Changing the Narrative Voice?

[strongnsensual]

I've just started pushing stories here. The first story was set up to enable a series if people were interested. I've published a second story, and am writing a third, but I'm considering changing the point of view. The first two were first person - written as if the husband were talking, with occasional diversions for plot points that occurred when he wasn't present. Now I'm considering moving to third person for the current and possibly future stories.

Thoughts? Input? Bad idea to switch, just keep it consistent, just write you're worried about a hill of bananas?

 

[StillStunned]

Write whatever suits the story best. Readers will appreciate that more than any consistency between separate stories.

 

[SimonDoom]

I've just started pushing stories here. The first story was set up to enable a series if people were interested. I've published a second story, and am writing a third, but I'm considering changing the point of view. The first two were first person - written as if the husband were talking, with occasional diversions for plot points that occurred when he wasn't present. Now I'm considering moving to third person for the current and possibly future stories.

Thoughts? Input? Bad idea to switch, just keep it consistent, just write you're worried about a hill of bananas?

I think it can be done. You'll probably have opinions all over the map on this, but my view is that changing point of view is fine as long as it clear and consistent what you are doing.

I wrote an 8 chapter mom-son story from the first person point of view of the son. I'm thinking about writing a follow up series that I might write in third person so I can offer more different points of view and do something different. I think it could work. One reason it could work is that the new point of view would be offered after a very clear break in the story.

 

[APilgrimSquare]

I wrote what I thought was going to be a short, standalone story about a woman buying lingerie from the perspective of the store owner, with the customer’s perspective represented in a sort of epilogue. I then wrote two entries from the customer’s perspective alone. I’m now working on an entry from the customer’s friend’s perspective, which was a commenter’s suggestion.

If the story calls for it, then do it!

 

[SinclairGroupLLP]

Go ahead and switch it. As long as you're consistent, it shouldn't be an issue. In my two series, I started out strictly with the main characters point of view, but as the story expanded, I began to switch to third person, to give the reader some insight into things happening outside the main character's perception. I think it worked - the first story I did that in is my highest rated (if I recall) and it's given me a ton of freedom and is now part of my standard writing style for the rest of the parts.

Like Simon says (see what I did there) just be consistent and it should work out.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

I've just started pushing stories here. The first story was set up to enable a series if people were interested. I've published a second story, and am writing a third, but I'm considering changing the point of view. The first two were first person - written as if the husband were talking, with occasional diversions for plot points that occurred when he wasn't present. Now I'm considering moving to third person for the current and possibly future stories.

Thoughts? Input? Bad idea to switch, just keep it consistent, just write you're worried about a hill of bananas?

Go for it. First example that comes to mind is Lee Child with his Jack Reacher series. He not only switches character POV, but narrative voice with the same story. You'd be in good company.

 

[Lifestyle66]

You can switch points of view in stories between chapters.

When I wrote my Lifestyle series, it was mostly from the husband's first-person POV. But in Lifestyle Ch. 08-09: Clubs/Parties, chapter 8 is mostly third person about another couple the MCs met at a party, then chapter 9 goes back to the MC husband's POV. This is one of the higher rated stories of the series at 4.49 (that was before the 1-bombers started hitting EVERY story I posted starting in 2022.)

EDIT: A word of caution is that you need to be very clear when changing POVs, because I've read some stories which jump back and forth between two or three different first-person views, and it's difficult to follow them.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I've just started pushing stories here. The first story was set up to enable a series if people were interested. I've published a second story, and am writing a third, but I'm considering changing the point of view. The first two were first person - written as if the husband were talking, with occasional diversions for plot points that occurred when he wasn't present. Now I'm considering moving to third person for the current and possibly future stories.

Thoughts? Input? Bad idea to switch, just keep it consistent, just write you're worried about a hill of bananas?

Are you writing one long series with the same characters, or separate stories with an expanding set of characters? Expand your world, would be my suggestion. Interconnect the stories, sure, but widen your range, and change your voices to suit.

Most of my stories interconnect in one way or another, but knowing that is not critical. It's like leaving Easter eggs for readers.

 

[LiterallyLiterate]

I’m working on a chapter for my series that will change first-person view from my usual main character to his ‘victim’ (it’s a mind control series). I can’t see why you shouldn’t be able to switch between chapters, if the story gets better for it.

 

[MillieDynamite]

Write the way you want to write.

 

[Jay142]

I think I've written two stories that switch the point of view and I've warned readers ahead of time that I was switching. The last one I did, I said something to the effect, "This is the story as told to the husband by his wife." I also put it in italics so the readers would know when I switched back.

 

[Trionyx]

If you want to switch point of view like Jay142, you may find that goes well. However, switching from first person to third person is jarring. In one case you are limited to your characters’ thoughts and experiences and suddenly, you are looking at the action from an omnipotent viewpoint. I would recommend against this.

 

[NaughteeDragon]

As long as you’re consistent and it is obvious why you are changing perspectives it should be okay. I have read a few stories that are written from a single POV that suddenly switch for a sentence of two just to make a motivation clear or express an idea. It’s terribly amateurish and pulls me right out of the story. Changing perspectives should be deliberate.
Time perspective is s also important. Have you ever read a story told in present perspective and then hit a sentence like “for the rest of his life he would have a warm place in his heart for the smell of baking bread.”

 

[NaughteeDragon]

If you want to switch point of view like Jay142, you may find that goes well. However, switching from first person to third person is jarring. In one case you are limited to your characters’ thoughts and experiences and suddenly, you are looking at the action from an omnipotent viewpoint. I would recommend against this.

I’ve got a story I’m doing with something similar, but the switch is for vast sections of the story. MC is 1st person and about 2/3 of the story. The other third is told from varying perspectives to advance the story. There is a definite break when I change perspective and I stay in the changed perspective until I finish the arc of what needs to be told there.
My Valentine’s Day story is done this way, we’ll find out how it’s received.

 

[TiberiusPrime]

I've just started pushing stories here. The first story was set up to enable a series if people were interested. I've published a second story, and am writing a third, but I'm considering changing the point of view. The first two were first person - written as if the husband were talking, with occasional diversions for plot points that occurred when he wasn't present. Now I'm considering moving to third person for the current and possibly future stories.

Thoughts? Input? Bad idea to switch, just keep it consistent, just write you're worried about a hill of bananas?

As someone who generally writes first person, switching to third person was a bit difficult. My most recent story was third person and I was a challenge, but eventually it started clicking and came easily. It's good to stretch those creative muscles at times! If the story you want to tell works best as third person, go for it!

 

[MillieDynamite]

First-person stories often flow for me as I become the character while I write them. Writing from two people's divergent points of view and the necessity, at times, to overlap what you are telling gives the reader a fuller point of view of the event.

You can have them conflicting in their perspectives. Adding a third element of news reports, letters or emails from prereferral characters, and a one-off telling of some major event by a named person who isn't really involved in the events can give honesty to their version of a single event so you see the slanting of main characters to how they've told something.

My publisher has an excellent example of epistolary writing in his story, Retribution: A Short Story of Old West Justice and Revenge, on Amazon and, I think Bookapy. I've written from two points of view but not more.

As someone who generally writes first person, switching to third person was a bit difficult. My most recent story was third person and I was a challenge, but eventually it started clicking and came easily. It's good to stretch those creative muscles at times! If the story you want to tell works best as third person, go for it!

 

[Belegon]

I've rarely had a situation where I switched from first to third person, but I have done it, even within a single story. The most important thing, I believe, is to be very clear about the fact that such a switch has occurred. I don't think it is a requirement to make it a chapter break, but it needs to be very obvious and there should be a good reason. Information you need the reader to have that would not be discoverable by your main POV character, for example. One time I did it to portray a fatal accident that was a HUGE factor in the continuing story. It definitely hurt the impactfulness of the reveal of the accident to my POV character but it also worked much better from the readers perspective in my opinion. It's tricky, but you can pull it off in the right scenario.

 

[Britva415]

I can’t see why you shouldn’t be able to switch between chapters, if the story gets better for it.

Just make sure the story does get better for it!

JUST switching POVs isn’t what will make it a good/better story. A writer should either know the reason why that choice is going to serve the story, or, at least have good enough instincts to know when to and when not to do it.

For that matter, switching between two different third-person points of view versus switching between two different first-person points of view - that’s another choice which (in my opinion) should have a good reason for whichever choice is made.

Switching between one 1pPOV and another 3pPOV? Yikes - better have a good reason for that, too - and an even better frame.

 

[strongnsensual]

The author considered all the input, grateful that people took the time to opine and provide more experienced perspectives. Then he sat back, took a deep breath, and hit submit. Now the 'pending' watch would begin.