Three or not to three

bluejester12 · Feb 5, 2015

My book (vomit draft)/idea has 3 teens:

girl -- 15
boy-16 (passive at first)
boy -- 17, almost 18 (aggressive at first)

This was a "travel to another world" story where the three are from a non-traditional family, split up, and the perspective switches between them when they are not together.

After researching I found out that not only does perspective switching tend to turn off YA readers, but also that a single reader may have trouble settling into the story with switches between the different genders and types.

I thought about doing a short series with each character has the protagonist, but then I run into the same problem---a reader may identity with one character but be turned off when I switch mid-story or in the next book.

I'm considering using just one character even though I'm drawn to all three; I write also to be read.

Input?

Sage · Feb 5, 2015

bluejester12 said:
After researching I found out that not only does perspective switching tend to turn off YA readers, but also that a single reader may have trouble settling into the story with switches between the different genders and types.

Who told you this? There are plenty of successful YA books with multiple POVs.

bluejester12 said:
I thought about doing a short series with each character has the protagonist, but then I run into the same problem---a reader may identity with one character but be turned off when I switch mid-story or in the next book.

You'll have a lot more problem, IMO, with different books in different POVs than in one novel with multiple POVs.

Yes, it's true that if you write more than one POV, it's possible that some readers will identify with one POV over another, or that they might not like one POV. That could be true if you just stuck to one POV--some readers will probably not like it. It's pretty much guaranteed that the reader will *prefer* one POV to the others. But so what? For the most part, that's not going to make them stop reading unless they hate the POV.

But YA readers have no problem following a switch of POV, as long as your voices aren't all the same.

pixydust · Feb 5, 2015

If you write it well, then it won't matter

A lot of times "conventional wisdom" is wrong. I'd go with your gut on this and write in with three!

rwm4768 · Feb 5, 2015

Write it the way you want to. I personally love YA with multiple perspective characters, as long as it's written in third person or the first-person perspectives are different enough I can tell them apart.

Just keep in mind that YA has generally shorter length expectations. Even in fantasy, you'll want to keep it under 100,000 words for the best chances of getting published. Having three POV characters can sometimes require a longer story.

wampuscat · Feb 6, 2015

I agree with the other posters. Write the POV(s) that make sense for your story. Plenty of YA books have multiple POVs. It is difficult only when authors try to write from multiple characters but then don't differentiate the voices or personalities of those characters. I don't think that's a POV issue. I think that's a poor writing issue.

It's also helpful sometimes to write from multiple POVs even if you decide in the end not to use them all.

CAMueller · Feb 6, 2015

Sage said:
There are plenty of successful YA books with multiple POVs.

This.

As long as you provide distinct voices for each POV and the switches move the plot forward, go with it.

WriterBN · Feb 6, 2015

For just one example of how to do multiple POVs well, check out Scott Westerfeld's Midnighters series.

Moonchild · Feb 6, 2015

CAMueller said:
As long as you provide distinct voices for each POV and the switches move the plot forward, go with it.

And this!

Some authors even opt for the additional clarification of titling each chapter after whichever character is speaking at the time.

Shelley Hrdlitschka does that in SISTER WIFE, though the voices of the three main POV characters are pretty distinctive, as it is.

I think Veronica Rossi did that too with UNDER THE NEVER SKY and sequels, though I think she only had two POV characters.
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/138447.Shelley_Hrdlitschka?from_search=true

K.S. Crooks · Feb 6, 2015

There are books that are written in first person and rotate the POV each chapter and others that are written in third person that do a similar type of rotation when the characters are apart. Write the way you like to, with what ever number of POVs you need. If you think of books and movies with a team. They may or may not have a singular main character or singular POV.

bluejester12 · Feb 7, 2015

I got the implication from Writing Young Adult Fiction for Dummies.

The rest of teh book had a lot of useful information, and it implication made sense to me. It was a one-page warning that didn't say it was impossible, but that young readers may tend to avoid multiple POV.

TGrace · Feb 7, 2015

I love books with multiple povs. It could be really fun to play around with the disconnect between what a character thinks in their own head and how they appear to the other characters. As a bunch of others have said here, the trick is to make sure that you don't write all of them with a similar voice. If you choose to use more than one pov, make sure that you tailor your writing style to each character accordingly!

Cass Scotka · Feb 12, 2015

I think as long as you make the three voices distinct from one another and the flow between switches is smooth, you can definitely do this. YA readers won't be turned off by the change, I think it can help keep your attention when it's done well.

Three or not to three

bluejester12

I write and I wrong

Sage

Supreme Guessinator

pixydust

Mother Flippin' Rhymnosorous

rwm4768

practical experience, FTW

wampuscat

Recovering adjective addict

CAMueller

Part-time ninja

WriterBN

Moonchild

I write fluff and that's OK.

K.S. Crooks

bluejester12

I write and I wrong

TGrace

Cass Scotka