First-Person, Third-Person Limited, Third-Person Omniscient Point of View. These aren't just literary terms. They shape everything about the way a story is told.
Thank you for this explanation and the practical example. I hadn’t thought much about the shift in point view character dampening the experience for the reader. In many cases the switch adds to the impact, drawing out suspense. This is helpful!
So, it seems that you’re saying that in the case of this manuscript, the momentum of the 3rd limited is interrupted by the shift to another character for a chapter? Or does the shift give the reader a breather, a reorientation? (Or are you just giving us the example without judgment?) It makes me wonder if there are times this kind of shift is necessary.
Great question, Loren. I was saying that, in the case of this manuscript, the shift to another perspective (and that perspective in particular) greatly diminishes the impact of a scene that is a turning point for the protagonist.
Thank you for this explanation and the practical example. I hadn’t thought much about the shift in point view character dampening the experience for the reader. In many cases the switch adds to the impact, drawing out suspense. This is helpful!
So, it seems that you’re saying that in the case of this manuscript, the momentum of the 3rd limited is interrupted by the shift to another character for a chapter? Or does the shift give the reader a breather, a reorientation? (Or are you just giving us the example without judgment?) It makes me wonder if there are times this kind of shift is necessary.
Great question, Loren. I was saying that, in the case of this manuscript, the shift to another perspective (and that perspective in particular) greatly diminishes the impact of a scene that is a turning point for the protagonist.
excellent explanation of something about which I previously had not given much thought