Recs needed (multiple POVs); also: writing sessions this weekend!

[littlebutfierce]

I pretty much always write fic using standard third-person limited POV. The fic I'm working on now seems to want to be third-person limited but w/multiple narrators. I feel very nervous about doing this for some reason!

Does anyone have any recs for fics that do this well? Bonus if they aren't super longfic--mine almost certainly won't be & for some reason switching between narrators in a shorter fic feels like it might be easier to do badly than if you've got actual chapters & such. Thanks to anyone who's able to indulge my worries w/some suggestions.

A couple of general articles on POV in case anyone is interested:

• Point Of View (Fanfic 101)
  
• Point Of View (TV Tropes, 'ware...)
  
• Switching POV (also TV Tropes) has some fic examples listed but they all seem to be either bad (according to the person who wrote the page) or long, so not necessarily useful for reassuring me!
  

And just a reminder that there are some writing sessions planned for this weekend. So far we've got:

• Saturday 16:00 GMT (what time is that for you?)
  
• And either or possibly both: Sunday 00:30 GMT (what time is that for you?) & Sunday 16:00 GMT (what time is that for you?)
  

If you'd like to commit to writing for a couple of hours this weekend, please consider coming along if you can! There's more info on how sessions work & technical details here.

Anyone is welcome to start a session whenever, of course! If you do commit to running a session please do post a reminder shortly beforehand too.

Comments

[linaewen]

Thanks for the links to POV articles -- it's something I should look into, because I do tend to switch around. It might be good for me to see if that's allowed and if not, what to do about it. ;-)

As for the writing sessions, I probably won't join the group/chat, but I will plan on having a personal writing session at the same time as it's going on!

[dbskyler]

One of my favorite fics switches the POV back-and-forth between two characters. It's not long -- only 1353 words -- and it's a humor piece, so I think it's pretty accessible even if you don't know the fandom (which is Doctor Who): A Row (or Two) by vvj5

[elf]

I have a short fic, 3PL, that switches between narrators. (It got good reviews where it was initially posted. When people stopped laughing or shrieking in horror, anyway.) I use asterisks and names; I've seen other fics where that's not done. I used names 'cos it's a very VERY nonstandard paring. Hand in (G)Love, Arby's Oven Mitt/Hamburger Helper Hand slash. (Not as cracky as it sounds.) (But then, it almost couldn't be.)

I've seen plenty of fics that swap POVs between chapters, and that can work rather well; I've seen some that swap every other paragraph, and that's usually awful. Generally, you just need (1) some kind of story hook that says "someone else will do the thinking now" (e.g. Character A notices that Char B just walked in the door, looking angry, and then Char B takes up the narrative) and (2) a page device to keep the reading from being disrupted--extra return (bad for HTML), asterisks, or just a paragraph start that makes it very obvious that someone else is doing the thinking now.

[littlebutfierce]

Hee, hope the articles are useful!

Good luck w/the writing session either way. :) Though just to clarify, though it is technically a chat, what generally happens is that people just sign into the chat at the start to say hi & that they'll write & then after an hour, people check in (to brag or commiserate ;) & then if possible commit to writing another hour, etc. It's not a chat, per se. Or I guess as long as we all agree to work, it's not. ;)

One thing that did work really well for me during the first WIP challenge (this was when we were still doing buddy groups) is that dbskyler suggested I block out some time to write, which I would tell her in advance, & then at the start, midpoint, & end I would send her DW messages to confirm I'd been writing. (This was in part b/c our time zone difference made it too hard to do a writing session simultaneously). Knowing I'd have to lie if I didn't do anything (or confess, also painful) was a powerful motivator, hahaha. So feel free to pop in to the last check-in post to make yourself accountable if you think that would help!

[littlebutfierce]

Oooh, thanks for that. A good example indeed, & yes, funny! I have some familiarity w/Doctor Who in general, but I agree, I think it would be accessible even w/o that.

[littlebutfierce]

HAHAHA that was cracky indeed. Thanks for the link! I think using the names there was a good tactic.

I've seen some that swap every other paragraph, and that's usually awful.

Yeah--that's totally what I fear w/my fic, b/c I don't generally do chapter fics, so it would be shorter. Mine doesn't swap quite that often, but I have that slippery-slope fear!

I am fond of asterisks, hee.

Thanks for the suggestions!