There’s nothing worse for a reader than settling into a good story only to discover that you no longer know who’s narrating the story. Some writers consistently jump from one character’s point of view to another. Take Jodi Picoult, for example. Her novels employ multiple points of view, allowing each of the main characters to have their say through a first-person narrative. She has an effective strategy to keep readers in the loop – each chapter is titled with the name of the character who will be sharing his/her/their perspective on the unravelling plot. She also makes sure that scenes aren’t repeated. When I taught this form to young writers, they instantly started writing the same scene repeatedly, only from a different character’s perspective. This plateaus the story development. The plot needs to keep moving forward.

When I’m writing in third-person narrative, I present an alternate point of view, but not within the same chapter, nor, perish the thought, within the same paragraph. In my latest novel, “Island of Dreams” (Tell-Tale Publishing: 2023), most of the story is in third-person narrative, mostly from the main character’s point of view. There are, however, scenes where other points of view are shared. Like the opening chapter where the young prince discovers Rose lying in the sand on the beach:

“Her eyes are open, Father. Can she see me? Can she hear me?”

“I don’t know, Edouard.” A pause. “Miss. Miss.” He was addressing her. All she could do was moan. At least, she thought it was a moan.

“We had best get her to the cottage. You run ahead, Edouard, and let Maria know we’re coming. Then run and fetch Dr. Burns.”

Dialogue is perhaps the most forgiving method to present alternate points of view. A mixture of dialogue and narrative can heighten the drama while allowing another perspective to be presented without confusing the reader:

“Conversation was interrupted by a sudden list in the ship. She tipped precariously starboard, sending people, furnishings, dishes, and food sliding across the room. Screams broke the otherwise complacent dinner gathering.

The emergency alarm sounded.

“Captain to the bridge. Captain to the bridge. All hands man the lifeboats. Lifejackets on. Please make your way to the assigned lifeboat. This is not a drill. I repeat. This is not a drill,” a voice said over the speaker.

This scene allows the drama to build. Later in the plot, my characters are relocated to another planet and face unexpected and unwanted adversaries. More characters share their views, again mostly through dialogue. As well as point of view changes, writers must be careful when changing times, especially if the plot involves time travel. Readers want to know the actual ‘when’ of the events, not just the who’s and how’s. Once again, use title headings to identify time changes. Consistency is the key to maintaining a steady, comprehensible plot development. Chapter headings and effective dialogue are a good means to allow changes to take place without confusing the reader.