1. Teladan

    Teladan Contributor Contributor

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    Viewpoint Splitting in a Novella

    Discussion in 'Character Development' started by Teladan, Aug 20, 2020.

    Hello. Quick question, if that's alright. I'm thinking of a bisected structure for a novella project, but not sure if this will be the best option for a shorter work of fiction. I suppose there are no true rules when it comes to writing and it's hardly the most groundbreaking technique, but I wonder if I might harm character development or flow. I want the first half to cover a journey and a search with two characters, transitioning after a climax to a second part from the viewpoint of the one being tracked. This latter part would run from the beginning of the narrative but fill in gaps. Then the two characters from viewpoint 1 will meet the character from viewpoint 2 and there will be a reconciliation in the last movement of the novella. Does this sound plausible? I hope it does as it's what I've been working towards in my planning documents and mindmaps.

    Thanks very much.
     
  2. Earp

    Earp Contributor Contributor

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    Not yet, no. I think it's our job as writers to make the unlikely seem possible. I don't see any reason you couldn't make an (interesting) idea like that work, though. I'd read it.
     
  3. Steve Rivers

    Steve Rivers Contributor Contributor

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    I don't think it could harm either character development or flow. In my novella, I have it alternate between 2 characters throughout, and let the reader think they're two separate stories, but drop hints that this might not be the case. Then in the final chapter, I make something happen that makes the reader realize both stories are connected and let them try to work out how and in what capacity.

    The key I found was to keep the two stories simple and not to indulge yourself. Before I wrote it, the best advice i found was "Don't waste a paragraph, keep every sentence relevant, trim with extreme prejudice." With 2 stories in one novella, that's probably doubly important.
     
  4. Teladan

    Teladan Contributor Contributor

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    I didn't give any specifics! Of course it doesn't sound plausible yet, Earp. Haha. I just meant, does the structure sound workable. You might see my Beyond the Fields We Know thread for a discussion of what the story will actually entail. Or see below.

    And thanks for reading.

    Thanks. I'll definitely keep this in mind. Yes, it might seem a little too much to put into a novella, but I anticipate that the second half won't cover everything that the first half did. Essentially this story will be about a man who has entered another world, a kind of 'portal fantasy' narrative. His brother and his friend seek him out for a good chunk of the novella, coming closer and closer. They enter what I'm calling The Gate and they are now closer than they have ever been. After a revelation the viewpoint switches to the brother who first entered The Gate but we learn more of his reasons for doing so and what he has been doing during the searching section. It won't be like a wholly new story, I don't think, because the two main protagonists will have already entered the portal. The meat of the story will be in the second half and we'll learn more about this other world. But the last thing I want is for it to feel as if I've written two stories, the latter half seemingly rushed. I may end up making them come to the other world sooner, perhaps in the first quarter.
     

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