Whenever I teach a writing workshop, the hardest concept to get across is point of view. Almost every new writer wants to “head-hop”— that is, describe the thoughts of every character in the story — “hopping” from one head to another.

This is why head-hopping is considered the mark of an amateur. It generally indicates the writer hasn’t yet learned to show various characters’ thoughts and feelings through action and dialogue instead of telling the reader what each one thinks and feels.

Yes, pros do get away with head-hopping, but we can assume they know the rule and have chosen to break it for a reason. (It helps if they’re already making lots of money for their publishers. Established bestsellers can get away with a lot that new writers can’t. 🙂 )

If you can avoid head-hopping, you’re much more likely to win contests, get published in literary magazines, or land an agent. And you’ll avoid confusing your readers.