Was wondering if anyone has a personal opinion on dual POV stories? I usually write in one person's perspective but have heard that writing 2 people can be a good thing, of course, depending on the writing 😆
Have you ever read dual POV? If you haven't, what's your immediate reaction? Do you think you'd maybe feel too left out on 1 character's POV depending on what happens during the chapter?
I get the request to write dual POV a lot when writing romance. It's tricky, because the preference on my clients' end also seems to be for all explicit scenes to be written from the woman's perspective (at least in heterosexual romances). I think the idea is that the average romance reader likes to embody the heroine, but also read about how sexy said heroine is from the hero's perspective?
IDK! I've spent many a dark night theorizing on why romance writing is the way it is, and why people ask for the things they do!
I really like third-person omniscient that explores a lot of different perspectives. Probably because, as a writer, it allows me to poke fun at whichever character I happen to be writing if I want to (I usually do); and as a reader, it allows me to focus on and enjoy characterizations without projecting too much of myself onto the characters.
That being said, the next book I'm sort of in the process of outlining is dual POV. The two characters basically exist in separate realities and see a false representation of each other every time they meet, so it feels necessary to follow both. It's going to be challenging and I'm really excited about it!
I haven't written a lot of dual POV outside of multiple characters in a roleplay setting, but as a reader, it doesn't tend to bother me. I do find myself getting attached to one character over the other(s), so I'll look forward to those sections and read the others a little faster.
For some reason, as a reader, I have more trouble getting into things written in first person, especially first person present tense. I definitely prefer both to read and write in third person (past), whether it's omniscient or limited. I like the distance, and the ability to "comment" on my characters in a way that seems trite in first person. (All that said, I just finished reading a series with alternating POVs written in first person present that I really enjoyed. LOL)
I do like the idea of providing multiple perspectives, though. It's kind of what a roleplay is fundamentally, you know? 🤣
Super interesting, LOL. I haven't gotten too deep into this. I am overly attached to first person at this point for any personal writing. For roleplaying, I've always done third. At this point, I have so much going on in my life I'm just writing for fun because ~I neeeeeeeed ittttttt~
i think it really has to fit the story being told! POV is such an important part of setting the atmosphere and mood.
having said that i don't think it's ever turned me off a story, but it definitely has enhanced it. i think my favourite example is richard by ben myers... it's a weird book overall (it's a fictionalised story based off a real person who is missing, presumed dead... so kind of controversial to begin with) but it had first person chapters set in the past, which chronicled events that actually happened, then second-person chapters set in the present, which were all fictional/conjecture. super good, super effective.
