I am about to do a big slash and burn on my manuscript which is ok (sort of), but I am going to re-write an awful lot as I need to remove a character's pov as I just didn't have quite enough of her to for her to have her own emotional arc, so she has to go.

This is a children's book so it has been suggested to me simpler is better.

The character whose pov I'm cutting has a bunch of adventures away from the mc before they are finally re-united later in the book. How do I avoid a massive info dump when they do finally meet up? Should I write in little distant 3rd person narrative bits as I go along, to show what she's up to? Or not worry about it (what this character is doing is trying to reach the mc - but her adventures don't really have any bearing on what the mc's doing, until the end, so I can lose them completely.) Should I just write away and see what happens when I get there?

A part of me thinks I should have a plan, but becasue the ms is going to change so radically and I've got so much to re-write, another part of me thinks maybe I don't need one.

I just wondered if anyone has had to do this and if so, what did you do?

Many thanks and happy Friday!

Should I write in little distant 3rd person narrative bits as I go along, to show what she's up to?

No, I wouldn't. If her adventures are not essential to the main story it's probably best to cut this section out completely, and just have her telling the occassional highlight, maybe as an anecdote, if there are any suitable places for them later. Simpler is better in childrens stories.


- NaomiM

Could you keep the other POV and tell it as 3rd person just to see if it works - that's if your main character is 1st person. Keeping to a single POV is certainly fashionable, probably because it's most effective, but if it means losing a big part of your story why not try bending the rules?

Omniscient pov is currently unfashionable in childrens fiction, so if you decide to keep the section it's best to keep it in that character's pov, in 1st or 3rd person.

Thank you so much for your responses Naomi and Colin. I really appreciate it. I wish I was experienced enough to bend the rules! The book is presently entirely in the third person - am not yet brave enought to attempt the first person - but I think it would have worked had I written it in the first person - would have been ideal in fact.

I think I am just holding onto this character with fingernails hanging because I don't want to lose her (though am not really), and you are right in saying just wait until she arrives rather than put bits in. Omniscient pov not right either, I think.

Thank you so much again. Best wishes.