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Switching from First to Third person


  • GuitarShank
    Oct 23 2:03 PM
    Reply
    I've been working on a story in first person (not on here) which is not something I've been known to do in the past. Everything's been going fine, but I've been considering adding a new character with a coinciding storyline. The thing is, it would be in third person and the main character (who is also the narrator) would know nothing about it.

    My question is not whether this can be done, but rather how to do it without seeming forced, stupid, or just plain sloppy.

    I know I could most likely do it in a totally separate chapter, but I would rather have it as a sort of side-deal during the main chapters. You know, like inserting a page break and then going into a third-person aside detailing the events of the new character.

    Otherwise I'll just have to wing it

    Thanks

  • Valkyrie
    October 23 ↑
    Reply
    Personally I don't like reading books that switch POV like that. Between third person POVs is fine, but from third to first? Nuh uh. It messes with my head like a commercial with too many flashes and jittery words. In the immortal words of Malcolm Reynolds, it "makes things not be smooth."

    The best example I saw in print was a book that was following two characters in two entirely different times, doing totally separate things. Every chapter or two, it would swap between them, so there was a lot of time to adjust to the new POV each time. So if you really want to go there, make the scenes looooong.

  • the back row
    October 25 ↑
    Reply
    It might work, although you have to make sure it doesn't get too sloppy.
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