Omniscient pov: An unbiased narrative that tells a story from the perspective of various characters and the world around them.
Head-hopping: A narrative that breaks out of one character’s point of view and jumps to another without indication to the reader.
So, what’s the issue?
When writing, some people get omniscient POV and head-hopping mixed up. Head-hopping can be confusing to a reader. But, omniscient POV shouldn’t lend itself to head-hopping.
Let’s look at why…
Omniscient
Observing the mindsets of characters, but not sharing inner thoughts directly:
Rachel sighed. She was feeling hungry, her stomach starting to make the familiar sounds of a missed breakfast. Paul knew that the restaurant was just around the corner and that, despite being late, they would get a table.
Note: It is not the use of passive voice here that is creating omniscient narration. I could also have said:
Rachel sighed. Hunger gripped her stomach, and she heard it starting to make the familiar sounds of a missed breakfast.
If you are struggling with omniscient POV, it can help to use passive phrases such as this to get into it. You can always edit them into the active voice later if you want to.
Head-hopping:
Often occurs in limited third person, where inner thoughts are shared directly:
Rachel sighed. Why hadn’t he told her where they were going for breakfast? It was irritating, and her stomach was starting to rumble. Paul looked over. It was as though she were being purposefully annoying. Probably because he was late. The restaurant was right around the corner, and she would have to wait.
The difference is your choice of POV.
If you are struggling with head-hopping, you are not writing in omniscient POV.
Omniscient POV is an all-knowing narrator who does not share thoughts in the style of individual characters, but maintains a consistent voice throughout.
Limited third-person POV enables the author to use the character’s voice to share thoughts outside of dialogue. If you want to use multiple POVs, your reader will need an indication of when this is going to happen, like a chapter break.
What would you like the next newsletter to be about? Are there any areas of writing you struggle with? If so, let me know here.