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Fiction Writing Made Easy

#196. The Pros and Cons of Writing A Novel With Multiple Points of View

Fiction Writing Made Easy

Savannah Gilbo

Education, Fiction, Writing Tips, Arts, Bestseller, Writing, How To, Author, Writing Community, Books, Novel, How To Write Fiction, Writing Fiction, Writer, How To Write A Book

4.91.5K Ratings

🗓️ 3 June 2025

⏱️ 21 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Discover the pros and cons of writing a novel from multiple POVs—including how to avoid the #1 mistake that kills multi-POV novels. Are multiple point-of-view characters right for your story? Will they create the kind of depth that keeps readers hooked, or will they just leave you with a tangled mess of voices that never quite click together? Writing a multi-POV novel is one of the most challenging approaches to storytelling. When done well, it creates a rich, immersive experience that ...

Transcript

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0:00.0

Have you been dreaming of writing a novel but you don't know where to start? Or maybe you've

0:03.8

tried writing but you keep getting stuck halfway through a draft? If so, I have a free training

0:08.7

you're going to love. It's called three things you need to write your novel in 2025 and in this

0:14.0

free 60-minute training I'll share the exact same process my clients and students have used to go from

0:19.6

idea to completed manuscript in just

0:22.1

months, not years. You'll also learn why most writers never finish their drafts and spoiler

0:27.6

alert, it's not a lack of talent or good ideas, as well as how to overcome feelings of perfectionism,

0:33.6

self-doubt, and overwhelm that stops many new writers in their tracks. You can register for this

0:38.7

free training at savannah gilbo.com forward slash masterclass. So one more time, that's savannah

0:44.4

gilbo.com forward slash masterclass to register for the free training. I hope to see you there.

0:50.5

Writing from multiple points of view requires strict discipline to avoid head hopping, aka jumping

0:56.6

between different characters' thoughts within a single scene. When you do this, it creates a jarring

1:01.7

experience for readers and it weakens the intimacy that they feel with your characters. So it's

1:07.2

really important to maintain clear boundaries between each one of your perspectives. And not only is that technically difficult sometimes, it's really important to maintain clear boundaries between each one of your perspectives.

1:12.0

And not only is that technically difficult sometimes, it's especially difficult when you have an

1:17.0

emotionally charged scene where you might be tempted to show everyone's reaction.

1:21.3

And this is why learning when and how to switch perspectives appropriately is a skill that

1:26.4

takes practice to master.

1:30.4

Welcome to the Fiction Writing Made Easy podcast.

1:33.6

My name is Savannah Gilbo, and I'm here to help you write a story that works.

1:37.6

I want to prove to you that writing a novel doesn't have to be overwhelming.

1:41.3

So each week, I'll bring you a brand new episode with simple, actionable,

...

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