Head-Hopping

Head-hopping is a writing term that means switching from one point of view to others without warning or any indication. The book I just finished reading did this without even changing to a new paragraph. It is a nuisance at best and can be very confusing in some cases. Head-hopping is never appropriate.

In fact, nothing denotes an amateur quicker than this unwanted technique. Publishers usually reject a manuscript on this alone, and if not, editors will attack it. Therefore, head- hopping often indicates an indie published book. That's not to say that indies are substandard, because there're many great self-published books. However, it's doubtful that a novel filled with head-hopping will make it through a traditional publishing process without someone catching it.

There are several ways to indicate a switch in point of view. The one I like is to put a line or symbols between the paragraphs to show the reader that you are leaving one character's point of view and going to another's. In fact, my publisher and I work together to insert a clipart that goes with the story. This is not necessary, of course, if the change comes with a new chapter. Here is going to be the one in my soon-to-be-released novel, It All Started at the Masquerade. The actual graphic will be smaller in the novel, and the white square will be on a white page.

William tried not to look at Jenkins too closely, but a brief glance showed a man whose lips smiled amicably but whose eyes remained as hard as ever,

Melanie remained as quiet as possible during dinner. She wished she knew what had gone on between William and Lott, but she could tell Lott seethed underneath a polished veneer.

I chose this method because it's the one I like best as a reader. But however a writer chooses to indicate the change, it should be noted in some way.

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