Daniel Greene – Organizing Multiple Point-of-View Novels

Ever wonder how we keep all these characters and voices separate in our author heads? Sure one, two, hell even three isn’t so bad, but what about when you start having novels with three- or four-hundred individual characters in them?

As the author of the multiple point-of-view apocalypse thriller series, The End Time Saga, I thought I’d give you a look behind the curtain and share with you how I write, on average, five different point-of-view characters into each novel. This can get particularly tricky when you are dealing with different POV characters that are driving the story and others that are driving the series or both. Disclaimer: my series is no George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire tome filled with thousands of characters, but I do have my fair share of POV characters.

As of right now, The End Time Saga has fourteen different POVs and I’m planning on adding two more before the final book in the series. That is sixteen total viewpoints and a lot of different voices, interests, and arcs to keep straight.

What I’d like to do is give you a breakdown on how I keep all the POVs and characters separate, unique, and organized. I want to show you some tools that may help you if you are creating a multiple point-of-view story. Some of these are things you must create on your own, but hopefully, this piece will generate some ideas on how you can successfully create massive worlds filled with rich characters.

points of view by rhoberto on DeviantArt

Novel/Series Planning Phase

Microsoft Word Novel and Series Outline: Before I begin planning out which POVs I’m going to write in a novel, I make a page outline of what the major events are that move the story and series. This facilitates the formation of the general structure of the novel in which players need roles and keeps me on track for the direction of the series as a whole.

Most of the events on the outline are big events and pertain to one or more of our characters or the story as a whole. Having a short outline helps me plan where our characters fit in the grand scheme of things.

writer’s block, woodgatesvie. com

Excel Spreadsheet Novel Plotlines by Character: Having a structure before you start writing is paramount. Many people like to write off-the-cuff, and you should certainly do whatever works for you, but I’ve found that structure decreases writer’s block and aids in the creation of an overall story that isn’t missing important pieces like plot points.

Once I know the main direction of the novel, themes, etc., I create an Excel spreadsheet, with each of the main movers in the story and their plot points. Identifying the structural parts of the story and how our POVs are going to interact gives me a clear direction to write. Often the story does turn out different than I’ve outlined but having a path to follow gives me a blueprint toward which to write.

point-of-view character, wikimedia commons

For some of the POV characters, their stories and arcs come easy and they basically write themselves. For others, it takes some time building their conflicts and structuring their story. I’ve even written the first three-quarters of a novel then gone back and written an entire POV line into the story. I’ve also decided to cut characters as a POV from that particular novel. Much of this is will work itself out when you start writing.

If a POV character is complementing another or fills in as a contributing POV, I will color their column the same as the major player. This helps me see the flow of the story and assists me in planning out which characters I need and if there is room in the novel for each POV or if a character needs to play “off-page” until the next book.

For example, I did this with Ben Mauser from Book 2 to Book 3. He had plenty of face time in Books 1 and 2 but needed to take a backseat in Book 3 so I could develop more movers and shakers for the rest of the series. I’m happy to say that he made his reappearance in Book 4 with a vengeance, but there just wasn’t room for him in the third novel.

This also gives me the opportunity to see if multiple POVs can feed a particular plot line. There is nothing better than being able to show a pivotal point in the novel through the experiences of different characters. It’s not easy, but it can be extremely rewarding for the reader as they are shown the different stakes, experiences, and outlooks of climactic events. I did this in The Departing by giving two competing characters back-to-back chapters leading to their final battle. The tension that I was able to build between them was heart-stopping, but if it was written only through the eyes of the main POV, then we only get his little sliver of a viewpoint. I love giving a 360-degree view of a battle. That makes the experience much more 3D.

unusual point of view, Raymond Magner, flickr

I also put in the “bad guys” on this sheet. This aids in recognition of their pinch points, but forces me to flesh out their actions and motivations against the protagonists. It’s a great way to add depth to your villains and, in some cases, create empathy for their cause. I try to make sure that antagonists/villains get some POV action in every novel and arguably, they are some of the most fun to write.

Excel Spreadsheet Number of Chapters per POV Character: The spreadsheet is comprised of every POV character and their completed chapters as well as planned chapters in each of the books in the series. Each POV then has a number for how many chapters they’ve received in each novel. This is helpful to understand who are the main POVs. If the POV has been killed, they get a “dead” mark for each book after their passing. This ensures that I don’t forget anyone that might need to be addressed.

Daniel Greene

I also use this sheet to add on characters that I would like to write about, but maybe haven’t gotten to in the series. If it’s a minor character, then maybe they need more face time in another POV character’s chapter to help build the reader’s familiarity with them. Check out A Song of Ice and Fire chapter summary here; scroll down to Narrative Structure. It’s a pretty neat visual to explore.

Writing Phase

Excel Characters Sheet: I have a working Excel spreadsheet of every character mentioned in the series. If this sounds like a headache-nightmare combo, that’s correct. It is. I have over four hundred characters in this Excel spreadsheet. I didn’t create this sheet until I was a few books in because it was getting to be too much to keep straight. I’d used other tools to help with that (see section on Scapple) but this has been instrumental, as I’ve introduced more and more characters.

I have a tab for each main POV character or faction. Within the tab, I have the name and faction, physical/personality description, which novels they appear in, if they died and how. It’s the apocalypse; I have a lot of notes like “bitten by infected, shot in head” or “killed by infected in the Battle of the Passes.” If there are shared allies or characters between multiple main characters, I put them with the most prominent one. I will go back and cut and paste characters if they change sides or join new groups. I try to update this as I write so I have a thorough character reference guide to use. This is especially important when you first start writing a sequel.

Scapple Mind Map: I believe this tool is only available on Mac, but there are many mind mapping tools out there. If you aren’t familiar, mind mapping is a visual non-linear organizational tool/diagram. Check out mind mapping here. In my case, I create nodes (characters or groups) and connect them by association. The more important the character, the thicker node outline. Each main POV gets their own color. This is an excellent way to see your characters in clusters and to draw associations between groups and characters that they’ve interacted with in your world.

Scrivener, jenomarz.com

Scrivener: Scrivener is my primary writing platform. I probably use only about 15% of its intended capabilities but it is an excellent organizational tool.

In the binder section, I give each character a different chapter color. This allows me to see where all the characters are in comparison to the others and to make sure the story is jumping from character to character with good flow. I never have POV characters show up in back-to-back chapters; this method helps me make sure I don’t.

The notecard feature is helpful in seeing at a glance what is supposed to be happening in the chapter. When you have so many different character arcs and plot threads, this can keep your scenes straight.

my point of view by GrotesqueDarling13 on DeviantArt

In the note section, I paste a list of minor characters that are likely to show up with this particular POV. I put short descriptions with them so I can reference it when needed.

I’m not mentioning all the other tools I use in Scrivener, but these are the ones I use as it pertains to POV organization.

Other Helpful Tips: There are a few other things that help me write successful multiple point-of-view novels. A method I learned over time was writing from a single point of view for large pieces of the story. Having a comprehensive outline before you start writing is key, and knowing where characters meet up is important. What this allows me to do is write from a single perspective. I can write about the same characters and it aids me in keeping the voice of the POV consistent.

another point of view, geograph.org.uk

Read authors that are exceptional at the multiple POV style of writing. My favorite author who does this is George R.R. Martin. I read somewhere the other day that he knows, in his mind, the backstory to every single character he writes including those who are mentioned in passing. Incredible. To me, this is genius on a whole new level. Another favorite of mine is Robert Jordan. He wrote The Wheel of Time series. Since he is no longer with us, we can’t pick his brain as to his methods about how he wrote a massive world with hundreds, if not thousands, of characters.

point of view, wikipedia

Be careful when selecting to write a multiple POV series or novel. It isn’t easy. My recommendation is never to write multiple POVs in a single chapter or get wrapped up in what some call “head-hopping.” The last thing you want to do is lose readers because they don’t know who is speaking or what’s going on.

Another thing to think about before you start: does this character have something to add? You should try to avoid adding characters just to add a certain kind of perspective. Even if they are a great character, they must have a stake and move the overall narrative and hopefully, provide the reader with not only necessary but also fresh information.

I hope that you found some useful organizational tools to assist you in writing your epic multiple point-of-view novels. If you have something you do or use, please comment on this post. I’m always looking for new ways to improve my process.