In this series, we’ll explore the most common developmental edits I make as a fiction editor and book coach. Most of the manuscripts that come across my desk have one or more of these underdeveloped story elements, so if you’re a writer who I’ve directed here, don’t sweat it. You have a unique story and learning how to write consistent POV will strengthen your storytelling. Writing is a craft that takes time to master. You’re not going to be a best-selling author on day one of picking up a pen.
What is POV, and Why Does it Matter?
Point of view (POV) refers to the lens in which a story is told. In fiction, we use one or more characters’ point of view to tell our stories. Readers experience great stories through the eyes of consistent and engaging POV characters.
You can create a lasting impression by drawing readers into how the POV character is feeling, thinking, experiencing, acting, and what they're saying or not saying.
To do this well, you need to know what makes your POV character tick, and you need to keep their POV consistent.
How to Keep POV Consistent
1. Avoid Character Head Hopping
In fiction, head hopping refers to jumping into a different characters head without warning the reader. When you do this as a writer, it confuses the reader and halts the flow/magic of your storytelling. They’ll stop to question whose eyes they're experiencing the scene through and ultimately feel less engaged because they’re having trouble tracking which character is narrating.
Head hopping causes distance between the reader and your characters.
Here’s an example:
Tony allowed the rage to build up before she faced Carl. She wanted to clock him in his tan, clean-shaven face. He smelled like Old Spice – a smell that reminded her of her old man, which didn’t help.
“Get the fuck out of the way, Carl!” she said.
Carl winced. He’d never seen Tony so angry, and her clenched fist and
perturbed expression made him take a step back.
As a writer, you want to make the reader’s experience in your world seamless. You want them engrossed from page one and asking questions that keep them reading, not questioning the integrity of what is going on.
2. Move into Another Characters Head After a Scene Change
If you’ve planned to have five different POV characters, that’s great! To execute the exchange of POV, wait until a scene change or new chapter to jump into a new character’s head.
Do this by establishing their name, the setting, how they’re feeling, and what they’re sensing.
3. Use the Five Senses to Create Deep POV
Use the senses to explore characters and the space around them. It’s that simple. I tell my clients this all the time. It’s one of my most used comments/suggestions.
Every reader feels, touches, tastes, hears, and smells. We all experience the five human senses. Using them to tell your story and pull the reader in makes your POV character 100% more relatable. As fiction writers, the five senses are one of our greatest tools!
It’s as simple as slowing down before you write a new scene and asking:
What is my POV character sensing in this scene?
4. Stay Within the Narrative Tense
Narrative tense refers to:
Third Person Narration (most common in Epic Fantasy)
Second Person Narration (least common and distancing)
First Person Narration (most common in the Young Adult genre)
Like head hopping, it’s important to stay within the narrative tense you’ve established for each scene and POV character. If you are going to change the narrative tense, do it with a scene change.
Here’s an example of a sneaky narrative tense change I would flag as your developmental editor:
Ivy walked toward Sicili with arms wide open, and you wouldn’t know it if you were Sicili, but her heart pounded a million miles an hour. She remembered. She finally remembered.
See how you don’t know whose POV you’re in by the end of the paragraph? It’s confusing, right?
5. Keep the POV Character Engaged During Dialogue
In fiction writing, it’s easy to lose the POV character during dialogue, especially if several characters are engaging in conversation at the same time. We can get caught up in speech tags and information dumping.
This is a tricky POV element to catch during drafting. I personally lose sight of the POV character during dialogue heavy scenes all the time, and I often don’t notice until the second and third drafting stages.
It’s important to incorporate action and ticks to tell the reader how the POV character is doing.
Here’s an example of losing the POV character during dialogue:
Sandra looked out at the lush valley while Tony and Carl talked.
“I don’t want to go on a wine tour today,” Tony said. She grumbled. “I’m too tired. I had too much to drink yesterday.”
“I told you to take it easy,” Carl said. “Didn’t I?”
“Look who’s all high and mighty. It’s not like you didn’t pawn your shots off on me. Who was the lady hanging off your arm all night?”
Carl laughed. “I…” He rubbed his neck.
“You don’t remember her name, do you?”
He chortled.
“God,” Tony said. “You’re such a prick.”
Sandra turned to them. They were both such babies. She always felt like their mother when they took trips like this. She pinched the bridge of her nose. She nursed a headache from getting only two hours of sleep because she’d been corralling them and making sure they were safe until five in the morning. She could use a coffee.
“I’m fine with staying in today,” she said.
In this example, Sandra is the POV character, but you would never know it during the dialogue. Carl or Tony could have been the POV character.
Here’s an example of keeping Sandra engaged during dialogue:
Sandra lifted the cup of coffee to her lips while she took in the view of the lush valley. Carl stumbled onto the balcony and draped a hand over her shoulder. His armpits stunk. And his fingers smelled like sweaty sex. He gave her shoulder a squeeze.
“You’re up early, Sandy,” he said.
Coffee spilled on her white blouse. She groaned. “You’re not.”
“Beautiful view.”
Tony joined them. "Not as beautiful as your view last night, I’m sure.” Her bed head made her look like Edward Scissor Hands.
Carl laughed. “Shut up.” He gave Tony a playful shove.
Sandra shrugged out of Carl’s dank half hug. Her friends were both such babies. She always felt like their mother when they took trips like this. She pinched the bridge of her nose. She nursed a headache from getting only two hours of sleep because she’d been making sure they were safe until five in the morning. She could use a coffee, and she wasn’t even done her first cup.
See the difference that makes for you as the reader? Are you more interested in Sandra’s POV in the second example?
Writing Tip for Writing Consistent POV: Before you start writing a new scene or chapter, stop to ask what the POV character is sensing and what they want. Answer with a quick list. It can be a list of senses or a list of strong emotions. The POV character will show up stronger in the following scene if you check in with them first.
Practice this tip before each scene you write. It will make a difference!
In Review…
Keep the reader flipping pages by writing a POV character who sticks to their own head until a scene change, keeps in touch with their senses, stays in the same narrative tense, and uses action during dialogue heavy scenes. You’ve got this!
Thank you for learning more about the craft of fiction writing.
For more tips and information on POV, check out How to Write Immersive POV for Fiction.
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