In this video, we talk about whether readers (and agents) find it acceptable to mix first-person and third-person points of view in a manuscript. We also look at possible reasons you might use this technique in your own work and cover the critical considerations you should keep in mind when choosing to implement this structural technique.
Have you ever wrestled with the perfect chapter finish that propels your readers forward without raising eyebrows in bewilderment? Click through to the YouTube video and tell me about your favorite chapter wrap-up or a time when you’ve been stumped in the comments. Let’s share stories and grow together!
Hello, Jane Cleland here. The question is: “Can I mix first person and third person within a novel?” And the answer is: Yes, absolutely.
This is a structure question, and you need to be consistent in the structure you choose in a novel. So, it could be that every fourth chapter you have one that is suddenly in first person. It could be that every time you introduce a new third-person perspective, we’re going to have a chapter of their first-person perspective.
In other words, these chapters, which may bridge two different sections of something, or it may be a way of creating some intimacy with a character to get into their head, share their internal reflections. You have to have a reason to do it, and then it has to be done in a predictable manner.
Maybe not every four or six or however many chapters—maybe not that rigid of a structure—but there has to be some impetus, and anytime that impetus happens, you do that thing.
Good luck with it! Sounds like an interesting approach.
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