Beta Central: Help with POV

[merentha13.livejournal.com]

I know this is supposed to be about beta-ing stories but I hope it's ok to post this question here - who better to answer a question about writing than beta's?

I've been banging my head against my laptop trying to figure out the difference between omniscient point of view and multiple-third person POV. I usually write [to some people's annoyance! :-)] in multiple 3rd person. I like to get inside both of the lad's heads. My beta's usually point out instances where I've strayed from one head to the other in the same scene. This is bad and I'm learning to note when I've done that BEFORE a beta picks it up. Not always successful. That being said - I've been doing some reading on line about POV and most people discussing omniscient POV say it's ok to move from one character to another - even in the same scene. So now I'm confused. Can someone explain - maybe with examples - the difference between these two styles of writing? I know the narrator in omniscient POV is NOT one of the characters and the 3rd person IS one of the characters, but beyond that, I'm not sure I see the difference.

Comments

RE: I'm not a beta

[merentha13.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link. It was helpful. And yes, staying in one person's head at a time is important but I sometimes manage to get one sentence in the scene wrong. Thank goodness for betas!