Got a problem here...
I have been working through a novel for awhile now, and am finding I don't know how to fashion a smooth transition from the death of one protagonist to the introduction of, and subsequent focus on, a second protagonist who will take over the centerstage of the second half of the tale.
I've considered doing an interweaving thing with their two storylines, but since the connection is only a single moment, the disparity between their two narratives doesn't mesh well when hopping back and forth.
Any suggestions? Or am I being damagingly vague about the details to such a degree that you just can't even figure out what the fuck I'm asking?
Watching The Place Beyond The Pines might prove instructive. That story tackles your question, I believe--at least in its own way.
Funny you should ask this, I'm thinking of mashing two of my workshopped short stories together as the base of the first novel with two protagonists. Been thinking about the same issue. Should they interconnect or if they should be loosely related looking at the same crime of two different viewpoints.
James Ellory has three protagonists usually in his books, the underworld trilogy does a really good job at this. A character dies he just moves on to the next regarless if thier plots connected or not.
Not really helpfull I'm afraid but figuring this one out meself.
Thanks, VC and Dave. I've been wanting to see Place Beyond for awhile, so now I have an extra motivation. And Dave, your comment is helpful because now I have some recommendations for what to look at for examples of one option.
It's definitely a tricky move, so hopefuly others can offer advice, but until they do, you've given me some good starting points.
What about writing the 1st protagonist's final scene from their POV and then repeating the scene from the 2nd POV? Or maybe have a transition where you go from one POV to another with an omniscient/distant bit of narration in between.
Give it a try. Worst that happens is you have to go back to the old version. It isn't crossing the River Rubicon.
Precisely.
is it first person or third person?
Well, it's been in third person, but I've recently considered trying to write each of the parts in first person from the perspective of the protagonist focused on in that section - but that makes me nervous. I just don't know if that will help or hurt the flow and reader-experience.
the way i initially imagined it it'd be easier to do in first, so long as it's pretty obvious pretty quick whose perspective you're in, which shouldn't be hard.
but then, thinking about it now, it might be smoother still in third. have your first protag, kill him, next chapter starts with your second.
really, i don't see why it has to be that awkward, i think you'll be fine.
