how to write multiple POVs

What is your favorite way to describe characters or stories you love?

If you answered CHAOTIC, then this is the post for you! I'm going to talk all about chaotic characters and stories and how to make sure that you, THE WRITER, keep track of the chaos to a degree that it makes sense to your readers.

I wrote NIGHT SOIREE not fully intending to have five separate POVs, but after outlining, it became pretty clear that the story I wanted to tell needed five POVs. Breaking it down these are my five:

1. Lord Umbra has been cursing towns for eighty years. Ever since his love was stolen away from their engagement soiree. At last, he has perfected the curse to recreate the night she disappeared. The sun will never rise again in Nyxville, and soon the Soiree will begin. This time, his love will return. If the dark magic he acquired for the curse doesn’t destroy him first.

2. Clove lost her sister eighty years ago, and has been magically bound to a traveling salon by Lord Umbra with her other sister. There, she transforms patrons for their forever roles in his Soiree. Over the years, she's been assembling plans for defeating Lord Umbra. Only one piece is missing. That is, until he wanders into the Salon immune to the curse.

3. Orb arrives in Nyxville amidst the Soiree setup. He has no memory of where he came from or how he got there. The only thing he does know is that he possesses true invisibility. An incredibly rare magic according to the strange sisters he meets. All Orb wants are his memories. When the fight against Lord Umbra’s curse begins, Orb must decide who to trust for a chance at regaining his lost identity.

4. Della is the witch in line to become the next leader of the witches, but still hasn’t found her voice. After not speaking out against a bad plan, Della nearly loses the witch closest to her. Then, Lord Umbra destroys their home, leaving Della to decide how to take charge in the fight against the one who destroyed it without destroying her chances to lead the witches one day.

5. Val is a vampire, but he doesn’t want to be defined by that label. Following orders, Val spearheads an alliance between the vampires and Lord Umbra. They’ll support his curse as long as he keeps the sun set forever. Then, the vampires can expand their stronghold. But, when Val meets Clove, he becomes obsessed. He must choose to remain loyal to the vampire cause or open the heart he never knew he had for love. Either way, he’ll be dead.

As you can see, it's chaos. I wrote this before delving into a revision outline and the second draft (which I'm working on now), so there is definitely clarity and tightening that probably needs to happen. But, despite that, this is a pretty good framework for the book and how all the characters fit into this world.

Because even with chaotic characters and stories, your book still needs to answer the same questions:

1. What do your characters want?

2. What is standing in their way?

3. How do they intend to get what they want/need most.

So, for NIGHT SOIREE, I'm aware that Umbra is our antagonist, there's a curse that some people are trying to break and Val is trying to use to his advantage. Umbra wants Bly/his curse to succeed, Clove wants freedom/revenge from the curse and Umbra, Orb wants his lost memories/identity, Della wants to be a leader without alienating her witches and Val wants to expand vampire power in Nyxville/also Clove.

PHEW. It's a lot. But it's also simple when you really look at your characters despite their chaos and see what it is they want and need most.

So, if you're writing a multiple POV novel, I'd suggest spending some time trying to simplify your characters wants/needs really early on in the process so you always have it to reference when you get off track. And, it's always possible that you'll eventually decide that one character just doesn't need a POV, and that's okay too.

This has worked for me, but I'd love to hear what works for you to keep track of multiple POVs??