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Q&A
How do I handle different PoVs, at different times and places, each dealing with the same event?
Yes, just do a different POV every chapter (or two if you must). You can handle the transition with chapter titles and sub-titles, or an identical opening on a particular day: Pick something like ...
Answer
#4: Attribution notice removed
by
System
·
2019-12-19T22:13:35Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/39611 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added
by
System
·
2019-12-08T10:00:28Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/39611 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision
Yes, just do a different POV every chapter (or two if you must). You can handle the transition with chapter titles and sub-titles, or an identical opening on a particular day: Pick something like a [Saint's day](https://www.catholic.org/saints/f_day/jul.php), there are several for any date. This doesn't have to be a religious reference exactly, it can also be the anniversary of something being touted on television. Or somebody on a morning show mentions it is "St. Aurelius" day (July 20). In any case, whether directly or indirectly, the Chapter opens like Linda Smith July 20, 1983, 8:00 AM And all that changes is the name at the top of each chapter. Or, like I said, use just the name, and in the opening line, repeat the opening. > Linda turned on the TV to catch the weather report, and waited a minute. The weather girl came on, "It should be a clear Saturday morning, but we could use some rain today. We have reports of brush fires in the south, we'll have some video this hour, I am told ... " The point is, every chapter, for each character, opens with the same exact line from the same weather girl. You don't have to give an exact date or time, readers will pick up on the fact that this is all the identical time. Each character can react differently to this, and you can cut off the weather girl after the first opening with a thought or action from the character. > LINDA: _Is that girl_ **really** _a meteorologist?_ > > MIKE: Mike's phone rang, and he muted the TV to answer it. You can vary everything, but somehow get the first sentence of the weather girl in, and the time is established.
#1: Imported from external source
by
System
·
2018-10-23T19:56:03Z (about 6 years ago)
Original score: 1