Writing in multiple viewpoints is a great way to explore a story from more than one angle, but it creates problems if readers can’t tell who’s talking. You don’t want them feeling lost or disconnected from the story.
Whether you’re writing a dual point-of-view romance, a family saga, or a thriller with alternating perspectives, here are six tips for being clear about who’s speaking.
Who Should Narrate?
Before we tackle how to differentiate narrators, there’s a key question you need to ask: who should narrate each scene? It’s an important decision because each narrator will tell the story differently. As an example, just think about the first Harry Potter story being written from Hermione’s viewpoint, or Ron’s. Or Snape’s. Each viewpoint would change the story dramatically.
So when you’re deciding who should be in charge of a given scene, ask yourself:
- Which character has the most at stake?
- Who will be most emotionally impacted by the scene’s events?
- Which character can provide new or unexpected insight into what’s happening?
If you’ve planned your story beats or outlined major turning points in advance, look closely at the key emotional shifts in those moments. The character who’s experiencing a big change, is being challenged, is experiencing the most emotional turmoil, or has a choice to make will often make the most compelling narrator.
One at a Time!
Once you’ve chosen a narrator for a scene, stick with that character’s point of view until the scene or chapter ends. Head-hopping—jumping between characters’ thoughts in quick succession—can confuse readers and pull them out of the story. To maintain clear transitions, wait for a scene or chapter break to change narrators. This keeps the focus on one character’s experience throughout the scene so readers can stick close to them.
Give Each Narrator a Distinct Voice
When the narrator changes, readers should be able to tell.
A character’s voice is a reflection of who they are, so each one should sound different. A teenaged girl with a rebellious streak won’t think, process events, speak, or notice things like a retired detective who’s seen too much. Factors like age, personality, regional influences, education level, and emotional range will influence each character’s word choices, speech patterns, and tone. Once you know these things about your character, you can write their scenes in their voice, and readers will begin to recognize it.
This is especially important when you’re writing in first person because there are no proper nouns to remind the reader who’s talking. If narrators sound too similar, readers will have to puzzle out who’s speaking. Whatever point of view you choose, make sure each character is narrating in their own particular style. You can find more tips on nailing a character’s voice here.
Alternate Between Viewpoints or Tenses
For a dual narrative, consider using a different tense or viewpoint for each narrator. So, one speaks in past tense, and the other talks in present. Or one speaks from the first-person point of view and the other is in third person. Each viewpoint and tense has a slightly different flow and sound, so readers will pick up on the pattern, and it will be easier for them to identify who’s talking.
The trick here is consistency. It’s easy to forget which tense or viewpoint belongs to each character, so pay close attention to be sure mistakes aren’t made that will impact the reader’s engagement in the story.
Use the Chapter Title
A simple hack that works well is to indicate who’s speaking in the chapter title. When a new chapter starts, it says Jennifer. Chapter Two is Matteo, and so on. Authors often use this technique when they’re writing parallel stories in different time periods; the principle is the same, and it’s an easy way to provide clarity when you’re writing from multiple viewpoints.
Study the Masters
One of the best ways to write a story in multiple viewpoints is to study authors who do it well. Find stories with distinctly different narrators that you—the reader—could easily tell apart so you always knew who was talking. Analyze them to see what tips or tricks the author used. Find character voice exercises online and practice developing each narrator’s unique style and perspective. With a little study and a lot of practice, their individual voices will become natural and easy to write.
Multiple-viewpoint stories are a bit more complicated than those told by a single character. But when they’re written well, the payoff is often a richer story with more depth that explores themes, events, and relationships from varying perspectives. With some background work into who your characters are, thoughtful decision making around who gets the spotlight, and consistency, it will be clear who’s narrating. And readers will stay grounded in the story, no matter whose head they’re in.
Summary for Busy Writers: Writing in multiple viewpoints gives readers a richer story experience, but only if they can clearly follow who’s narrating. To minimize confusion, choose the right character for each scene, stick with one perspective at a time, play with alternating tenses or viewpoints, and make sure every narrator has a distinct voice. Above all, study books that handle multiple narrators well. With thoughtful choices and consistency, you’ll keep readers grounded and sticking close to each viewpoint character.
