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Advice on multiple POVs?
I ve been in the self- editing phase for quite some time now, and I ve just recently been wondering if I should cut one of my POVs. His POV is necessary in the beginning, but with some tweaking I could tell the story without it. For a large chunk of the story, three of my POVs are traveling together. However, the one I m considering cutting doesn t really have a goal. He s only there because they needed him for something. Things happen to him along the way that pertain to HIS plot line, but none of it really effects the book s main plot (the war etc.) and he s with two other POV characters, so I could certainly tell his scenes through their eyes. I ve invested a lot in this character, and his emotional journey and growth might be one of the strongest. I don t think the story would be the same without him He s going to be a vital character in the next book, but for now, I don t know if I really need his POV. When writing a novel, do all of the POVs have to pertain to the essential plot which is basically the war? Or is it okay to have multiple story lines. Any help would be much appreciated.
1 Answer
- VoelvenLv 74 years agoFavorite Answer
It is okay to have multiple story lines, but if you feel that you can comfortable cut a POV without it having any significant impact on the story, then I would be inclined to cut it. I'm guessing it will make for a much tighter story and give the other two more page space.
Of course, I'm just one person and I haven't read your novel, so take this with a grain of salt, but I've never regretted cutting a POV, nor have I ever heard any of my writer friends regretting it - if anything it's the other way round, that they later regret not cutting the superfluous POV character.
We sometimes have to kill our darlings.
And maybe you can reuse part of what you've written now for your novel? One of my successful writer friends reuses all the time. Her readers don't know it, but as a former beta-reader (she now has pros doing it), I find reused snippets all over her published work.
