Writing a multi POV historical novel
By Udo Kruse
When you set out to write a book, one of the first decisions you need to make is who the story is about. A story about more than one person brings up the question of who should tell the story. These two questions do not always have the same answer. Sometimes the story is about the main character, and it is told from their perspective, while sometimes there is a narrator telling the story of other people. A popular approach is telling the story from multiple points of view with each POV character providing a unique perspective on the story.
One type of multi-POV novel is the dual-timeline story which has two distinct narrative arcs with their own POVs that intertwine. The dual-time line is often used to give historical context and background by intertwining the lives of contemporary characters with those from the past.
Why choose multiple points of view to write historical fiction?
There are many reasons to choose a multi-POV approach for your novel. Showing different perspectives can be a way to increase tension, enhance the theme, and highlight or contrast the choices each character makes. It can also be a useful way to show what is happening in different geographic locations or times for a fuller picture of the story or help subplots tie in more closely to the main plot.
There are plenty of reasons for avoiding a multi-POV approach as well. The most important consideration is that they can be challenging and take more time to write. It is much easier for readers to lose the thread of the story unless it is very carefully constructed and can take more time to for readers to get sucked into the story. Some readers may like one character or plot line better than others and be frustrated when they don’t get enough time in that POV. Of course, there are also readers who hate multi-POV novels and refuse to read them, although this is more common with dual-timeline stories. Focusing on the reader’s experience is key to making a multi-POV story work.
Key considerations for writing multi-POV stories
1. The most important consideration is to make sure all POV characters are intrinsic to the storyline. If there isn’t a compelling reason for a character to share their POV, the reader is likely to become confused or worse, overwhelmed by too many characters and struggle to stay engaged with the story.
Some people argue that each POV character should have a complete character arc but that isn’t always true. There can be POV characters that are instrumental in showing something important in the story without having a full arc. However, they need to have an impact on the story that can’t be shared from another perspective. And, if a POV character gets a lot of page time, they should be considered a main character with a complete arc.
Often writers are told to have a primary POV character, one whose story matters most and has the most to lose, etc. This can be helpful, especially, if there are many POV characters. Even if each POV carries mostly equal weight, it can be helpful to have one character who frames the story, often by beginning and ending in their perspective.
2. Ensure the links between the POV characters and storylines are clear. If your storylines are only loosely related your readers will struggle to understand the point of them. For example, I once read a dual-timeline novel where the only connection between the two stories was the geographic location. I spent the entire novel trying to figure out the linking thread.
Even stories separated by time or space need to weave together in a clear way. Theme and location are not enough to tie them together. The POV characters can share a common goal, have conflicting goals, or complimentary goals. They can be used to reveal truths about another POV or show important elements of plot and historical context. Each perspective should have an impact on the others.
3. Transition can make or break a story told from multiple points of view. Using transitions strategically can improve pacing, increase tension, and create an element of suspense. It’s important to make sure the switch between characters is clear so the reader doesn’t waste time trying to figure out which character they are reading about. This can be done through structure and formatting by alternating chapters or using section breaks. You can also use labels to identify each chapter by character, date, or place.
4. In addition, it’s important to differentiate the characters with clues such as speech pattern or using different POV voices (close, distant, first or third, etc.). One important thing to note is that multi POV is not the same as writing in omniscient point of view. A multi-POV novel can use any type of POV (first, third, etc.) as long as it remains consistent throughout. If you have one character in first person and another in third person you need to stick to those POVs for the entire novel or you risk losing the reader.
5. It is crucial that you handle overlapping POV in scenes with care. Only rarely would a scene be shown from more than one perspective, and there must be a very good reason for doing so. For the most part, each scene should be shown from only one POV. Choose the character that will best suit the scene in order to reveal a key plot detail or emotion, or keep something revealed as is commonly necessary in a mystery.
Some thoughts on the process of writing a multi-POV story
A lot of writers find it easier to draft each storyline separately or chronologically and then weave them together in the order the reader will experience the story. Other writers find it easier to think about how the story will unfold for the reader and write it that way. Either way, you will likely need to plot the story out at some point to make sure you haven’t lost any threads.
