Fiction Writing Made Easy

#139: 5 Multi POV Mistakes (And How To Avoid Them)

04.23.2024 - By Savannah GilboPlay

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Telling a story through multiple viewpoints can be a great way to create a more expansive (and objective) look at your characters, world, plot, and/or theme. But with each additional viewpoint character you add to your story, the more room there is for mistakes. In this episode, I'm sharing the 5 most common multi POV mistakes writers make and how to avoid them in your draft.

Here’s a preview of what’s included:

[2:10] Mistake #1: Including too many POV characters without an intentional reason for including each one.

[6:10] Mistake #2: Not developing each POV character as if they were the protagonist of their own story—they lack their own goal, motivation, and conflict.

[9:01] Mistake #3: Not tying the characters' storylines together via a common plot problem, a central relationship, or binding their fates together.

[11:47] Mistake #4: Head hopping between different POV characters without making the switch clear to the reader.

[14:56] Mistake #5: Rehashing the same scene from different POVs without offering the reader new and potent  information.

Links Mentioned In This Episode:Ep. #7 - 5 Questions to Help You Write Better CharactersWant to write a novel but not sure where to start? Click here to grab a FREE copy of my Story Starter Kit workbook that'll help you get clarity on your characters, setting, theme, plot, and so much more! Support the Show. If you enjoyed this episode of the Fiction Writing Made Easy Podcast, please rate, review, and follow this show!

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