: Re: How to determine if a story would benefit from multiple first-person POVs? Originally I asked this question: What is a "methodology" I can I use/follow to determine the ideal set of

@Speyer920

Vote Up Vote Down

I put some extra thought into it, Justin. Hope I can help:

Does each character have their own compelling story? It is not enough simply for Robin to have a story outside of Batman. It seems to me that a third-person omniscient choice would be better at least for the Robin side of the story in this scenario.
Is each character equivalently important? The reader needs a character to latch onto to feel connected with. Many stories have an adventuring party with individual characters being more or less important based on the scene. These stories are told third person precisely so that the narrative can focus on the moment, regardless of which characters are involved. But in order to pull off two first-person accounts, their two stories have to be more important than any other character at any other time and equally important to the mission. Otherwise, one character is subordinate, so why give him an equivalent voice?
Can you solve the "I" problem? Many clever writers think they can average less than 10 a page (I've been involved in my share of writer's groups; of course, this is an arbitrary number), but it's really hard to do. Do you have a sample chapter or two? Have you shown it to anybody?
Good stories don't need gimmicks. What you propose is unusual. Why? How does telling your story in simultaneous first-person accounts rather than a first and a third, or two thirds, make it a better story?
Can you tell your first-person story in such a way that the reader doesn't get confused and continues to turn pages? This is a marketing issue. If you are not trying to publish or sell your book, then it doesn't matter.

If you have an answer to all the above, you're set! Good luck!

(0)

Login to post a comment!