NaNoWriMo Who is the Point of View Character?

Help. My POV is all over the map.

'Point of View' is a critical element of keeping your story tight, relevant and readable. 

Your POV character is the heart of your story. We want our readers to identify with our POV character. Right?

My story is progressing well. I’m at 9493 words at the end of Day2. I’m up at 7am and ready to get writing.

 Sounds good. But my thinker is telling me there is a problem.

The problem on Day 3. 

So far, my story has evolved with three main points of view and three secondary ones. The story isn’t about the character I’d thought would be my protagonist. Uncle Lem (the original protagonist) isn't getting a word in edge-ways.

It’s not that I’m writing in omniscient POV. It’s that the characters keep showing up, sitting in a chair in front of me, and telling the story as they see it. 

 It’s like a police parade of interviewing witnesses.

I know that this first draft is simply telling the story to myself. And that much will need ‘fixing’ when I’m finished this and get to draft #2.

But this parade of people is crazy. Or is it? 

The solution.

The good part is that each character has great information and all I have to do is record it.

 Maybe my brain is revealing a new way for me to write a first draft. 

What will happen if I work with it as it is? What if I do let each character tell me what they think is going on? After all, this first draft is not carved in stone.

First drafts are meant to be fluid, malleable, and re-written. It’s important to remember that. 

My decision. 

 

I need to go with the flow and let the characters and story come out no matter what.

 This is not the time to get all ‘author-y’ and try to pound the story into the mold I originally had in mind.

However, if things continue the way they started, I’m going to need a new title. Uncle Lem Fakes a Wife is not going to work if Uncle Lem isn’t even in the bloody book.

Okay folks, I am going with the solution. I’m off to interview my cast of characters.

Happy writing, fellow NaNo-ers.