I know we need to avoid head hopping, and that ideally pov shifts happen only in new chapters. Scene breaks are also acceptable pov shift points. What if I need to shift pov mid-scene? Is the convention to include three line breaks without # or * symbols, essentially creating white space that alerts the reader to an up-coming change? Or is there a more widely-used method?
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One reference: https://prowritingaid.com/art/398/How-to-Seamlessly-Shift-Between-POV-Characters-.aspx
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If you write your story from the beginning in omniscient POV, you can eliminate the need for hashtag or asterisk scene break indications altogether. 😉
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The novel I'm reading now is omni. The author switches heads mid paragraph. It's a little jarring, but it's also kinda cool getting all the perspectives.
I can't think of an omni short story in WotF though. WotF tends to prefer the closer POVs.
I suggest giving it a shot and run it by a reader. Worst that happens is you practice, and have a draft.
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I know we need to avoid head hopping, and that ideally pov shifts happen only in new chapters. Scene breaks are also acceptable pov shift points. What if I need to shift pov mid-scene? Is the convention to include three line breaks without # or * symbols, essentially creating white space that alerts the reader to an up-coming change? Or is there a more widely-used method?
Thanks! (! indicates my deep emotion, joy, thus is properly used)
One reference: https://prowritingaid.com/art/398/How-to-Seamlessly-Shift-Between-POV-Characters-.aspx
If you're shifting POV characters mid-scene in a close POV perspective as opposed to omniscient, I'd recommend treating it like a standard scene break--but that's just my personal preference.
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