Adding another POV?

@joy-calle I’ll share a couple examples 💖 You don’t have to feel like you have to read these, lol, XD, but I decided to share a couple snippets from another WIP of mine, Against All Odds, that alternates between 5 Brother’s POVs, showing how I’ve tried to make all of their POVs distinct 😂

I hope there’s a difference between their POVs, at least… XD

LEO

There would be a Schutzstaffel parade and Hitler Youth parade too, and he hoped to avoid both.

But he wasn’t going anywhere.

Not yet at least.

Not until he found his brothers.

He’d lost them in the crowd.

It was the whole reason he hated crowds in the first place…how easy it was to lose people in them.

Leo forced the memory from ten years ago back, but this wasn’t the first time he’d lost his brothers in a crowd.

Just another way he’d failed.

Leo glanced around, still looking, but he didn’t see them anywhere.

He ran his fingers through his dark brown, wavy hair, slightly pulling it, and groaned.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!

It was just like it was ten years ago. Only a little bit less scary, now that his brothers were older.

Wolfgang had been eight then.

 

JOSHUA

Joshua cut the canvas that would likely later be put on a German truck or used as a parachute, as men around him did the same.

‘So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.’

Found in the book of Colossians.

Though working at the factory wasn’t his choice, he could make the most of it.

‘For God works all things together for good; for those who are called according to his purpose.’

That was from the book of Romans.

He’d read it again just this morning. It was one of his favorite verses.

JAKOB

“Nothing. I’m fine.”

Jakob nodded, knowing that was a lie, as his grip on the shovel’s handle tightened.

Frida’s “lesson” from last week had been more than just a lesson.

Leo’s bruises testified to that fact.

All of her lessons were that way.

Jakob’s knuckles turned white.

She would pay.

One day.

One day she would pay.

They all would.

Eighteen years.

And they would pay for every single day. Every single bruise and scar.

REUBEN

Cleaning the street…what was the point of it?

But if Reuben had learned anything in the twenty years of his existence, it was that it was better to stay silent.

Don’t ask questions.

Don’t attract attention to yourself.

Give them no excuse to hurt you.

Reuben shoved away the memories that threatened to rise, instead focusing his attention on his younger brother, who scrubbed the street beside him, humming a quiet song under his breath.

Reuben couldn’t stop the smile that spread up his face.

Wolfgang was so caring…carefree…hopeful.

And Reuben hoped he stayed that way forever.

WOLFGANG (precious baby boi 🥺)

Wolfgang turned to Reuben with a grin. “I see why you like painting so much!”

Reuben nodded and laughed. “Yeah…now you see how fun it is.”

Wolfgang nodded. He loved the bright green paint.

It was happy and colorful.

Reuben was using a dark green, almost black, but Wolfgang liked the brighter green more.

Jakob leaned back against one of the bunk beds, a sigh escaping his lips.

Wolfgang looked over at him, eyebrow raised. “Jakob, what’s wrong?”

Jakob shook his head. “Ah, it’s nothing, Wolfgang. I’m just thinking.”

Wolfgang went back to his painting.

He could tell Jakob was lying, but if he didn’t want to talk about it, Wolfgang was okay with that.

He wasn’t going to push.

Leo sat on one of the beds, as Joshua, sitting beside him, wiped away blood and applied salve to the injuries on his forehead, cheek, and hands.

Apparently, a guard hadn’t liked Leo and Jakob’s work at the construction site.

Jakob had treated his on his own, as he hadn’t had as many, but Joshua was helping Leo out.

Wolfgang bit the inside of his cheek.

Why were they always being hit?

Sorry that was so long!!! 😅

@joy-calle

Hey!! Welcome back!!! 😊

Congratulations on graduating!!! 🥳

And yes, I think you should totally go for writing two POVs! I can understand how you would be nervous writing from Russell’s POV because of the reasons you listed, just be sure to pray about it and always leave glimmers of hope despite his darkness along the way. 🙂

To answer your question, I always write in dual POVs. (Idk why, it just ended up that way. XD) I think the only time I’ll stray from that is when I write the sequel to my trilogy. (Which will have like 3-5 POVs. 😬) Anyway, I’ll tell you a few things that I’ve learned.

1. Give each character a distinct voice.

This is kinda piggybacking off of what Freedom said. Make sure that when readers read the different POVs, they’ll be able to see the difference. And this is not always easy. 😅 That’s why knowing your characters really well and fleshing them out is key to writing in multiple POVs. Just like us, characters interpret situations differently and have different thought processes than other people and it’s super important to keep that in mind. (When writing dual POVs and just in general. 😉 ) Like Freedom said, you might have an easier time of doing this because Eliza is a lot younger than Russell.

2. Use vocabulary appropriate for each character.

This one kind of ties into my first point. Just as characters react differently, they’ll describe settings and situations differently. I don’t think you’re writing in first person, so here’s what I mean. If Russell walks into a mansion, he’s going to describe it differently than Eliza, even though they’re looking at the same exact things. Russell may use a more extensive vocabulary or find one part of the mansion more interesting than Eliza would.

I can’t really think of anything else to add right now, so good luck!! I hope some of what I said was helpful. XD Keep on writing! ❤️

@freedomwriter76 cool, cool!

@joy-calle

HELLO! Congrats on graduating!🎉🎉🎉

I’m a little late to replying, plus I don’t think I have much else to add cuz what everyone said was everything I was thinking!

But yes, I think adding another POV for Russell would add SO much more to the story and give readers a different perspective into both Russell’s and Eliza’s lives!