Meg Chittenden Waves
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Switching Point of View

Laura couldn't think why she loathed the thought of Carter Kincaid buying her house and living in it when she was gone. For a minute there, when he'd made his announcement, she had wanted to punch him right on his perfectly shaped nose.

End of chapter.

Beginning of next chapter:

"O.K. Sly, let's talk," Carter said firmly as he drove toward his apartment.

An easy switch from Laura to Carter and also an easy transition to a new chapter.

Changing viewpoint at the end of a scene would be similar, but this often requires an extra space or two to make sure the shift is clear to the reader.

Laura had the horrible feeling it was her fault Priscilla had decided to make herself scarce. She and Carter should have left well enough alone. It seemed to her there was a strong possibility that Priscilla would never show herself again.

(Extra Space)

"How do I go about tracing the former owners of a house?" Carter asked Mildred Whittock on Monday morning.

I have successfully changed viewpoint and scene here. You'll notice this is done abruptly. It works best if you don't shilly-shally by having someone walk out of the room, have a night's sleep, get up the next morning, and then go on with the story.

Now let's break the rules and shift viewpoint from one character to another right in the middle of a scene. We have been in Laura's viewpoint for some time. Then:

She wished she could talk to Carter Kincaid privately. Maybe he'd have some idea of what she could do to get Priscilla to move somewhere else. She had no intention of sharing her home with a ghost, especially such a mischievous ghost.

"Perhaps we could go out to dinner," Carter said as if he'd read her mind.

Laura was startled, which was hardly surprising under the circumstances. Carter gazed meaningfully at her, trying to communicate with a couple of quick sidelong glances at Priscilla that he thought they should discuss this peculiar situation in private. To himself, he also admitted to another motive. He'd liked holding Laura in his arms. He wanted to do it again. His always-creative mind was already painting a seduction scenario--a long romantic dinner, candlelight, soft music, wine. At some point in the evening, he would take her into his arms again...

"How about lunch," Laura suggested.

The sentence--Laura was startled, which was hardly surprising under the circumstances--begins the shift of view pointaway from Laura. The sentence--Carter gazed meaningfully at her, trying to communicate...--completes the shift into Carter's viewpoint.

The reason I changed viewpoint in the middle of that scene was to show how Carter had reacted to the previous scene, which was in Laura's viewpoint and involved Carter's taking Laura in his arms. In this way, I could add to the sexual tension. The reader knows now that Carter wants Laura. The last sentence sets up some conflict. Laura is not going along with Carter's romantic ideas.

It is all right to change viewpoint almost anywhere, if there is a good reason for doing it, if the transition is made completely clear to the reader, and if the writer knows exactly why she or he is making the change. Otherwise it's best not toshift viewpoint until the next scene or chapter.