How to Avoid Head-hopping

By georgelthomas on 27 Feb 2024 • ( 0 )

Hi everyone. I hope you’re all well. Today, I’ll be exploring the concept of head-hopping when writing multiple characters.

How to Avoid Head-hopping

As a writer, one of the most important and sometimes most difficult things to master is staying true to your point of view. It can be easy to fall out of one character’s perspective and jump into another without realising it if you’re carried away in the flow of writing. This is called head-hopping, and it can happen when you switch perspectives in a story without any proper transition. Head-hopping can lead to jarring shifts in tone and total bewilderment for the reader.

Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to avoid head-hopping, so without further ado, let’s explore some of them.

1 Identify your Perspective
Before you begin writing, you must decide upon the perspective from which you want to tell your story. This provides a clear picture of the lens through which the reader will experience your narrative. Decide if you wish to write in first-person or third-person perspective (or even second-person if you’re feeling brave) and whether you want to be limited to a single character’s viewpoint or expand to include other characters.

2 Stick to One P.O.V. at a Time
Consistency is vital when it comes to characters. You must ensure you don’t switch between the different characters’ viewpoints within the same scene. When you want to change perspective, the best way is to create a new section, making it clear that the P.O.V. has changed, which brings us nicely to…

3 Use Transitions
Using transitions allows the reader to follow the story seamlessly from one P.O.V. to another. Transitions can be as simple as changing paragraphs and adding a line break or as complex as using chapter breaks. Using transitions allows the reader to adjust to the new P.O.V. without feeling jarred or confused.

4 Understand your Characters
It is vital to have a thorough knowledge of the characters in your story to avoid head-hopping. A great way to get to know your characters is to write them a character outline. This helps you to develop your characters, their traits and their background while also helping to stay in their perspective while you’re writing.

5 Show, Don’t Tell
When writing fiction, it is always best to show rather than tell. This means you should use the character’s thoughts, emotions, and body language to give the reader a sense of the character’s perspective. Rather than telling the reader the character’s thoughts, show it through their actions or behaviour. For instance, instead of saying, “Sam was cold,” you could say, “Sam shivered as his breath escaped from his lungs in thick clouds.”

6 Limit The Number Of Character P.O.V.s
Having more than one character P.O.V. can add depth and complexity to your story. However, too many can become confusing for both the writer and the reader, making hopping from one P.O.V. to another within the same scene all the more likely. If you find you do this often, limiting the number of characters to a handful or fewer until you become more adept at managing them may be beneficial.

7 Practice, Practice, Practice
Avoiding head-hopping can take a lot of time and effort, but the more you write, the easier it will become. Read widely and critically, and watch how other authors handle points of view and perspectives. By studying the craft of writing, you will be better equipped to avoid common pitfalls like head-hopping and create engaging, immersive fiction that keeps readers hooked from beginning to end.

Overall, avoiding head-hopping in your writing requires practice and patience. With these tips, you can stay true to the characters’ perspectives and keep your writing consistent, creating a more immersive and enjoyable reading experience for your audience. Pay attention to the details, stay focused on the characters you are writing about, and you will be able to avoid the trap of head-hopping.

Thank you, as always, for stopping by! It means the world!

Until next time,

George