I think there are lots of different styles used to create good books. Some are written from a single perspective while others have multiple perspectives from a variety of characters. There is no right or wrong answer in choosing which to use for a book. It is a determination that an author has to make—maybe it’s something from a gut feeling or about how the words read on the page—but it comes down to how the story sounds. What kind of voice the story has one way or the other. The choice really comes down to what sounds best for the individual story. Even from the same author, what works for one book may not work for another. Each book, like snowflakes, are unique and special.
When it comes down to brass tacks, what determines whether I write from a single perspective or from more is how the story sounds in my mouth. This determination happens early on in my creative process. As I am constructing the cast of characters and untangling the plot and sub-plots for a new book, I make a conscious decision. It may be one that I toss around for a while wondering if the book will be better as a single or multiple POV, but I finally make the choice and push forward with the decision.
For instance, in my first book, The Lost Demigod, there are multiple point-of-views including the main character, her sister, the sidekick/romantic interest, a friend, and the villain. It worked well in that regard. It was a lot, but manageable. Each personality was different enough that there was no confusion between them. Along with these different POVs, I threaded several separate sub-plots. There was the main plot and then three parallel, if not sometimes competing, threads which continued through the entire six-book series of Hanna Steele and the Demigod Chronicles.
In my second book, Sleepwalkers, it is a single POV from the perspective of the main character, Beau Ryder. It was written in third-person limited. I felt that the story simply read better from the perspective of the protagonist.
Each story, in my opinion, has to be evaluated on its own merits as to whether you include multiple perspectives. Of all the stories I’ve written, about half include multiple storylines and perspectives. Keep in mind that sub-plots don’t correspond to POVs. They are separate entities. I believe that every story should include sub-plots as they enrich the overall story.
So, how does one go about writing multiple storylines into a story? There’s an easy answer and a hard answer to that question. The easy answer is knowing that sub-plots will enhance the story. The hard part is coming up with the details. It takes a lot of work to get it right. It’s already a lot of work creating the main plot line.
Let me tell you how I go about the task at hand. I first sit down and write out in a linear fashion the main plot. Not in sentences, but on a horizontal timeline. Along the timeline I plot the major and minor plot and pinch points. That’s the easy part. Then I list all the characters and review through my book bible about the profiles for each of my characters.
For more information on what it is and how book bibles are beneficial, see my podcast titled, Book Bible. I examine each of the wants and needs of all the characters and then begin working on twisting events on the primary timeline into something that could become a successful sub-plot. Remember, the protagonist isn’t the only character that has an inner struggle. Other character have needs and wants of their own and sometimes that runs contrary to the pain plot. Every character, like humans, is the hero of their own story in their head. What does that create? Conflict. And conflict creates tension. Conflict and tension drive a story forward. To learn more about this, see my podcast titled, Build Tension with Conflict.
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