My Writing Guide

Multiple Points of View

Using multiple points of view can be an insightful way to reveal the feelings of all your main characters. Because you're not limited to one perspective, the possibilities become wide open. You can write more subplots, more scenes, and ultimately have a fuller, rounder story. There are definitely advantages to using more than one point of view. It's not a simple concept, though. Things get tricky when you start considering the logistics.

Are you using multiple third person points of view or first person? If it's third person, are you using limited POVs in separate scenes, or omniscient POVs in all your scenes? Are you writing separate POVs for characters that are consistently interacting or characters that have no connection to each other? There are many, many, many ways to use multiple POVs. There are also many ways to tell a story with multiple main characters without using each character's point of view. So before you become too attached to the idea, make these considerations.

You Might Not Need Multiple Points of View (MPOVs)

If you have a cast of characters, which most stories do, you might jump on the idea of telling each character's point of view. But you might not really need it.

Do you have a primary main character? Points of view often define the protagonist. If you have one character that has a slight edge over the others, consider using that character's point of view only. Ron and Hermione were still main characters and key players in the plot of Harry Potter, and we never saw their point of view. Taking the POV away from a character doesn't take away their importance.

Do your characters' stories closely align? If your characters are always together anyway, the use of MPOVs begins to lose its appeal. It is nice to see how a different character views a situation, but one of the great reasons to use MPOVs is to see scenes that other characters do not see. If you have a character that is constantly going off and getting into trouble by themselves, that would be a good time to use a separate POV.

Does each character's story contribute to the main plot? Your plot should have some focus. Going back to Harry Potter, it would not have added anything significant to see Ron or Hermione's home life. Because both characters were developed so well, and because they were both honest and open with Harry, we were given their diverse perspectives on various occasions. We got to see Ron's POV (as a child raised in a magical household) vs. Hermione's POV (as a child raised in a Muggle household) without Rowling actually writing the story from their perspectives. If a character's story doesn't relate directly to the plot, don't use their POV. Their perspective can still have meaning without showing that literal POV.

Consider these questions. Decide if MPOVs are even necessary before you do it. MPOVs are not implied just because you have a large cast of characters. Make sure you understand POV before you start using it with more than one character. 

Source: plotlinehotline