How important is maintaining correct point of view in our writing? For those who don’t know, point of view is when you write from the point of view of a particular character. It is important in books written in the first person, but also in books written in third person.
These days, the new writer has to be careful about point of view in their novel, because publishers are strict about it, especially with newcomers. Keeping to the same point of view for most of the chapter is usually advised, although it’s okay to switch to one other person halfway through or so. But dodging between lots of different people is frowned upon.
I do agree with this. I find it hard to read novels that constantly dash from one point of view to another. I also don’t think it’s necessary to do that. Usually there are a merely a handful of major characters in the average novel, and I don’t think you need to go beyond them for point of view. In fact, sticking to just two or three is a better formula. It helps keep distractions and confusion to a minimum.
So this is one principle I agree with.