So I have a slight POV dilemma. My main characters are a young couple that disappears to an alternate reality, however my story focuses on both the police investigation into their disapperence as well as the couple themselves and the reasons and actions involved in their disappearence. However the wider universe in which these characters exist does not focus on these police officers, but on the main characters themselves and their reasons. So my question/dilemma is, does it make sense to put the primary POV on the officer investigating their disappearence when in the long I won't write about her again? Or should I focus my POV on the couple and detail their escape to the alternate reality? At present the POV switches between the main police officer and the couple, but I also worry this is offputting. (Myself as reader, I struggle sometimes to care about/pay attention to multiple POV) Thanks in advance xx
Welcome to these humble forums! Honestly you can benefit from doing both, don't get bogged down by trying to maintain a coherent timeline, just get as many words onto the page as you can. Wile I would rather not write your story for you it sounds like the couple is the main focus even though the detective could be a major character or even the antagonist. Cover ups are a great plot device. I realized half way through my story that I could get away with just writing a really long series of events till I have enough material to start editing. Having many Povs is great, but try to make it clear who is speaking or who has the spotlight on them in each scene or chapter. You can also have two story arcs going at once. Just don't censor your self at this stage of the first draft. Feel free to disregard everything I just wrote.
POV can be so challenging sometimes. I have always fancied the idea of writing from multiple perspectives but I also know that, as a reader, I don't always like them. I'll usually end up liking on perspective more than the other which can lead me to gloss over things. However, I find that's usually the case when the two are given equal amounts of attention. What is the purpose of showing the investigation? Does it explain something that could not be explained via the couple's story?
It has been my experience that POV switches on a third person is easier, 2nd person is the easiest but nobody ever seems to write in 2nd (or even know of it). I think personally that 1st person is that hardest to switch POV seamlessly. I think this is even more accentuated if it happens within the same chapter. I once read a book that had a interesting take on this matter. They wrote the first half (part 1) as the POV of only one side. So you only got half of the story making you guess s lot of parts. Then second part was was the other half and you got the rea the rest of the story. Whilst these two parts happen in parallel to each other, they are not read in that fashion but one after the other. This may be applicable to you.
