3/ Ideally, each POV character will have their own complete arc. In other words, they will be the hero of their own story within the story, with a beginning (inciting incident), middle (rising action), and end (climax and resolution).
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4/ How do you know if a POV is necessary? Ask yourself: 1️⃣ Does this character’s perspective reveal unique stakes or insights? 2️⃣ Does this POV build tension or conflict with others? 3️⃣ Would the story collapse without their inclusion? If not, that POV might need reconsidering.
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5/ Ever read a book where you’re eager to return to one character’s POV but dread the others? That’s a problem you don't want your readers to face. We need to care about each POV. To do that, you need to create emotional draw, and that requires a goal, trajectory, and stakes.
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6/ Take Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. Each protagonist—Anna, Omeir, Zeno, Seymour, Konstance—has their own narrative arc. Though they exist in different timelines, their lives are bound by a shared thread: the mysterious Cloud Cuckoo Land manuscript. (See link at the end for more info)
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7/ What makes Cloud Cuckoo Land shine is its purposeful structure. Each POV builds on the novel’s themes of storytelling, resilience, and human connection. Despite vastly different worlds and stakes, the characters’ arcs echo and enrich one another.
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8/ One common trap? Explanatory POVs. For instance, an amateur sleuth mystery might shoehorn in a cop’s POV to show the official investigation. But this can reduce tension if both POVs glide toward the same conclusion. Conflict is key! Let your POVs create obstacles for each other.
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9/ Multi-POV novels work best when the structure itself enhances emotional draw and immersion. POVs should: • Add unique stakes, conflicts, and insights • Contribute to the story’s thematic depth • Feel indispensable to the reader Use them wisely, and your story will sing 🎵
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Some resources: darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/h... darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/s... darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/n... darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/v...
aug 13, 2025, 6:24 pm • 5 0 • view
📌 super helpful- I'm in this exact situation and had even bought (but hadn't read yet) cloud cuckoo land to study for best practices on this so I'm thrilled to see it mentioned as a good example
aug 13, 2025, 7:10 pm • 1 0 • view
In that case, hold off on reading the link at the end. Massive spoilers!!
aug 13, 2025, 7:32 pm • 1 0 • view
Lol ok good to know! 😆
aug 13, 2025, 7:33 pm • 1 0 • view