by Melissa Corliss DeLorenzo
Photo by Dani Simmonds
Narrative Point of View (POV) was much-discussed when I was in graduate school. Before then, in spite of all the reading I had done since childhood coupled with a BA in English Literature, I had never looked so closely at POV. I mean, I understood its meaning, how to determine different POVs; I could deduce and extrapolate meaning and authorial intention. But I never recognized the nuances and the effects created by mindful usage of POV—well-crafted and thoughtful application. This close look was a bit jarring. Suddenly, POV “errors” glared at me from the writing of my peers, as well as my own. The jumping from one character’s POV to that of another within close context during the text, or the insertion of an inconsequential POV into the story—these things began to drive me nuts. It was a real a-ha moment. Of course, once the pendulum begins to swing, there’s only one way to go… I became hyper-aware of POV, too inflexible in my views and usage. Critical of peers and published writers. I stuck strictly to singular narrators for a long time.
My view has relaxed because I’ve grown to realize that mindful usage of multiple POVs is the key to well-crafted and polished practice of the technique. In my recent work, I’ve been exploring multiple POVs and have discovered its many advantages towards complexity, layering of interest and exploration of themes.
There’s quite a lot to consider. Narrative POV determines the narrative voice(s) of the story. Narrative voice determines cadence, flow, mood and injects meaning. The character(s) whom you choose to tell your story also describe and express it in their specific voice(s). The emerging voice(s) further develops the character(s) which in turn shapes the novel. Whether 1st or 3rd person perspective, multiple POVs will determine a great deal about your novel. Always keep in mind that POV affects your reader’s response to the characters and the novel as a whole.
There are some specific pitfalls to avoid when using multiple narrators:
Balance
Unless there is a compelling and well-executed reason to do so, maintain a good balance between your multiple narrators. Don’t leave readers feeling like there’s an overabundance of some characters, not enough of others. Try to make them equally compelling. You can’t do all things for all readers, but you want to avoid the reader plowing through a “boring” narrator to get to the ones they like more.
Confusion
If it is not clear which character the reader is with, confusion will result. Give your characters succinct voices and modes of thought or habits that distinguish between them. When in the voice of a character, that character should not express any views or facts of which s/he would have no knowledge. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel: multiple POVs has been done before. William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying and Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible come immediately to mind. Those authors opted to label each narrative block with the appropriate character name. This is a simple means of avoiding character confusion and is an often-used method. In Here On Earth, Alice Hoffman manages to weave multiple narrators within blocks of text by dovetailing one character’s POV into another’s within the context of the story, picking up where one piece of the story left off, turning in the direction of the new voice. She makes it clear to which narrator she is turning. She manages this with grace and it is not at all confusing or clunky. I actually really loved this technique.
Break the story up logically
When you depart from one narrator, you want to leave the reader wanting more from her/him. A little cliff-hanger situation—interest to push the reader forward. Then do the same with your other narrators. Create the response from readers that every time a narrators’ section ends, the reader is a little bummed out to be leaving that vibe, but as soon as s/he gets back into the next character, s/he is psyched to return to that narrator, too.
That being said…
Experiment with multiple points of view. Intersperse or alternate past and present tense, or 1st and 3rd perspective narrative. Skip around in time during some sections, and run the story linearly in others. As long as you avoid confusion and make each character equally compelling, you should feel free to explore the form.
Multiple POV uses the characters to tell a single story from different viewpoints, informed by the different experiences of the different characters. This technique also allows for the exploration of other ideas and themes pertinent to each character that may enhance the main narrative and the overall arching theme(s) of the novel as a whole. It creates space for different voices, vantage points and angles. The reader gets a view of different perspectives and is awarded with insight—a spaciousness that the characters themselves may not possess. My favorite aspect of this technique is that it reveals multiple aspect of the “truth”—actually can dispel the idea of singular truth and deconstruct the polarity of “right” and “wrong” which are ideas I like to explore. And, plainly put, it’s fun to create a bevy of narrators into whom you as the writer can really delve.
What is your experience with use of multiple narrators?
What do you like about it? What does the technique reveal?
About Melissa Corliss Delorenzo
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Thank you for not only exploring the subject of POV, but for bringing to light the myriad of possibilities as to how to use it. I have found that I enjoy the author who gives me different points of view, and have ventured that way myself. I hope to continue to polish my craft, and will bring this to the attention of my writing group, as this is an area that can be perplexing to many, and you have helped to clarify it in a very positive way.