Mistake: Changing POV

Books are great, and the tense they are written in can benefit the story in so many ways. You may choose to write in first person or third person. But so many novice readers fall into the trap of changing perspectives too many times.

For example:

John's POV:

I went to nock on her door, should I do it...

Billy's POV:

I was eating downstairs

Melissa's POV:

I could hear breathing outside my door, wtf.

Okay, maybe it isn't quite as bad and as often as that. But you understand what I am trying to say. Raise your hand if you have read a story like this, yep, I imagine your hand is raised right now. And keep your hand raised if that story wasnt good... exactly your hand is still raised. So evidently this switching of perspectives, can not only confuse a reader, but also become tedious.

How to correct this:

Choose which tense you want to write in, and stick to it! If you write in first person, choose a single POV, don't switch between characters. Can you name a single hardcopy book which has a POV switch? I don't think so. First person is harder to write, but the pay off if completed correctly can be amazing. By writing from a single character's POV you have the opportunity to introduce an unreliable narrator: someone who the reader questions if they are telling the truth, or biased. If first person isn't for you, write in third person. All my stories are in third person, its easy. But remember! Don't accidentally start writing I and we. It's very easy to fall into the trap of using first person in a third person story.

Good luck :)

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