I normally don't get too concerned when people discuss the vagaries of what it requires to write well, regardless of how off-base I think some of the comments might be as they pertain to a particular subject. But I'm motivated to get involved when an element of writing is discussed with fervor and a decided bias, yet with a blatant lack of understanding for the topic. A recent harsh treatment of Point-of-View is what motivated me to write this article.
Why Can't POV Be Written in Any Way One Sees Fit to Write It?
Last year I was taken to task by a writer who'd written a piece he'd submitted for "approval" via a writer's blog. I don't generally respond to this sort of thing, but as I read his material, I noticed distinct POV shifts via four characters in what was a short opening chapter of 500 or so words. I wrote this fellow that his writing was fine, except for the POV issues. I was sent a brisk note that since "he" was the creator of the material, he could write the Point-of-View any way he wanted. After all, he told me, "he" wrote it, and in who else's Point-of-View could it be written?
It Would Be Funny if It Wasn't So Serious
I laughed off his callow remark, tried to explain what Point-of-View entailed, even providing some resource material to support its importance, then quickly moved on after I found I was stoking rather than extinguishing a fire. I thought little more about POV's misconception until I noticed one of my articles on the subject posted on a web site for writers. Several people were kind enough to state that my explanation of POV was indeed better than the original one that fostered the blog's thread, but then each contributor tried to diminish the validity of POV.
This rankled me, especially when the moderator of the blog went on to support my contentions, yet was just as quick to offer that POV shifts really don't matter much one way or the other. She admitted, however, that she also had difficulty at times with POV. This should've told readers the value of her opinions on this subject, but the coup de grace was when she closed her post by stating that POV was important only to agents, editors, and publishers--but not to readers.
It Isn't True That POV Matters Only to Agents, Editors, and Publishers
If I'd ever read a position that justifies why amateur writers accepting advice from other amateur writers is a road map to disaster, that was it. Agents, editors, and publishers are not an exclusive club infatuated with POV shifts and the issues they create. If POV shifts are done incorrectly, they will stop the reader! This is what matters, not the contention of any professional who works in the industry.
If the reader doesn't know who is speaking, often the scene will need to be read again. If this occurs repeatedly in a story, it can cause a book to be set down for good. Even an occasional POV shift can destroy the flow of a narrative. I've cited this before, but Saul Bellow let a couple of unnerving POV slips occur in THE VICTIM. And while this proves that even the best writers can err in applying this element uniformly, a mistake by an iconic writer hardly justifies POV-shift acceptance.
Anything That Jars the Reader Is Not Good
Not a brilliant statement by any means, but this is what the POV issue is all about. Some writers can shift POV effortlessly, and to paraphrase what the famous writer E. M. Forster said, if it's effected seamlessly it doesn't matter at all. But when the reader notices the shift, then there is a problem.
When Is It Easiest to Shift POV?
Complete scene breaks and of course new chapters will lend themselves to POV shifts. I've also found that high-tension scenes are at times forgiving if handled deftly (this might seem an odd example to cite, but for whatever reason I've found it valid). Some people write in an omniscient voice via third person and assume this always works. Unfortunately, it doesn't if the speaker is not clearly identified. So while omniscient third person enables wide latitude, it doesn't mean there aren't requirements.
No Final Word on POV Exists
Debate will always rage over POV. The best response I can provide follows closely with what I stated earlier, and this is to write whatever the reader finds acceptable. If a POV shift doesn't stop the flow of the narrative for the reader, it can be assumed the task was handled in a masterful fashion. The time to find out if a POV shift was successful, however, is not after the reader has put down the book because of becoming frustrated with it. This is the crux of the entire subject.
Robert L. Bacon, Founder
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