AniNovu
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Head Hopping - Discussion
🕑 Added 2018-05-13 16:26:27 +0000 UTC I'm currently doing my last editing pass on Medusa Chapter 7, and I thought I'd ask about this.Head Hopping, or where I switch POVs from person to person. You notice these sections each time I start a new section with:
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~~Name~~
I've noticed that I've come to use this more freely in my writing. I used to force myself to stick to a specific POV for a certain amount of time, but I've come to find a lot of scenes work best with a lot of head hopping. Then again, some scenes would work better with a single POV, but using multiple POVs makes it easier. So it's a valuable tool but easily abused.
How about you readers? Do you find my head hopping annoying? Too often? I switch up my narrative style for each POV, so it would make sense if it was too jarring to do it too often
Comments
Novus Animus
Thanks for the confirmation. You're echoing my thoughts, but it's great to hear my readers thinking the same thing I am.
LunarLilith
like most things in writing, I think that it all depends on what best fits the story and the author's style. All of the stories of yours that I have read so far (MLV, Medusa) include multiples characters that have key roles in the story. Being able to see things happening from that characters' perspective through POV shifts is much more enjoyable and I find that it makes the plot flow better than if you limited yourself to just one POV. For example, if the reader never got to see the things that Beatrice and Julius were getting up to and instead had to sit through Julius telling some of it after the fact to Jack, it would slow down the story. it also removes the chance to get to know some of the other characters better, which often happens when you view scenes from their perspective. As long as you are clearly indicating when the shift occurs (which you do) then I think it's a great tool that enhances the story.
