Writing Reflections-Point of View Chapters
Oh my god they found me.
Hey. So with this last chapter people are enjoying/also surprised at the Punch-Up point of view and I figured Iâd do a post just talking about the value I see in point of view changes for Paper People and in my other writings.
I think, especially when it comes to first person, I need to first start with the Percy Jackson series.
For those not in the know, the Percy Jackson series was written in first person and was meant to offer the perspective of a âregular teenagerâ view into this fantastical world of Greek gods and myth.
Itâs a good fun time. Though I think the first books exemplifies the weakness of a story to tightly held to one persons point of view.
To do proper foreshadowing, the main character needs to hold an idiot ball. Percy had prophetic dreams, dreams about his enemies, odd conversations and little details all seen and noted, but then is either blindsided or passive in those plot elements playing out.
Additionally, thereâs a lot of action scenes whet other characters are described as bad asses, doing incredible feats of strength, combat, and magic. While Percyâs self described actions boil down into simple âI somehow get the other hand and throw him across theâŚâ
This is a weakness that the author, Riordan, addresses and fixed in future series, with my personal favorite of his being his Egyptian Gods series, switching PoV between a brother and sister, allowing an external âoh my god, what the fuck, heâs jumping off the top with a steel chair!!!1!â And an internal âoh my god, what the fuck, Iâm so high up, and this chair is super heavy, this is stupid stupid stupidâŚâ but itâs a consideration for having stories that are 100% one characters PoV.
Even series like the Dresden files struggles with this in later books, where itâs obvious that the author wants the readers to be aware of a scene but they canât let the main character know.
So diversifying point of view = pretty good. Gives more freedom.
Now we get to Dispatch/Paper People and Robert Robertson himself. The set up and premise is so solid. New Dispatcher starts and gets to learn all the SDN weirdness and meet all the
Wonderful
Heroes on the Z-team.
But knowing people is a two way street and Robert is a fascinating character. Powerless, Scrappy, Fat happy dog but the most depressingly sparse apartment with only a plastic chair for furniture.
So we, the readers are hungry. We want to know more about this man whose kicked of brutal shipping wars across the internet and we want to know how others are preserving him. Between the time jump and the changing of bonds, we have a whole god damn ensemble cast of characters who go from âwho TF are you?â To âwe are a team, we have each others back, and Mecha Manâs like⌠a real super hero!â
(Irl me writing chapters)
Paper People does a lot. Itâs worldbuilding, novelization, cannon reinterpretation and itâs all told through Roberts POV. And itâs fun. I wouldnât be writing over 100k words if it wasnât fun.
But with that choice thereâs two or three things missing.
One, thereâs the issue of scenes and knowledge that Robert shouldnât know/shouldnât be present for. Heâs a smart cookie and if I have him see all the puzzle pieces then heâd make connections long before Iâm ready for him.
Things like Courtneyâs encounter with Toxic, the overview of Blazerâs insecurities and a couple background/foreshadowing things that are in the background of the current interlude chapters.
And Two, it gives more context to other characters actions and behavior. Blonde Blazers interlude was almost entirely this. Showing her train of thought, explaining more on her position in SDN and how she got there. Reaffirming that, while she struggles as a manager and make choices that cause harm, he has the best intentions.
And three, it lets us look backwards. From the outside in on our POV character Robert. One of my favorite parts of this most recent chapter is how Punch Up gets defensive, thinking that Roberts intentionally skipping him over for an assignment because of how people view his height, only for Robert to correct without a thought.
And itâd truly be without a thought. If this was Roberts POV it wouldnât have been brought up. Thereâs all those little interactions that you may not thing much up, but for your friends, your family, it defines your relationship and how your perceived.
Last thing Iâll say on PoV shifting is that, depending on whatâs happening in a plot, the main characters point of view is not always going to be the most interesting. Itâll be the villains, the random person on the street, or a supporting characters. Itâs why 3rd person is so prominent and why tv shows and movies regularly have scenes of the other characters, random civilians who get eaten by the horror monster in the graveyard (almost any horror or csi crime show) , and when the camera chooses to follow other characters, it gives radically different vibes and insights into the same familiar world. (Lower Decks from Star Trek and some episodes of community)
