《How to Write Stories People Will Love》Question 51: Switching POV across a series
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asks: I'm writing a book that is going to going to be in a series. I'm switching character's perspective throughout the series. Is there any advice you could give me, based of your great Forestfolk series? What's the best way to do this?
First off, thank you for the compliment about my Forestfolk series! It was a lot of fun to write, and a lot of hard work. Here are some tips I can offer...
Your main character doesn't actually have to go anywhere to have a personal journey. They just need to experience some kind of development, some kind of change. In the first book of my series, Siena, she goes from being a timid, insecure teen to realizing her own self-worth.
Each person has a different perspective on things, a different personality, and a different way of making decisions. You, the writer, will remain the same, as will the series. However with a different character point of view, there needs to be a different voice narrating the story. Make sure they behave in their own unique way.
In subsequent books in the series, readers may have forgotten certain events or characters. You don't want to summarize the entire story, but offer quick reminders of important events, or what someone's special ability is. In the second book of my series, Sember, I mention one of the side-characters along with a sentence about his ability to sense danger. It's quick without going into detail, but it's enough to make the reader think, "Oh yeah! That's right, he could do that."
One thing I kept losing track of was how old my various characters were as the series progressed. Your readers will notice when the series arc loses continuity. Write down the things you don't want to forget. This will serve as your fact sheet so you can refer to it when you're in doubt.
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