DawnMorningStar

This may have been asked at some point before, and if so, I apologize. But I'm wondering...when writing a story, if an author wants to switch between different people's viewpoints during an action scene, what's the best way to go about it? For example, the character in the middle of the action is outside. The wife is looking out the window and watching, and the son is in another room, wondering what's going on. I was switching between these three people, showing their different points of view as this progresses, but I'm wondering, should I leave an extra space between one character's view and the next, or use something like *** or is it okay to just put the normal amount of space in there and not break it up at all?

I'm thinking it would be best to somehow break it up so that the reader doesn't get confused. Any suggestions?

Havoc

thats what im wondering to... so far ive managed to get around situations like that by using MEANWHILE... but that gets old after a few page's so I try to not have character transitions to much in one scene. Im wondering for the anwsers.

Allusearna

Well, I'm writing a story at the moment, and I do the perspective switching in two ways. The first, is I have a chapter to a place. There's four or so main races involved, and I'll have a chapter at the Karlands, a chapter at the Stomart lands etc. Then within the chapters the story is from different view points, from A-Laun's and Sha-Lean's and Chou's vuie and all. So What I do is I do it in chunks.
Lets say I am doing a sceen with one person outside a room listning towhat the people inside have to say. I wouldn't do this:

Mor-nain in the room with her sister in law (M's perspective)
Sha-Lean outside the room looking in (S's perspective)
Mor-Nain Pouring tea for sister in lay (M)
Sha lean thinking something is strange (S)
(Mornain talking to her sister about her new dress (M)
Sha-Len realising that that dress is too royal for Mor-Nain to wear (S)

and so On. I would do a scene with Mor-Nain and her sister walking to the roon and sitting down from Mor-Nain's perspective, then i would do Sha-Lean sneaking through corridors, explain how she came to spy etc, then I would do the whole scene from Sha-Leans point of vies. I would sepperate both of these with a symbol that I have on my compiter, it's a little curly thing and i have this centered on the page. Then if I wanted to switch to her brother POV and he was, say, at weapons practice I would use that little swirly thing again.
I don't believe I have used meanwhile in this story.

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For all the good that I do,
All the love that I give,
I am judged, hated, hurt,
For the name of my religion,
And a star upon my breast. )0(
Tiro narn nîn

DawnMorningStar

Thank you both for your comments. Yeah, using "meanwhile" would get old pretty quick I think. Especially with the current way this chapter of mine is switching between people. You'd be reading "meanwhile" every few sentences in this particular section.

I do like your idea, Allusearna, about using the symbol to separate the sections of perspective. That's why I was thinking of having something like *** centered on the page to separate my own paragraphs.

I appreciate the feedback, and if anyone else has a suggestion, I'm all ears!

safari invasion

I just leave four blank lines and pick up with the next person and what they are thinking and doing. Chapters split things up pretty well too, but if I am in the middle of an action scene and things are moving quickly, I don't want to have to wait til the end of a chapter to move to a different perspective.

If the characters are near each other and I want to show what they're thinking, what they're seeing, as individuals, I don't break it up at all. I just try and transition to the next guy and his thoughts and viewpoints.

Just use your best judgement, I would say.

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Nazareth

Generally, from what I've seen in books, when perspective changes, it's usially done by having a space with three asteriks like so

* * * (Only center the asteriks on the page)

Then when ya switch again, do the same- this gives the reader time to change their mind-set from one perspective to another without becomming confused- the break & asteriks prepare the mind so to speak.

DawnMorningStar

Thank you safari invasion and Nazareth.

Like you, SI, I don't break up the perspectives if the characters are all in the same room experiencing relatively the same chain of events. It's just when they're in different areas during the same scene and I want to show what's going on with everyone without having to make new chapters for it. When it's important that it all stay in the same chapter.

I'm glad you pointed out the three asterisks, Nazareth. I actually did go back and use those to separate the sections, so I'm happy that it'll work out okay.

Thanks again!

Nazareth

Lemme just make sure on that for ya- I have a Steven king book that switches views alot- I'll have to go through it till I find it though

DawnMorningStar

Thanks, I appreciate that!

Nazareth

Well, now I'm not so sure- it seems, He just switches with new paragraphs- like so:

Joe grabbed the gun, looked along the barrel, and thought "Gosh, wouldn't it be fun just to plink one right at her feet -- make her jump a little?"

Judy, seeing the look in Joes eyes thought, "Holy Buckets, he's gonna shoot the old bird." She gasped, felt herself going faint & reached for the icebox handle. She steadied herself, and determined in her mind not to let anyone see her in this faint condition -- after all, she had a reputatiuon to uphold.

Without warning, Pete jumped through the window, wrestled the gun from Joe, pointed it at him, and said, "Are you nuts? The old ladie's got powers man. Don't you know that you can't shoot her, you dope?"

Pete dropped the gun, the hammer clicked forward, and the next second he was lying on the floor clutching his toes. Nausea overtook him, and he felt as though he would pass out at any minute. He remembered back to the time when he was just a lad, and took his pop's handgun, and nearly killed the neighbor dog by accident. He remembered the sick feeling he felt when he saw the end of the doghs tail go flying, and when he saw the blood spurt from the mutts tail. As he remembered all this, he suddenly felt the presence of a uniform above him, aNd wondered who had called the fuzz.

(The above was just a quick write & prolly full of errors, but it gives ya a sense of changing perspective I think- I never have been real good at different perspective- I write mostly in first person- I think the main thing is to make sure each switch is a complete mini scene before jumping to another viewpoint)

DawnMorningStar

Hi Nazareth!

Yes, when all of the characters are together in the same room, this works very well. It's how I would write it as well. But if Joe was outside fighting off enemies while Judy was inside watching through the window, meanwhile Peter was in a totally different room doing something else while the action is going on outside, I think it would need something--either more space between the paragraphs or the *** like you suggested.

Nazareth

Well let me try it. see if it's coherrent.- hang on.

Nazareth

Joe shimmied through the kitchen door, spotted the pistol lying on the counter, and mozied on over to it with glee in his eye. He wrapped his fist around the pistol, felt the weight, and gave a satisfying smirk. He lifted the gun, looked along the cold steel barrel, and mumbled,"Gosh, wouldn't it be fun just to plink one right at her feet -- make her jump a little?"

Judy, heard him say something that sounded like Let's see you dance now you old buzzard, and thought, "Holy Buckets, he's gonna shoot the old bird." She grasped the arm of the couch, felt herself going faint, and peered into the kitchen through the door. She steadied herself, and determined in her mind not to let anyone see her in this faint condition -- after all, she had a reputatiuon to uphold.

Judy wondered if anyone else was around that might could help stop Joe from doing something stupid. Her mind raced to the garden, and she hoped Pete was still working his favorite plants.

Pete just stood there, starring at the cabin door. He couldn't beleive what he had just overheard. He yelled through the open window, "Are you nuts? The old ladie's got powers man. Don't you know that you can't shoot her, you dope? Come out here and gimme a hand with this garden -- unless you'd rather not have fresh vegetables tonight?"

Joe dropped the gun, the hammer clicked forward, and the next second he was lying on the floor clutching his toes. Nausea overtook him, and he felt as though he would pass out at any minute. He remembered back to the time when he was just a lad, and took his pop's handgun, and nearly killed the neighbor dog by accident. He remembered the sick feeling he felt when he saw the end of the doghs tail go flying, and when he saw the blood spurt from the mutts tail. As he remembered all this, he suddenly felt the presence of a uniform above him, aNd wondered who had called the fuzz.

Judy wheeled at the sound, gapsed in horror, and suddenly realized her best friend was indeed a moron. Serves him right for messing with firearms, she thought. She slapped herself for her momentary lapse of sanity, dashed to the kitchen, and searched for the dishrag. She found the cloth wedged beneath a ton of dishes, but knew there wasn't enough time to sterilize the thing. She yanked as hard as she could, dropped beside Joe, and said, "This gonna hurt, sugar."

Pete dropped the hoe, clutched his stomach, and vomitted his breakfast all over the turnip greens. He grasped a handful of hair and thought, If only I had given him more instructions on gun safety. He was about to run into the house, when from across the lawn he heard a moan.

"That no good brat shot me," Mrs. Catastrophy thought. "Help! Somebody help me. I'm bleeding to death," she yelled, feebly.

(The jump from Judy to pete in the garden does seem a bit abrupt, dunno how it could be fixed right now- minds getting a little tired.)

DawnMorningStar

Hmmm...that works pretty well actually.

Though I'm still thinking that my particular scene needs a little something to break it up since the one character is in a totally different room and lost to his own thoughts, oblivious for a bit as to what's going on outside. So since he couldn't directly react to that scene, I think I need something that shows that he's apart from the main action at the moment.

Does that make any sense at all?

Nazareth

Lemme try again- Judy will be oblivious from what is going on hopefully:

Joe shimmied through the kitchen door, spotted the pistol lying on the counter, and slithered over to it with glee in his eye. He wrapped his fist around the pistol, felt the weight, and gave a satisfying smirk. He lifted the gun, looked along the cold steel barrel, and mumbled,"Gosh, wouldn't it be fun just to plink one right at her feet -- make her jump a little?"

Befoire he could entertain the thought fully however, the pistol slipped from his grip, and hit the floor. The hammer clicked forward, and before he knew what happened, he was lying on the floor clutching his toes. Nausea overtook him, and he felt as though he would pass out at any minute. He remembered back to the time when he was just a lad, and took his pop's handgun, and nearly killed the neighbor dog by accident. He remembered the sick feeling he felt when he saw the end of the doghs tail go flying, and when he saw the blood spurt from the mutts tail.

He glanced toward the living room, and cursed the stereo.

Judy lifted the earphones from her head, peered around the room, and thought, Dang motorcycles. Just when I get to the really great parts, they always seem to drive by.

She placed the earpieces back on, reached for the volumje knob, and turned it the rest of the way up. She thought that now, finally, she could get some peace and quite from the outside world. She nodded to the sound of Slayer, oblivious to the cat scratching holes in the couch, and reached for the Snickers bar on the coffee table. She smirked when the thought of Pete broke through the loud Bass. "That Pete, he's so sweet, he's so sweet, he's so ..." She lifted the headphones once again, peeked around the room, and hoped noone had heard her acting like a twelve year old.

"Help," Joe cried, but it was no use. Judy was oblivious to the world, and he knew his voice was too weak to reach Pete in the garden. He mustered all his strength, and gave one final yell.

Poor pallid Pete dropped the hoe, clutched his stomach, and vomitted his breakfast all over the turnip greens. He grasped a handful of hair and thought, I knew that was a gunshot! If only I had put it back in the safe.

He was about to run into the house, when from across the lawn he heard a moan.

That no good brat shot me, Mrs. Catastrophy thought. She felt the wound in her leg, and yelled, "Help! Somebody help me. I'm bleeding to death."

(Probably still not what you're lookin for- but was fun trying )