Thou Shall Not Head Hop

Gather round, friends, it's time for an old fashioned summer revival, complete with sermon from the Almighty Wavy. So sit a spell, but don't doze off, your chance to share your testimonials will be coming in a bit. Later, after the fire and brimstone concludes, we'll have cookies and lemonade to share.

It pains to me that the sin of head hopping is still so rampant in romance novels. Afterall, this is the Age of Enlightenment, and the prophets Brockmann, Coulter, Wiggs, Brown, Crusie, Foster, Carlye, Brennan, Gibson, and others have shown that the path to the glorious kingdom of NYT bestsellerdom lies through deep POV. And yet, still authors persist in hopping willy-nilly from one head to the next without a care. (Clearly, their editors aren't doing a good job raising them up right, but that's another post.) And I grieve for them, I truly do, because they have so much potential, but then they squander it as they hop from character to character within the same scene with nary a break like a little deranged omnipotent rabbit.

I recently picked up a historical by a bestselling author. We'll call her K.M. K.M.'s book had the full package--unique plot with terrific research, singular characters apart from the usual historical mold, wonderfully entertaining secondary characters, and a terrific voice. However, instead of eagerly devouring her backlist, I ended up chucking the book before chapter four. Unfortunately K.M. is incapable of sticking with a character for more than two paragraphs. She makes you dread dialogue, since her shining moments occur when each character is alone, and the reader gets a break from all her loosey-goosey head hopping. Just because you have four characters IN a scene doesn't mean you have to dally with each one. Guard your voice better than that, ladies!

Then we have the case of poor, sad L.B. She's a best-selling author of category books with many big-name friends who released her first single title to much hoopla. Unlike K.M., L.B.'s book didn't have quite so much going for it--typical plot and setting with common character archetypes . But, many of the prophets have found their way to heaven with far less. L.B compounded the sin of hopping from head to head as she found convenient by never going deep enough when she did manage to stick with one character. This book hit my floor in chapter three because I didn't feel emotionally connected to any of the characters. Head hopping weakens the foundations of even the strongest book. (Can I get an Amen?)

It is time for us to recommit to monogamy within our scenes. One scene = one viewpoint. If you feel the need to "play the field" within a scene, you need to respectfully withdraw from one head, pause, break, and then gently enter the next character's head, with clear intent to remain there through the conclusion of that scene. It is only the prudent thing to do.

So that we can better understand why we need to walk the straight and narrow path of single POV, let's break down all the evils caused by head hopping:

Head Hopping Distorts Your Voice.

Head hopping has the ability to destroy your voice. Both L.B. and K.M have strong voices, yet their voices become timid and mundane when they flit about trying on viewpoints like prom dresses. When you do this, you loose opportunities to showcase your voice. A typical pattern of the head hopper is to stay with one character for the action (or piece of dialogue) and then to move to the next character for the next bit of action. When you do this, you've just missed your chance to show the reaction. Your voice is revealed just as much, if not more, by what your characters do/think/feel when they're NOT the ones speaking/acting.

Also, constantly shifting back and forth distorts your voice because YOU are always right there lurking behind every shrub ready to rush in and steer the scene the "correct" direction. You, the author, are way more visible than you need to be, and you, the voice, are sucked into the wallpaper along with your characters. Your characters lose their uniqueness, and the voice of each character becomes the same. When you head hop, you operate on the assumption that YOU are whom the reader REALLY wants to hear from. You, my friend, are simply not that entertaining. Your readers want to hear from your characters. Your voice is really your characters' voices and when you cut that off, you silence your own voice.

Head Hopping Confuses Readers

Most beginning writers are taught not to shift viewpoints unnecessarily because it confuses readers. And this is true--when you go heroine-hero-sidekick-hero-heroine all within in a single scene, your reader gets dizzy with trying to keep up with who is who. And for some published headhoppers like K.M., this indeed the primary evil. In her case, readers can't figure out whose eyes they are seeing the action from and get confused like an aerial camera in free fall. Pick one vantage point from which to film your scene and stick to it. Restrain yourself from the urge to show us EVERYTHING. Have some modesty and cover up all but the essential bits!

For others like L.B. who head hop only twice or so each scene, it's not so much a confusion issue as it as a pacing issue. Each time you head hop without a break, your reader is forced to glance back up at the top of the page and remember whose head they were last living in. This slows down your action when you least want it to. The reason why the Prophets of Deep POV are so successful is because they write page turners NOT page turn-backers. When you head hop enough, your readers are constantly on guard for future transgressions and never fall into the calming lull of your plot. When you allow your reader to BECOME each character for a while, you hook them. They're not going anywhere before the light gives out.

K.M. had a amazing plot, but the head hopping ruined it, sullying all of those neat details with single question mark. Your reader depends on you to navigate the murky waters of your fictional world. It is your sacred duty to lead them safely to "the end," by using clear signals and firm guidance. Don't be afraid of the scene break. Sometimes a firm hand is needed, and your readers will thank you for it at the close of your book. Several prophets swear by the trick of using of using the scene break mid-action to switch POV deliberately shifting the tenor of the scene. Let the angels fall from the heavens because this is POV used for its highest purpose, eliminating reader confusing and showcasing voice at the same time. Hallelujah!

Head Hopping Lets You Off Easy

Sinning is fun. It feels great, but then you have to meet your maker (or your market) and make peace with what you accomplished (on the page). Young writers head hop because it feels so darn good and it's EASY. It's easy(ier) to get your NaNoWriMo blinkie or your first finished MS when you write without worrying about nasty little things like head hopping. And that's good. Most of us head hop our way through our first (dozen) WIP's. It's like writing's rumspringa--sow your oats, blow off a little steam, because soon it will be time to commit to the righteous work of crafting a readable tale.

I've come to the conclusion that POV truly is the measure of a writer. Can you breathe enough life into your characters so that we can live through them, or is there only enough oomph in your plot for your own head? I'm not a fundamentalist here--you can vanquish head hopping and still do fresh, interesting things with POV. I think K.M. might have been trying for omnipotent viewpoint, but this needed to be clear to her readers. Elaine Viets manages to convey little omnipotent tidbits to her readers without ever breaking POV--a neat trick.

It is hard, backbreaking, thankless work to sort out POV. Who knows what, what do you need revealed, what do you need hidden, who has the emotional investment, who has the epiphany worth watching--THESE are questions that keep writers up at night. The prophets have shown us the way, but they certainly haven't left the guidebook behind. It's a long, rocky climb up to where they are, and we each must find our own path.

And thus lurks the temptation to stray from this bleak trek and just go ahead and head hop already. Vanquish these thoughts, friends. Tis demons talking giving you false promises. Look at the books beside your bed. Is there a head hopper in the midst? If you do not invite head hoppers into your own bed, why would you seek to promote this shameful practice? Be the writer you want to READ.

Your voice is your gift. Use it wisely. Guard it carefully. Don't hand it over to the sirens of head hopping who seduce into believing that it's the best choice for you. Worry about what is the best choice for your READER not you the writer.

Now, can I get a witness? Who's with me here? Who's ready to cast out the dark sin of head hopping? Who feels the burning power of deep POV today? Who's willing to examine their past sins and commit to necessary reformation? Confession is good for the soul--what cardinal sins have YOU committed in the past, and which commandments do you continue to shamelessly flaunt? And for those of you who belong to a different religion that permits head hopping (heathens, all of you, heathens), please, share your views here too--we welcome all viewpoints here.