How late is too late to introduce a new POV?

[alison.strobel]

I'm working on an outline and just realized I have potentially four or five POV's from which to tell the story. Some of them, however, wouldn't appear until much later in the book--the second half, possibly even the last third. Is that too late, do you think, to approach the story from a new angle and introduce new characters?

-Alison

[Katharine]

Hmmm... from a non-technical standpoint, I'd say... it depends. You'd have to demonstrate a good reason for waiting so long to introduce that last POV. Depending on the genre, this could be the entrance of heretofore unnoticed evidence (and I'm not necessarily referring to a mystery.) Depending on how skillfully you craft it, you might be able to bring in one additional POV, but more than that would be too much.

Why was this character so late in coming forward? (Is it like the centipede not playing in the first half of the game because he was tying all his shoes?) And is the reason for the late arrival tied closely to the rest of the story?

[Tamera]

I use multiple POVs all the time. I don't worry about how many or when they're introduced, although I try to introduce Main Character POVs early. I choose whoever's POV works best for that scene.

[Zanzibar]

I'm inclined to agree with Tamera. But I can't think of a scenario when I've introduced a main character in the last 3rd of the book. (Usually POV is only told from MC's perspectives.)

Can you tell us a little more about your work, and why this would be necessary?

[kshsj777]

An example I can think of, is if the MC got killed and another character took up the narrative. That might be a good reason for introducing a new POV late into the story.

[michaelsnyder]

I'll go back to a word that keeps popping up in my own writing journey...inevitability. I think adding a distinct POV late absolutely could work well. It's a risk, but if the story absolutely calls for it, then I don't see a problem. Sometimes however, it easier to list reasons why something like that might not work (for me anyway), then try and avoid those.

I doubt you'd be guilty of any of these, but here's some reasons off the top of my head that would make me shy away from it:

-if it's a gimmick, or could be perceived as such
-if it simply solves a narrative problem for the author (in other words, if it's the easiest solution, it's probably not the best one, just the most convenient)
-if it only happens once...if it feels like a hit-and-run I think you risk confusing the reader, or at least giving him/her pause to think about the storytelling as opposed to the characters in your story. In my mind (which means nothing really!), if a character deserves a POV in a story, then he/she also deserves his/her own beginning, middle, and end. And it would (or at least could) seem awkward for a fully-formed character to pop out holding the camera once, then never do it again. I'm thinking here in terms of set-ups and payoffs and individual story arcs.
-if it interrupts the narrative flow...the only reason I mention that is because we're talking about introducing the new POV near or after the middle of the story. I feel strongly that each POV character should sound and feel unique (or else, why bother?). Thus, it seems like we'd need a strong (story) reason to go there.
-if it's anything short of inevitable...or at least earned. Since the reader is trusting us with their time and attention (and dollars too!), we need to earn every story decision we make or introduce into the narrative.

One of the things I'm fixing right now in edits is the fact that two of my three POV characters sometimes sound like each other. It's very subtle and only happens a few times. But, to me any way, it's a huge deal and needs to be fixed!

The good thing is that, in the end, you'll just know. I really believe that. If there's a small nagging voice in your head bugging you about the POV issue, pay attention. If it's a loud voice--and includes actual readers too!--then we have to assume they're right...don't you just hate that?

Mike

[Tarin]

Generally, as a reader, I don't have a problem with an unexpected POV showing up late in the book - if it's necessary. I notice that technical, plot-driven books, esp., tend to revert to this. However, to more or less reiterate Michael's excellent points, I think you should be seriously asking yourself why this POV is suddenly necessary. And, once you've established that it is necessary, could you possibly go back and insert it once or twice earlier in the book? That would be preferable.

By introducing a POV this late in a story, you're likely going end up short-changing both yourself and the reader, in the sense that you're missing out on exploring this character instead of just using him. I'm dealing with a bit of this same issue in my WIP. My bad guy's first POV just cropped up 2/3 of the way into the story. If I left it this way - as I conceivably could - I'd miss out a prime opportunity to add depth to his character. Instead, if can follow his character arc, as well as my MC's, I can add a whole other layer to the story.

That said, in order to produce a three-dimensional POV character, I don't think you necessarily need to give him a ton of scenes. My WIP features another POV character who is viewed only intermittently (right now I only have 13 POV scenes planned for him), but because I've inserted his POV at regular (even though sparse) intervals, I think the reader will still be able to grasp his character fully. On the other hand, if I'd only stuck his POV in once or twice, I'm certain I wouldn't have been able to achieve the same effect.

So I think the answer to your question is two-fold: 1) Yes, you can get away with introducing a POV character late in the book. 2) But it's definitely not preferable if you can get around it.

[roseydow]

POV characters must be treated with care. Too many of them and the reader gets lost. Having a POV character appear for the first time late in the story is tricky at best. If, however, the character appeared in the story earlier, even in a bit part, so the reader could get to know him a little beforehand, your story will appear more cohesive and the character wouldn't seem like such an a stranger.

I would have to see the plot outline to give more definite advice, but my thought on that is...be very careful. At the very least let the reader get a glimpse of him or her before they have to jump into his head. [so to speak :)]

Best wishes,
Rosey Dow

[Tommie Lyn]

In High on a Mountain, I introduce a POV character in chapter 38...and this is in a novel of 47 chapters. It is not possible to introduce her earlier -- my MC doesn't reach her location until chapter 37. By chapter 40, her POV becomes important, and by chapter 44, she is an MC.

As far as I can tell (and from what test readers tell me), it works.

[Tamera]

I agree with Tommie. Sometimes we can stick too closely to the "rules" and not do what's best for the story. Some of my favorite novels are written by writers who occasionally break the rules, but who have a reason for doing it.

[Laina]

I think I'm confused here and maybe you can help me out. Isn't POV, point of view? And isn't POV first person or third person? And aren't you suppose to do your novel in all first person or all third person?

[Tommie Lyn]

I think I'm confused here and maybe you can help me out. Isn't POV, point of view? And isn't POV first person or third person? And aren't you suppose to do your novel in all first person or all third person?

Third person POV can be limited or omniscient. With omniscient, the POV is from a narrator and is more impersonal -- the narrator knows everything, reveals things that the characters possibly don't know, for instance.

With third person limited, however, one character is selected as the POV character -- for the entire novel or just for particular scenes. Imagine that there is a camera affixed to the top of the POV character's head, and the only things which can be revealed in the story at that point are those that can be seen from this camera. But, you can take that camera off that character's head and put it on another character and tell another part of the story from the new POV character's perspective.

I tend to use third person limited with multiple POV characters, because I feel the need to reveal what different characters feel and think, not just reveal those of the MC.

[michaelsnyder]

That's a good question, Laina. There's actually more to that little POV bugger than meets the eye!

As you already know, POV stands for Point of View. And it's typically stated like this: "My first novel was written in first-person, present tense."

So POV actually covers both a) the narrator, and b) how the narrative is positioned in the time-space continuum. So it's either first-person (I did this, I did that), second-person (you did this, you did that), or third-person (he did this and she did that). The second half of the POV equation is when the story is happening: past tense, present tense, or future tense. So you can mix and match as your story requires. Heck you can write second-person future-tense if you like!

But we writers get in a hurry and start speaking short-hand, oftentimes referring to only one half of the equation at a time. So folks will say, "I cannot abide first-person POV's." Or maybe, "Present tense stories just don't sit right with me." Both legitimate statements, but neither of them address both halves of the POV dilemma.

The way Alison framed her initial question about "introducing a POV" is again like short-hand. It's one thing to have a new character step onstage at any point in a novel. But in this case she's referring to a "POV character." The easiest way to think about that is the character "holding the camera" at any given time. I like the way that image implies that we see the story world exactly the way the POV character sees things--we are literally watching the story unfold through their point of view. If he/she moves her head to the left, that's what we see. If he/she turns abruptly, so do we. If he/she jumps on the bed we all get seasick and close the book! So Alison's dilemma in this particular case is not so much a matter of tense (past, present, or future), but rather introducing a character late in the story who gets to "hold the camera" for a chapter or two or three.

Lastly...I think strictly speaking your assumption about stories keeping a consistent POV throughout is the norm. However, I have read (and written) stories where one chapter or section is in present tense, then the next is in past. As it turned out, it's probably the best story I've ever written! There's no reason why you couldn't jump around all over the place...but there's probably a good reason why most people don't!

The safest..and probably the smartest way to tackle POV is to stay consistent. If you start in third-person, past tense you should probably keep it that way unless the story dictates a change. It's kind of that same old adage about knowing the rules before you break them. (And you have no idea how it pains me that I actually typed the word "rules" without getting all snarky about it!!!).

Hope that helps.

Mike

[michaelsnyder]

Yeah...and what TomieLyn said about limited and omniscient too! Told you it was a good question.

Mike

[roseydow]

Great answer, Mike. Point of view is one of the finer points editors check to see if the writer is a pro or an amateur. This is where it is good to get experienced folks to read your work and get their comments on that issue. I had real problems with this issue myself in my earlier years.

Another way to think of POV is that the character's head talk becomes your prose. What the character thinks and notices is what you write down in your descriptions and narration. This includes the things that pertain to his world. For example, a man who is a carpenter by trade would walk into a room and notice the framing around the door, the warp in the floorboards, etc, while a woman who is a gardener would notice the greenery outside the window.

Everything in that section of the story is colored by the point of view character's inner world. And that goes even to his attitude about life and his mood at the moment. Is he a cynical person? He'll notice that the mansion has some mold growing around the foundation and have a snide thought about it. Is he angry at the moment? Then his thoughts will come fast and slightly disjointed, with short sentences and powerful verbs.

You literally have to become the person for those pages, like an actor taking on a character's persona. Achieving this skill takes practice and a thick skin when others read your work and comment on those issues. It's the willingness to go back and shore up weak places, all the while learning, learning, learning. But, once achieved your work will shine and your readers will lose themselves in the story.

Warm wishes,
Rosey Dow

[Laina]

Thanks Tommie. I like that camera on the head visual. It helped a lot.

And Mike thanks for what you said too. I am taking a writer's course and they are teaching us to not go back and forth with a POV. In one of my first short stories, I changed the POV and it was marked wrong. They said it confuses the reader. So that's why the confusion.

Thanks again all of you for your help.

[Michael Scott]

This may simply expose a lack of training on my part, but I've never really worried about POV. I tell the story as it comes to me. If it is advantageous to tell the story from one perspective, then that part of the story comes from that person. If it works to shift to another, I do that.

The main thing is to be sure that POV shifts aren't confusing to the reader - ie: your reader has to know who is looking/thinking/feeling/speaking as the subject of each particular scene or subscene. Also, the POV should be honest - as roseydew points out (a carpenter will notice carpentry, etc.).

After that - it's the story itself that must dictate POV - not rules someone else lays out based on their story.

Just don't confuse the reader. If you're concerned that you may have done so, have someone read it and tell you.

[Tommie Lyn]

Thanks Tommie. I like that camera on the head visual. It helped a lot.

And Mike thanks for what you said too. I am taking a writer's course and they are teaching us to not go back and forth with a POV. In one of my first short stories, I changed the POV and it was marked wrong. They said it confuses the reader. So that's why the confusion.

Thanks again all of you for your help.
This is an issue I had trouble with when I started writing a couple of years ago. I feel compelled to let the reader know what certain characters are thinking and feeling, but I hadn't learned how to do it effectively.

POV shifts have to be carefully controlled, otherwise the resultant "head-hopping" can be confusing to readers. I learned to use scene or chapter breaks to "switch the camera" to a different character.