do You Switch from One Character’s POV to Another?
If you want to change the POV character in your fictional novel, wait until the present scene is over and then double space down twice in the manuscript, place 3 asterisks centered horizontally across the page, double space down twice more, and begin the new scene with the new POV character. The asterisks indicate a scene break and shift in POV.
If the next scene is in the same character’s POV, but there is a gap in time, you would double-space down twice without the asterisks and start a new scene.
To change the POV character, you can also finish a scene in one character’s POV, and then just start the new chapter in another character’s POV. The chapter heading (new page with Chapter 2 or etc.) serves as the scene/page break.
What if you have a big scene in one location that spans a whole chapter, and you want to show sections of the event from two different POV characters? Each character’s POV would actually start a new scene (it wouldn’t really be one big scene even though it feels like it because the event or setting is the same.)
In this case, start the scene in one character’s POV, then later, especially after a scene ‘disaster’ or ‘hook’ or something to end that character’s portion, create a story pause where the character’s catch their breath or there is a slight gap in time, even if just for a few seconds.
Be careful not to switch the character’s POV in the middle of dialogue or an action segment where another character’s immediate response is needed.
Drop down and insert the three asterisks as described above and then restart the big scene/event in the POV of another character. This character can still be in the same setting or perhaps a different part of the room or event area or want to speak to the same people, but the scene segment with the new character’s POV should have a shift in focus, start off on a new topic or agenda. Each scene includes the components of character goal, conflict, and disaster. (A beginning, middle, and end.) Each POV character enters or starts a scene with their own agenda.
Each time you have a new scene you need to set up the POV character with his name and a thought, emotion, or action involving the senses to show it is his POV.
Set up the scene—who is the POV character? What is the setting? How much time has passed since the last scene or the last scene this character was in?
Example:
* * *
John sat down for dinner at his grandmother’s house and the luscious scent of hot buttered biscuits drifting into the dining room from the kitchen made his stomach rumble.
Notice how the above example reveals the setting: John is at his grandmother’s house. The hour (time) of the day is late since he is sitting down for dinner.
The scene set up also involves use of the senses: John can smell the scent of hot buttered biscuits which makes his stomach rumble. The reader instantly knows we are in John’s POV because we can only experience these senses from the POV character.
If you start with lines of dialogue, the reader does not know who the POV character is or who is speaking.
Example:
“What do you want?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well then, how can I help you?”
Charlie shrugged. “Guess you can’t.”
In the above example, the reader has no idea who is speaking each line and inserting a name four lines down is too late. The reader must know who is speaking to who from the start.
If there are multiple characters in the scene, the reader needs to see who is in that setting through the eyes of the POV character as he enters the scene. If you start off with two or three characters interacting and speaking and then all the sudden another character chimes in without a proper set up, the reader thinks, “Where did that character come from?”
Example – Who is at the table?
John sat at the table beside his grandfather, then glanced at the couple seated across from him, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, whom he knew from church, and to their right, a young boy, wearing a Spiderman sweatshirt.
Now that the reader knows who is at the table, the scene is properly set, and the characters can begin to speak and interact. Because it is John glancing around and seeing these people, the reader knows he is the POV character.
We hope you enjoyed 5 Tips: How to Switch Point-of-View When Writing Fiction and have gained some valuable insight to eliminate confusion and effectively switch the point-of-view from one character to another. Keeping the (POV) clear and concise will engage your readers and encourage them to keep turning those pages!
If you have any questions or would like to leave a comment below, we would love to hear from you!
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is a multi-published author, speaker, and writing coach. She writes sweet contemporary, inspirational, and historical romance and loves teaching aspiring writers how to write quality fiction. Read her inspiring story of how she published her first book and launched a successful writing career.