Lessons in Head Hopping

Head-hopper or purist? Originally, I hopped heads. Badly. But eventually I discovered that being a POV purist is "correct". Yes, it's quoted because I hate it.
You're probably not wondering what I'm talking about because POV is a huge thing in writer's circles. But I'll write it anyway, because I'm exhausted and can't think of anything else to post about tonight.
Head-hopper means you see things through different character's eyes/heads in the same scene. Purist is one character per scene or scene break. Like Nora Roberts can hop heads all she wants because she does it well but many writers don't do it anymore.
If you absolutely have to (like me, lol) then make sure the hop is clear. A good way to do that is have the character perform an action first, then think a thought or say something.
If you can keep the scene in one character's POV, you're better off. It's safer that way because you don't run the risk of losing the reader's attention.
My tiny lesson is over because the chocolate is sitting on the counter, waiting for moi.

How do you handle POV? And do you think it's a big deal on how it's done?

Comments

Anonymous said…
I'm pretty good at making sure I don't shift from one person to another within a scene. But I have a hard time writing a "close" third person POV--I've discovered that most of my writing is done in a "distant" third person, which I think makes it hard for the reader to identify with the character. Definitely something I need to work on.
September 3, 2008 at 12:03 AM
Jessica Nelson said…
Yep, getting into that deep POV definitely changes things. My first chapter of one of my manuscripts introduced a hero that everyone hated. They thought he was cruel. I went back, (based on advice) put it into his deep POV, and I think it's much stronger now because people can see why he's behaving that way.
Thanks for stopping by, Laura. :-)
September 3, 2008 at 10:39 AM
Anonymous said…
Did you review the book for her? Maybe that's how I found your blog. :D
September 3, 2008 at 12:11 PM
Anonymous said…
I find that 1st person is a somewhat limiting view, but sometimes its necessary for the plot. Most of the time I will stick to a close 3rd person and every once in a while jump into a deep 1st person to show the reader something that can not been seen any other way.
September 4, 2008 at 1:03 AM
Jessica Nelson said…
Hi Xavier. I have to agree with you that 1st can be limiting. So it's good for you that you like third since it's is a popular style. :-) Personally, I prefer to read third person myself. I love hearing how everyone has different ways of doing things.
How's your story coming along?
September 4, 2008 at 10:16 AM
Anonymous said…
slowly, now that I am in school I am lucky if I can read a book.
September 4, 2008 at 12:34 PM
Jessica Nelson said…
Man, I know what you mean. Life gets SO busy. Good luck with it.
September 4, 2008 at 1:02 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We All Got to Learn to Do It Sometime

*grossness alert* We all have to learn to deal with doo-doo eventually. Consider me a newbie mom, but it never occurred to me that my son should be wiping himself until about a month before kindergarten. And then the flashbulb went on and I scrambled to teach him. One problem. He didn't want to. He's fastidious and doesn't like to make mistakes, so the thought of taking care of this daily chore literally reduced him to screaming and crying on the toilet. Basically, he didn't trust himself. He was afraid. Scared to get his hands dirty. Afraid he'd miss something. This is probably weird, but it made me think of us as writers. There comes a point where we have to "grow up" and trust ourselves. We can't always rely on a crit group, agent, or editor to wipe up our mess. I think this should be a part of maturation for every writer, that we can look at our work and be confident in our ability to clean it up. Not saying we'll make it perfect or that we won...
Read more

Work First, Play Later

I'm back! I had a wonderful time with my family. Thank you all for asking. :-) In 2009 my schedule evolved into a blog first/write later kind of thing. It happened that way because my husband began using the computer in the afternoons and evenings for his project, but now that I have a router, my schedule's changing. It's time to work first, play later. That means I do my chores/errands in the morning, write at naptime, and visit your wonderful blogs in the afternoons and evenings. So if I don't show up in the morning, don't be alarmed (if you even notice, lol). I'm just changing things up. I'm too exhausted in the evening to write, that's why. During the day I have way more energy to write but at night there's a fifty percent chance I won't do it because I'm so tired. When's the best time for you to write? I also need to shout out my awesome crit partner, Linda Glaz! Some of you may have met her at ACFW. She's a wonderful, faithful, ...
Read more

Melodramatic Mother

Mom, this one's for you. *wink* The other day we were on the phone and my mom was describing some of her ailments to me. She's normally a healthy person, but she does suffer from allergies and sinus issues. She's also a vivid person and this comes across in her language. In this case, she told me her pain was skewering up through her nose. Skewering. She never finished the description because I laughed. What a perfect word! Strong, to the point, I had an exact (if somewhat gross) image of what was happening. Do you have a vivid person in your life? Someone who thinks in ways you forget to? And in your WIP, are you using the strongest verb possible to convey EXACTLY what you mean?
Read more