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Q&A

Posts tagged pov

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Q&A How to write a book from NOT the main character's POV and then organically switch the main character

How can you write a book from the point of view of a character who is not the main character and introduce the main character later on, who you want the story to focus on? How do I do this in an or...

0 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Stupidzombiet ‭  ·  last activity 3mo ago by Mithical‭

Question pov
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Q&A Everyone's a woman: how do you show that through gender-neutral language?

In my latest short story I'm playing around with common gender misconceptions. It's set in a near future society were men have disappeared, and all roles are taken up by women. The theme is played ...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by Liquid‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Prahara‭

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Q&A Writing "light hearted" lead characters

For some reason, when I find myself writing a male protagonist, I seem to default to the brooding, gritty kind of man that could easily find his place into a noir novel. Those characters are often ...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Liquid‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Prahara‭

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Q&A How can I make a transition from third person omniscient to first person less jarring for the reader?

I'm working on a longish short story (I expect to hit somewhere around 5,000 - 6,000 words by the time I'm through) that starts out in third person omniscient POV, mostly because that allows me to ...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Canina‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Monica Cellio‭

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Q&A Does a point of view need to be introduced when or right after the character is introduced?

In the novel I'm trying to write, I probably will have to introduce a second point of view because my initial main protagonist will be mostly unable to act after some point. Now I'm considering to ...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by celtschk‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Mark Baker‭

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Q&A How much uncertainity will the 'general (Non-YA) fantasy reader' tolerate?

In my current project my goal is to go for the following narrative style within scenes: Show only what the POV-Char can see, hear,... sense. Show their emotional reaction (through body-feelings, ...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Mark Baker‭

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Q&A Does the reader need to like the PoV character?

I have the feeling this is already been asked, but I can't seem to find it. Close the question if it comes out as duplicate. There's an issue with novels with a first-person narrator, or a third p...

5 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Liquid‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Which techniques maintain reader interest when the POV is a spectator? (Sports story as sidequest?)

In my case, my character is literally a spectator. They're at a sporting event. There will be a major event which ramps up their plotline that occurs at this event, but I'm finding the event itself...

3 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Kirk‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Character had a different name in the past. Which name should I use in a flashback?

One of my characters has a flashback to when he was 5 years old. At the time, he didn't have a name (he goes by a physical description instead). What's the correct way to refer to him in this flash...

2 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Evil Sparrow‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question naming flashback pov
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Q&A Using a different POV just for the opening line

I'm currently working on a short story with a dramatic "twist" ending. I use the quotation marks because, unlike a conventional plot twist aimed at surprising the reader, the intended target of the...

1 answer  ·  posted 5y ago by motosubatsu‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Can the prologue's POV be different from the POV of main story?

Let me explain my question: I want to write the prologue of the story with the narrator in first person with the point of view of the protagonist. But the story is already written in a third pers...

3 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by V LeFox‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Point of View Confusion

I’m confused about point of view. In my story—so far—I only reveal to the reader what the main character, a child, can see/hear. Not often, but at times, I write that the child “wondered” or he “no...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by romebot‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A POV - 3rd Person Rules and Exceptions?

I'm stuck on a POV question in a short story I'm writing. The entire story is written in 3rd Person, but not omniscient - I guess it's either "distant limited" or "deep" (I'm not sure exactly the d...

3 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by romebot‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How important is it for multiple POVs to run chronologically?

The way I am currently designing a story with three distinct POVs. An issue I am running into, however, is that one of these has much more to do in the first third than the other two while having l...

5 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Weckar E.‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to not confuse readers with simultaneous events?

In an omniscient third person, I have 8 (practically unrelated) events going simultaneously in different parts of a large mansion. I want to present these events as they happen, but I feel jumping ...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Weckar E.‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Varying POV and tense

My novel is written in the third person. When changing POV between different scenes (or chapters), is it OK if the parts for different POV characters use different tenses: some - the past tense, an...

1 answer  ·  posted 5y ago by John Cooper‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question style tenses pov
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Q&A How do I keep the gender of my main character purposely ambiguous?

I'm a newcomer to this community, and have recently started giving serious thought to my first novel. I'm basically working on an idea I had a few years back. It's fiction, has a lot to do with fae...

6 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by Jack Rabbit‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Writing differently when following different character POVs - mainly age difference. (3rd Person)

I'm writing a sci-fi novel with more than one main character. Since I'm not an experienced writer, I still struggle with some basic "rules" within writing that may or may not exist. This issue ...

4 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by storbror‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to prevent confusion when writing in two POVs that don't alternate between scenes?

I'm writing a short story structured like this: Character A's POV * * * Character B's POV * * * Character B's POV * * * Character A's POV * * * Character B's POV * * * Based on the firs...

1 answer  ·  posted 7y ago by alex‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Why not God as our subject?

Certainly there are many Science Fiction writers who touch upon the subject of beings supreme to Man...but always Man is central in writing.

4 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by Doctor Zhivago‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question fantasy pov
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Q&A Can a third-person narrator ask questions instead of the characters?

In novels, when the PoV follows a particular character, is pretty common that we get to hear his/her thoughts. Sometimes, those thoughts take the form of questions that the character ask himself: ...

1 answer  ·  posted 5y ago by Liquid‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Characterizing a sentient robot: sensory data

I have a sentient robot in my novel. Truth to be told, I have many. Sentience is somewhat cheap to achieve, meaning that there are multiple artificial beings that can be considered sentient by our...

2 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Liquid‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Characterizing a sentient robot: inhuman PoV

Following the previous question: Characterizing a sentient robot: sensory data I'm writing a robot character with a particular PoV. In the previous question I wanted to talk about sensory data;...

1 answer  ·  posted 5y ago by Liquid‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How do I handle different PoVs, at different times and places, each dealing with the same event?

As the title says, I'm looking for advice on how to handle changes of scene from one character to another, each in different places, but experiencing the same event. This story is about a bushfire...

5 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by s.anne.w‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How do I differentiate between the "voices" of my characters in a multi-character POV?

I'm currently writing a novel with 3-4 character POVs in it - two male, two female. Each have different upbringings, different cultural backgrounds, different professions, different motivators and ...

1 answer  ·  posted 5y ago by Bumble Bee‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to write a convincing character with a opinion that differs from the author's?

So I wrote a short text recently in which the character has a very strong political opinion (anti-LGBTQ), which in addition is totally different to my own opinion. Now, I wanted to make the charact...

3 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Féileacán‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A When two POV characters meet

I have two POV (3rd person limited) characters and they start the story as complete strangers and far apart. They don't meet for some time and they have very different experiences. Now I want them...

2 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Miroslav Zadravec‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question pov
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Q&A The effect of different "narrative voices" in the same novel

I am writing a fantasy novel with multiple points of view throughout. I plan to have the narrator sound differently for each character's perspective. For example, one character will focus more on d...

1 answer  ·  posted 6y ago by Erdrik Ironrose‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question style pov
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Q&A How to clarify between imagined sensations and "real" fantasy events?

I feel like the title is worded really bad, but I seem to be unable to find a better way. I am not a native speaker. Scenario A: A character is in an exceptional state of mind (i.e. drug use etc.)...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question fantasy clarity pov
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Q&A Any Tips On Writing Extended Recollection In A Novel

So, I've been working for about a month now on my latest novel but have come across some issues in regards to recollections of past events. I'll outline what I mean, because that's a bit general.....

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by B. Guilford‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Is it okay for a chapter's POV to shift as it progresses?

I have this duo in my novel, they're always together in chapters. Usually the story alternates between them within their plot, though mostly leaning to one of the characters, as he's one of the MCs...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by A. Kvåle‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Pre-modern battle - command it, or fight in it?

If I were to describe Waterloo from Napoleon's point of view, it would be very different from that same battle from the point of view of a soldier, or even a cavalry lieutenant in the front ranks. ...

1 answer  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question scene combat pov
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Q&A Naming things the POV character doesn't know

My middle-grade novel is third person with one primary and one secondary viewpoint character. Sometimes the narrator hovers a bit more, sometimes the narrator is more in the character's head. The...

2 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Cyn‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How should I handle writing a story where different portions of the narrative are told from the point of view of several different narrators?

My story is told from the perspective of different satellites that are creating a narrative. There are over ten of these narrators. I'm wondering if this might appear confusing for readers if the v...

2 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by shlomotion‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Changing perspectives

For the most part, my story is told from the main character's perspective. However, there are a few scenes that I would like to write that really don't require the main character to be there. I cou...

2 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by klippy‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A If a main character is writing the story, can I change who writes the story in the next chapter?

I’m trying to write my first novel and I have come across an issue which I feel like it could change the whole story/flow. Originally it wouldn’t have mattered if I wrote in the third person but I ...

2 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Stephanie ‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to write female characters with agency?

I'm attempting to write a novel, an historical fiction with a small fantasy component (time travel through a portal). The travelers (main characters) are a young couple from the late 23rd Century ...

6 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by J.D. Ray‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to improve a scene where the drama is one-sided and not with the POV character?

I have a scene I struggle with: it has potential for inherent drama, but it reads as an info dump. In a high-fantasy setting (more or less), character Alpha, a 14-year old daughter of a nobleman c...

0 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question fiction technique pov
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Q&A Is it acceptable to break the story up into POVs to show how the characters' stories all tie together?

I'm writing a novel. At 56k words, I've become a little nervous about how I've been building the story. BACKGROUND: I started this book with the introduction of the main character, Jules and a br...

3 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by Loren Archer‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to deal with multiple climaxes (multiple protagonists)?

I'm writing a series, and I have two protagonists. Both are PoV characters, and both offer different viewpoints on the main conflict (an ongoing war). One is a respected general, has frequent conta...

1 answer  ·  posted 6y ago by Thomas Myron‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question plot pov climax
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Q&A Can I mix one character's dialogue with another's POV in the same paragraph?

I'm struggling trying to write a scene (fiction novel). I want to know if it would be confusing to write it this way: Paul shook his head, yanked away. “Sure it is, Mike. You left me there,” he...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by WannabeWriter‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question dialogue pov
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Q&A Is it bad style if the personal first person narrator of a story dies during said story?

Right now I'm writing a novel in which I use the changing perspectives of two main characters with limited information each to slowly unveil the whole plot to the reader. Both use the past tense a...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by DLCom‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A 1st person addressing a narrator

I'm writing a story in first person, but with a third person narrator for the secondary character. I was wondering if there were any books or stories to research how the first person character coul...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by Jack Woods‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to build up towards a "Moment of Reckoning" when my story is told in the first person?

I had started writing my novel in the first person. Later on, I planned some plot twists along the way. For these plot twists to happen, the protagonist shouldn't be aware of the consequences/int...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by tawsonfield‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question novel pov twist
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Q&A What are the points to remember when the pet is the narrator and is narrating the story of its owner?

I'm working on a novel which is based on a true story. I first thought of writing from the heroine's POV, but later changed my mind and introduced a pet in the plot as the narrator of the story. Wh...

2 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by user37485‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question novel plot narrative pov
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Q&A Switching tense and point of view between the chapters [closed]

I'm writing a story told mostly in first person point of view in present tense where the narrator alternates between two characters from chapter to chapter. I have gotten some critics about this p...

1 answer  ·  posted 5y ago by user37470‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question tenses narrative pov
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Q&A How do we properly manage the state of transition between unknown and known?

I often have a passage that sounds like this. I don't know why, but I always found these passages a bit odd sounding. A stranger was lying, face into the sands, belly down, on the beach all a...

0 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by repomonster‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to describe a horse from the POV of someone who has never seen one? [closed]

In my story, my narrator has only recently met other humans and the biggest creature she has ever interacted with are dogs. In the survivors' camp, she encounters their horses and is pretty freaked...

3 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by weakdna says reinstate monica‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Should I write my book in first person's POV or third person's POV?

I'm an author, but recently I started this book, but I had to put it on hold it's a Nigerian/American book and mostly I write in 1st person's pov but I'm thinking if I should write the book in the ...

3 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Ruth‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question novel pov
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Q&A When are single-use POVs a bad idea?

I'm trying to reveal the main character's background without diving into flashbacks or actually setting parts of the story in his past. So on three occasions I have three characters (two B charact...

1 answer  ·  posted 5y ago by Weebo‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question pov