Shifty-Shifty ~ How to Shift From 1st to 3rd Person by Varina Denman

How to Shift (Smoothly) From 1st to 3rd Person, and Back Again

Varina Denman

When I drafted my first novel, I didn’t know it was against the rules to switch back and forth from 1st to 3rd person. My main character’s POV was in 1st which felt natural, but after a while, I wanted to let the reader see inside the hero’s head, so I plopped down a chapter in 3rd and continued drafting a crazy mixed-up jumble.

THEN, I discovered craft books. Oh me, oh my, I had broken the rules, but no … maybe not. It depended on which books and blogs I read. So I toyed with the manuscript, tweaking and re-writing, and after a while … those POV shifts almost worked. Over the course of three books, I learned a lot about POV shifts, and now I’d give anything to be able to go back and edit that first manuscript just a teensy bit more.

As a reader, many times I find myself in the middle of a chapter, only to realize I’m in the wrong character’s head. One time, I went back and skimmed several pages, re-living every word through the correct person’s perspective. So very annoying, but it taught me something. In my own writing, I need to make POV shifts easy for the reader, and now I follow a simple rule of thumb.

When switching from 1rd to 3rd (or vice versa), special care should be taken with the VERY FIRST sentence of the scene.

Even the first WORD, if possible. I need to cement the new POV in the reader’s mind, and the closer to the beginning of the scene the better. Here’s an example of the first line of a chapter written in 3rd person in Clyde’s perspective. The preceding chapter was in 1st in Lynda’s perspective.

Clyde wondered if he would always attend worship alone. As he slipped through the double doors of the Trapp church building and stood in the tiny foyer he could hear Dodd Cunningham teaching a Bible lesson behind a hollow door.

This works because I’ve immediately grounded Clyde with an internal thought to put the reader right in the character’s head. In the first two words of the chapter, the reader has no doubt in whose perspective the chapter is written (because Lynda can’t know what Clyde is wondering.)

This technique grows weaker when it is placed deeper into the scene. If I had switched the two sentences in the example, putting the action first, it would have muddied things up, because Lynda is capable of describing Clyde’s actions from her 1st person perspective.

If smooth enough, the untrained reader won’t even notice the switch from 1st to 3rd, and that’s my goal.

The goal is not to make a smooth transition, but an invisible one.

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In order to check the invisibility of the shift, it’s good practice to read aloud the last paragraph of the preceding chapter followed by the first paragraph of the new one. I put myself in the reader’s chair, and determine if the transition is smooth enough to avoid confusion.

This all seems simple enough, right? But … oh, dear … there’s bad news:

It’s more difficult shifting from 3rd to 1st

Personally, when I read a book, third person is easier for me to digest. I feel as though the story is laid out in pieces, and I merely come along and pick them up. 1st person takes a little more work, because I’m becoming the character. Even more difficult, is reading from 3rd straight into 1st, because I have to adjust my thinking.

Once again, the trick is to put the reader into the head of the POV character as soon as possible. The problem lies in the fact that if I jump into 1st person narrative immediately after a 3rd person chapter, the reader has no idea who that 1st person character is. Not only is it jarring and confusing, but the reader is likely to throw down the book in frustration. So …

When switching from 3rd to 1st, I must label the POV character before giving the internal thought.

I have two options. In the first, I use another character to identify the POV character through a line of direct address. This points-out who the “I” is going to be, so the reader is prepared for the 1st person internal thought.

“Lynda, that man wants you.”

I pressed my lips together and scowled at Dixie, ending the conversation before it started.

The dialogue tells the reader that Lynda is in the room, and the very next sentence puts the reader in Lynda’s head, showing that this chapter is in 1st person, Lynda’s perspective. The internal thought isn’t in the first words of the chapter, so clearly, the shorter the dialogue the better. I also leave off dialogue tags here, making the distance from the word Lynda to the internal thought as short as possible.

Another way to label the POV character is to tag an inanimate object.

Lynda’s Makeup and Stuff.

The stenciling on my cosmetic case had faded, but I could still make out Velma’s handwriting.

This is the same principle as using a line of dialogue, only it gives you the freedom to have the character in a scene alone. Another option is to show a text message, or voicemail, or—with a subtle twist on the dialogue idea—have the character remember a line of dialogue from a previous scene.

In spite of going to great lengths to soften the transition for readers, POV shifts can still be jarring, but it seems that readers have learned to adjust as we writers stretch the limits and change the rules. And that’s good for us, because it’s fun to be able to give readers a different literary experience.

What tricks do you use to make POV shifts smooth or possibly … invisible?

Varina Denman writes stories about the unique struggles women face. A native Texan who spent her high school years in a small Texas town, Varina now lives near Fort Worth with her husband and five mostly grown children. Her passion is helping others make peace with their life situations. Varina’s Mended Hearts series is a compelling blend of women’s fiction and inspirational romance. Connect with Varina through her website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

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Is It Time? Ready to Delegate? ~ Beth Wiseman

When to Delegate? Letting Go to Improve the Craft of Writing

by Beth Wiseman

No matter what profession you are in, there usually comes a time in your career when you must choose to delegate some of your responsibilities.  When that time comes, you must select a qualified person, create a list of duties, and refrain from the overwhelming urge to micromanage.  

As authors, the need to be hands-on and informed often keeps us from delegating to others, and as such…ultimately prevents us from doing what we do best—writing.  When I first began my career, I wore many hats; author, publicist (even though I had a great one through my publisher), marketer, attorney, contract negotiator, social media guru, and Internet designer.  I also strived to answer every email and snail mail that came my way.  But if you are in the game for any length of time, you will overwhelm yourself if you don’t shed some of the business aspects of being a published author or an aspiring writer seriously pursuing publication.  There will be no books without the writing part of the process. 

So, I challenge you to answer a few questions in an effort to decide whether or not it’s time to hire help.

1. How much time do you spend on the Internet?  Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, emails, blogs, and/or other online outlets?  

2. Are friendships suffering because you simply don’t have time to meet deadlines and nurture those relationships?

3. Financially, are you in a position to hire help?  If you haven’t reached that point in your career, is there a family member, devoted fan, or close friend who can help you with some of the day to functions that are important, but that weigh you down and/or prevent word count?

I’ve been blessed with a fabulous assistant, but everything didn’t come together perfectly.  Through trial and error, we figured out what works best for both of us.  Four years later, we both feel like we’ve almost perfected the professional relationship, and I’m grateful for the wonderful friendship that we share also.  A funny tidbit—when I interviewed Janet for the position, she told me, “I will make myself irreplaceable.”  I didn’t know her, but I seriously doubted that was true.  Well, uh…I’d be lost without her!  A good and trustworthy assistant can make life as an author so much easier.  Start with a temporary arrangement to see how it works out before making things permanent. 

Here are some of the things Janet (my fabulous assistant) does to help keep me focused and sane:

• She reminds me about important dates—i.e. book signings, radio interviews, marketing items that are due, etc.;
  
  

• When Janet notices that readers have asked questions on Facebook, and I’m on a deadline, she answers the questions, advises readers, and basically fills in while I’m writing.  I’m still on Facebook often, but if she knows that I’m under the gun, she does her best to let everyone know that I’m still around;   
  
  

• We live in a small town, and I like to donate books to our local libraries.  And since we don’t have bookstores nearby, several local businesses sell my books too.  Janet takes care of these distributions, and collects money for sold books.  And deposits it for me!
   

• A while back, I toyed with the idea of opening a bookstore.  Janet is often my voice of reason, and she quickly convinced me why this wasn’t a good idea—for me.  That’s not to say that it wouldn’t be a good idea for someone else, but Janet knows my schedule, family obligations, and other things that wouldn’t have it made it a good fit for me;
  
  

• An author’s ego is often fragile.  I still cry over bad reviews sometimes, or something negative a reader said.  Janet reminds me of the good that has come from my books, the inspirational notes and emails, and that I can’t always please everyone.  Generally, she mothers me when I need it, and I’m grateful for that;  
  
  

• Janet has contact information for all of our local newspapers.  She usually writes any press releases, I look over them, then she fires them off to her contacts;
  
  

• Book signings—there are good ones and bad ones.  One person shows up or a hundred folks form a line.  ☺  Janet takes the bookstore manager under her wing, informs them about publicizing the event, providing literature and/or signs we have about the book.  She encourages them to move in a direction that is beneficial to all involved.  Some managers have hosted many book signings, and others are just learning.  But all of them have welcomed Janet’s help toward a successful signing;
  
  

• Janet and I are both limited when it comes to web site issues, and we both recognized this as an opportunity to add to our team.  Janet oversaw the hiring process when we hired someone to manage my website.  It was a great investment, and “Jamie” works diligently to keep my online presence hitting search engines and in the forefront while Janet is able to work on things she is better suited for;
  
  

• As authors, we get a lot of requests for donations.  Most of those requests are legitimate and I’m happy to donate books whenever I can.  Unfortunately, there are people just wanting books to sell on their own, using lies as a way to stockpile.  Janet weans out these types and makes sure we donate to good causes.
  
  

• Often times, a book requires research.  A good assistant can be working on that aspect of the process while you create characters and scenes;
  
  

• Janet sends me writing-related articles that she thinks might be of interest to me, along with news about the industry or other noteworthy mentions.
  
  

• When a book is inclusive of a specific plot that certain people will relate to, Janet searches out those folks.  For example, my latest release—The Promise—deals with cultures in the Middle East, various religions, and the ways that people respond to the differences.  Janet is helping to get my book in front of readers that might not be familiar with my stories and who have an interest in the topic.  And she makes sure to comfort my current readers by assuring them that my voice is still in all of my stories, even if I’ve veered into a different genre.  
  
  

There’s so much more Janet does for me, but hopefully this will give you some ideas as you consider whether or not it might be time to hire an assistant.

When I said Janet and I had “almost” perfected our professional relationship, it’s still not perfect—only because I still can’t let go of some things, lol.  For example, I have a personal email account and a business email account.  One forwards to the other, and I’ve said for two years that the business emails need to go to Janet—since she would be able to handle a lot of those details.  But I haven’t been able to let go of those emails just yet.

So click your heels together and repeat after me…delegate, delegate, delegate.  ☺ 

Beth Wiseman is the best-selling author of the Daughters of the Promise series and the Land of Canaan series.  Wiseman has a deep affection for the Amish and their simpler way of life, and while she plans to continue writing Amish love stories, she is also branching out into other areas. In her daring new novel, Wiseman jumps way outside the box. The Promise will take readers far away from Amish country and the small Texas towns of her previous releases to a dangerous place on the other side of the world.  Inspired by actual events, Wiseman believes this is the book she’s been working toward for a long time.  

Wiseman can be found at Fans of Beth Wiseman on Facebook where she interacts with readers. Learn more about the author and her books at bethwiseman.com and on Twitter (@bethwiseman).

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