Stylistic help!

[Magis]

I've got a plot, a cast, and a beginning, middle, and end. What I don't have, is a perspective/style and that's where I need help. The story is about three high-school aged teens (though technically one is a third-year repeat senior) who get caught up in a war between Heaven and Hell. My problem arises in that I want to feature each of the three teens as main characters as much as possible, but writing in the third person terrifies me (I find myself repeating their names "Jason does x... Sam does y... Jason responds" and reading it back to myself is like nails on a chalkboard).

I guess my question is this: does anyone have any stylistic suggestions that would allow me to avoid third person while still focusing on all three characters? or, failing that, a means to write in third person without constantly feeling the need to repeat the character names to describe their actions? One theory has been to divide the book into shorter sections, with each 1/3 being told from one of the main character's perspectives, but I'm worried this will be too jarring from a reader's perspective for it to read smoothly.

I'm not published, though throughout the various levels of schooling I've been repeatedly encouraged to attempt it, so here I am just getting my feet wet.


--- Magis

ps- I'd like to shoot a big Thank You to JB for his 'writing classes' on his blog. I'd love to see more of that if you ever get the time Jim.

[the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh]

I guess my question is this: does anyone have any stylistic suggestions that would allow me to avoid third person while still focusing on all three characters? or, failing that, a means to write in third person without constantly feeling the need to repeat the character names to describe their actions? One theory has been to divide the book into shorter sections, with each 1/3 being told from one of the main character's perspectives, but I'm worried this will be too jarring from a reader's perspective for it to read smoothly.

Alternate chapters from each of their perspectives in turn, which could be first as easily as third if you happen not to like third.

If you're good at doing distinct voices, this is no problem; if you're not confident of doing that, putting the character name in as part or all of the chapter title is legitmate.  Lots of good writers do it - I'd recommend Sarah Monette's series starting with Melusine, or Robert Silverberg's Book of Skulls, if you're interested in good examples of this.  Monette IIRC labels the chapters despite her two voices being unmistakable one for the other.

[LizW65]

Or you could do your first draft in first person with alternating perspectives, and go back and change it to third as you get more comfortable.

[the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh]

Or you could do your first draft in first person with alternating perspectives, and go back and change it to third as you get more comfortable.

I recommend against this, unless you are a lot more flexible in perspective than I am; even the tightest third tells you and points up lots and lots of very different details from first, if it's done at all well.

[Magis]

Thanks, that's not a bad idea. I'll have to write up a sample of that and see if it flows well for me.


--- Magis

[NothingWicked]

This may be a screwball idea that's more difficult than helpful, but since its a war between heaven and hell, you could try telling the story from the point of view of a "neutral" angle or some such that is observing the events and has limited omniscience... Actually... the more I think about the how, the more I think this might be more trouble than its worth...