Viewpoints in the 3rd person - Writers Forum

Schumi · 01-04-2006, 08:27 AM

I have what you would call 3 main characters in my novel. They are all from the same family (Mother, Father and Son). From these 3, I have 1 who is the absolute main character if you know what I mean. From beginning to end, I would only really want to tell the story through these characters. That would mean I had 3 viewpoints throughout. But the thing is, I have other characters in my story, and whilst they don't play as important a role as the main 3, they are necessary.

When I have a scene involving one of the lesser characters, is it imperative to have one of my main characters with him? I wrote a scene with one of my lesser characters (his name is Owen), and he is a young car salesman. He is trying to sell a useless car to an interested customer. Last night, reading over the work I've done, I came to thinking this scene might be unnecessary. I use the viewpoint of Owen throughout, but he is not a main character.

To give another example, a scene involving my absolute main character (Samantha) shows her to be in a struggle, where she ends up being assaulted. I used this line (and others similar to it) during the assault:

'Danny looked at her with contempt.'

What I think I should have done is something like this:

'Samantha saw his eyes, and they were filled with hate'

Granted, that's not a particularly good line of narrative, but is that what I should be doing? I find myself very easily describing things through characters other than my main 3.

Any advice on this would be great. Thanks.

Gauda · 01-04-2006, 11:10 AM

I'm no professional, but I honestly think it doesn't matter as long as you get your point across. If the reader can picture the scene in his/her mind, then you don't need to worry about whether you're talking about Danny, the mother, etc.

Anna stared at John with her eyes full of tears.

John noticed there were tears forming in Anna's eyes.

Makes no difference to me.

Just my 2 cents.

vanax · 01-04-2006, 03:16 PM

if the rest of your book is wrote like the first example you used then you should stay with that form. i am writing a book by the view point of many characters also and in mine i use the first form. but i have not had any scenes with anyone other then my main characters. Good luck sweetie

Sand · 01-05-2006, 12:32 PM

Your main characters don't have to be front and centre of every scene, they don't have to be in the scene at all. It depends on how much information is necessary for your story to make sense to the reader. For example, you may have to explain a secondary character's motive by including a scene from his or her childhood.

As far a point of view, frankly, I'd never really thought about it before. I just write it however it comes to me, trying to make sure it's clear to the reader. I don't know if that's very helpful, but there it is.

TheSeal · 01-05-2006, 01:27 PM

I belive that if you think a scene might be unnecessary -- cut it out -- especially if it don't move the story along or have any particular significance.

When I get too worried about a detail such as a too busy area, or a character I like but they really don't click sortaspeak, I place them in a seperate file for future stories. Just a suggestion...

Schumi · 01-05-2006, 02:45 PM

The specific scene with Owen, which I outlined, might be unnecessary, but the character isn't. I am in no doubt that he has a place in the story (as a car salesman). I am just unsure whether dedicating scenes in my book to him and interested customers is a bad idea. When I ask myself if it is essential to the story as a whole, I'm thinking maybe it's not. But then again, it does show the reader how Owen handles potential customers, and this is important as throughout the novel, he will be given more authority, as the boss of the dealership has his own troubles to deal with.

I know that if I include the scenes, the viewpoints will be from his perspective. But I have another secondary character in the novel, and there will probably come a time when a part of the story is also told from his perspective. My biggest worry is the fact that I would have more than the 3 viewpoints. Personally, I am comfortable with this, and maybe at this stage that's all that matters?

TheSeal · 01-05-2006, 05:33 PM

http://www.steampunk.com/sfch/writing/ckilian/#10

I like this list:

As you begin to develop your outline, and then the actual text of your novel, you can save time and energy by making sure that your writing style requires virtually no copy editing. In the narrative:

Do any sentences begin with the words "There'' or "It''? They can almost certainly benefit from revision. (Compare: There were three gunmen who had sworn to kill him. It was hard to believe. or: Three gunmen had sworn to kill him. He couldn't believe it.)
Are you using passive voice instead of active voice? (Compare: Is passive voice being used?) Put it in active voice!
Are you repeating what you've already told your readers? Are you telegraphing your punches?
Are you using trite phrases, cliches, or deliberately unusual words? You'd better have a very good reason for doing so.
Are you terse? Or, alternatively, are you on the other hand expressing and communicating your thoughts and ideas with a perhaps excessive and abundant plethora of gratuitous and surplus verbiage, whose predictably foreseeable end results, needless to say, include as a component part a somewhat repetitious redundancy?
Are you grammatically correct? Are spelling and punctuation correct? (This is not mere detail work, but basic craft. Learn standard English or forget about writing novels.)
Is the prose fluent, varied in rhythm, and suitable in tone to the type of story you're telling?
Are you as narrator intruding on the story through witticisms, editorializing, or self-consciously, inappropriately ``fine'' writing?
In the dialogue:
Are you punctuating dialogue correctly, so that you neither confuse nor distract your readers?
Are your characters speaking naturally, as they would in reality, but more coherently?
Does every speech advance the story, revealing something new about the plot or the characters? If not, what is its justification?
Are your characters so distinct in their speech--in diction, rhythm, and mannerism--that you rarely need to add ``he said'' or ``she said''?