Single character POV vs. two POVs - how to decide?
I'm starting to look at my next novel, and I'm trying to decide whether I should tell it from one POV or two. I've used both techniques in the past, so I'm aware of the basic advantages/disadvantages, but I'm still having trouble deciding which is best for the story I want to tell.
I realize that it's impossible to answer that question without knowing the details of my story, but I'm hunting for some sort of framework for my thoughts, so: in general, when is it advisable to stick with a single POV character, and when does it make sense to branch out?
ETA: The novel in question is looking like it'll be a Paranormal Romance. So my decision is whether to write from just the female POV or throw the male POV in as well. If it was a straight-up Romance, the decision would be easier - which choice would best allow me to make readers care about the characters and want them to be together? Which choice would establish tension about whether or not they will be able to overcome the obstacles that face them? But throwing the paranormal plot in makes it trickier. I want the characters to be suspicious of each other, and maybe I want the reader to be unsure, as well...
Okay, maybe I should revise the question a bit. What process should a writer go through when deciding whether to write Single POV or Multiple? (Is that more answer-able?)
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If you're looking to sow a lot of suspicion, I think you should use single character POV (with a judicious number of scenes outside that POV if absolutely necessary). Harry Potter is a great example of this. Because Harry can only know so much, being one person and not being an adult, we are restricted to seeing the actions of others through Harry's limited perspective. We are constrained both by what he sees and what he knows.
Suspicion is pretty much caused by lack of information. The easiest way to prevent the reader and the character(s) from getting information is by narrowing our access to one point: the main character's experience.
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I think OneMonkey's reply covers this very well. I just thought I'd add quickly that in the novel I'm working on, I started with one POV and ended up with two - the main reason being to increase the tension.
The two main characters' paths cross because each have their own motives which they're hiding from the other. Though they genuinely care for each other, the main conflict arises from crossed wires and their key goals increasingly putting them at odds with each other (yes, it's a cliche, I know. :P)
I only used one of the characters' POV at first, and it worked well enough. The tension comes from not knowing what the other character is up to. As Lauren mentioned, it sows suspicion well, and keeps the reader turning pages out of curiosity - they want to know what is going on.
But by moving to two POVs, I found that it increased the tension and changed the feel of the story by focusing more on the conflict and how they block each other either intentionally or unintentionally. It makes the reader, who is aware of both sides of the story, root for them to overcome their differences and put aside their personal goals to trust each other. In this case, what keeps them turning the pages is to see if their friendship will triumph in the end.
It really does depend what kind of story you're aiming for and what you want the focus to be on. Seems like you're aiming for both, but keep in mind that with two POVs you can still have uncertainty if there are external forces around both characters forcing them to play their hand against the other - external forces whose motives and goals we and the POV characters don't know about (yes, I use this judiciously as well).
This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/4112. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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