Point of view question - Writers Forum

Raven13 · 03-07-2005, 02:49 PM

Hi all, I could use some advice on pov for a story idea I have. The story is about a married couple, the man being a minor league baseball player. Initially I had no doubt that the pov would be his, as I want to dramatize first-hand his experiences on the field and it's his story that I want to tell. However, I read recently that the main character in a story should change from beginning to end, and in my idea it's the wife who changes, while he stays the same. So, do I follow convention and make the wife the pov character and lose the baseball descriptions, or go 'against the grain' and keep him as my pov character? Or should I just try both and see which one I like better?

Thanks in advance.

gohn67 · 03-07-2005, 03:04 PM

Go against the grain, thats what I think. I think its always good try something different. Also that was your first inclination to put it in the POV of the husband, so do it. You must have had a reason for wanting this in the first place. Good Luck, look forward to reading it.

Ilan Bouchard · 03-07-2005, 03:12 PM

As well, it could be interesting to see his wife blatantly show her changes, while he remains the same and ignorant of her changes (if that's how the story goes). The reader would hear the story from the baseball player's view, but still disagree and see what he misses.

Mazzie · 03-08-2005, 05:16 AM

Something that I use a lot in my stories is that I have pov of two of the main characters. I am not sure if this will fit in your story or not. I suggest that you go with your first thought, as that most of the time seems to turn out the best.
Good luck with your story, am looking forward to reading it.

Raven13 · 03-08-2005, 09:22 AM

I had considered doing that since the opening I had in mind is better from his pov and the end is better from hers, but I don't feel confident in my ability to write a pov switch at the end of a short story without weakening it. I wrote the opening scene last night from his perspective, so I'll stay with him and see how it turns out.

mammamaia · 03-08-2005, 11:22 AM

why not use the omniscient third person pov?... if you stick to only the one character's pov, then you will not be able to include anything happening outside of his presence/thought... isn't that going to limit you in telling your story?

here's a good take on multiple pov:

http://tarakharper.com/k_pov.htm

Shoujoka · 03-08-2005, 04:55 PM

The omniscient POV is always a good crutch.

I say go with your gut instinct if you're not for third-person, go for what you REALLY wanted to write and make the husband the main character because, chances are, you'll be more inspired to continue writing whereas with the wife you may lose interest.

<3

~Shoujoka

Anidazen · 03-08-2005, 07:14 PM

Don't go with "convention" if it's not what you want to do.

Personally, I don't keep a single PoV through a book. (Although this is only two books we're talking about, I don't think I will in future). But if you want to stick with the man all the way through, the woman changing in his eyes is OK too.

The only thing you lose like this is the characterisation through inner thought of the woman, but you don't necessarily need this (a lot of books don't use this) to illustrate the character change.

Raven13 · 03-09-2005, 10:18 AM

Thanks for the link, mammamaia - there's a lot of good information on that site.

I had always intended to use third-person pov for the story, but for some reason I thought that I would have to use the Limited pov, so that I would have to view the world through only one character. Didn't occur to me to use omniscient. I think I just need more sleep.

Thanks for the replies!

mammamaia · 03-10-2005, 09:02 AM

glad it helped, raven... now cut down on all that partying and get some rest, y'hear!?