I haven't reached this pivotal moment in my WIP yet, but due to the actions that occur, it is a scene that MIGHT be better expressed by using a POV character that hasn't been used before (it is a chase). Would using a POV character for ONE scene/chapter in a story be a wise decision, or should I stick with an established POV character for that scene/chapter? (I'm leaning towards the latter option at the moment.) My concerns are more for the reader, in that it may be a sudden and unexpected switch, that may not be appreciated. Anyone know of any one section POV moments? All of the prologues in A Song of Fire and Ice are those. Can't seem to remember any other examples at the moment.
My concern is not the jarring nature before the change of POV, but after. If you only use it for one scene, it may not upset readers as such, but may disappoint them when they realise the POV was only for the one time - the reader could expect the change to be a new addition to the cast of characters, when in fact it's not. Bottom line: in my opinion, stay with your normal POV.
I would keep it in your original POV. It might still be helpful for yourself to write the scene in the other POV and then try to see what information you can work into your original POV.
The story already has multiple POV's, and the new addition would be exiting quite quickly after that scene (death).
It's hard to picture how the character is only important enough for a POV in one chapter, or how an unimportant character becomes a flash in the pan only to fade into the background again. Usually changing POVs from one character to another is done with characters that warrant protagonist or at least main character status of some kind. How is it this character is only important in one chapter?
You MIGHT get away with using a POV character only once IF they are already a big part of the story, and the reader is very familiar with them. I'd be cautious about pulling a new one in out of the air, though. Kinda depends on your story, really. Write it the way you want, and then ask your beta readers for feedback on that particular issue.
This character is the one who is driving the action during the most important action of the story. He is established but not a main character in the story, and the only benefit would be giving the reader a better view of the actions that occur. That, and understanding the why behind these events in more detail. I'm leaning towards keeping it with the original character, simply because showing a character as a POV only to have them die at the end seems a bit cruel. Then again, it might be worth the impact. They are a proxy of the main antagonist, carrying out an action for the antagonist that leads to the resolution of the story. So they do go from there to grand in one scene, only later to utterly fade away. I'm currently writing the scene twice purposefully, so the best version will "win". Given how describing it seems confusing, I'll probably stick with plan A (keeping it in the head of the main character who is being chased).
since you're head-hopping throughout the book, i don't see how adding one more head to the many will even be noticed, much less be a problem for the readers...
I would think about why the reader should care. So for example, the action matters to your other characters, their POV would be more important. I'd find another way to reveal this character's motives or how/why it comes back to the antagonist, whatever it is you need to get into the story. Ask yourself, why should the reader care? Is it just information the reader needs? Or does knowing something about the proxy antagonist's thoughts matter? And do they matter just for plot convenience? Just because you are head jumping doesn't mean everyone's head matters to the story. I don't think I'd use one POV for one chapter just to convey plot information.
