Head hopping is the negative term for a switch in perspective without warning or adhering to writing rules and the narrative and POV types internal logic.
Hop Ahead:
A Quick Breakdown of First, Second, Third, and Omniscient POVs
8 Tips To Help You Avoid Head Hopping
The Difference Between Head Hopping and Switching POVs?
Head Hopping is fine as long as you get away with it. Then it's called switching POVs. Which is perfectly respectable. Head hopping is changing perspective but in a bad way. It's the difference between someone saying, "the writer switches point of view, delighting the reader," and "the writer's head hops, leaving the reader confused and annoyed." It will almost always be jarring to be quite literally inhabiting the "I, me, we" point of view of a character only to have someone else's thoughts relayed to us.
When a writer changes perspective, it's done in a logical fashion that doesn't confuse the reader. When they head hop, they confuse the reader. That's what makes it so tricky. You can head hop to your heart's content; no one will call it head hopping if it's done well. If it's done well, head hopping will likely be termed a POV switch, which is hilarious.
I will give examples, but I want to add the caveat that a well-done perspective shift cannot be demonstrated through a few short lines. For more in-depth POV switching analysis, I've done a wee breakdown of J.K Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. Where I show instances where the author head-hops (successfully) and manages a more rule-abiding perspective shift. She's good at it, so good that there is some debate about what POV type she writes in. Third Person Limited or Omniscient.
A Quick Breakdown of First, Second, Third, and Omniscient POVs
The narrator tells the story from their point of view. If you use pronouns like "I" or "we, " you are likely in the first person.
We went to the shop to buy milk. I took the lead, because I'm awesome.
The narrator tells the story by directly addressing the reader. Involving the reader in the narrative by representing them as a character in the story or as the reader. If you use the pronoun "you" to address the reader, you are likely in second person.
You went to the shop to buy milk.
You see, dear reader, I/ she went to the shop to buy milk.
The narrator is telling the reader about the characters. You are likely in third person if you refer to your characters as 'she,' 'he,' 'they,' or by their name.
They went to buy milk, Mary took the lead, because she's awesome.
Omniscient POV
The omniscient narrator knows everything that is happening in the story and has access to the character's thoughts and feelings as well as larger happenings in the world.
Mary went to buy milk, thinking longingly of pizza.
John followed her, thinking longingly of Mary.
Three blocks away, the sun thought of the moon and prepared to crash into the earth.
Head Hopping and First-Person POV
I'm not a fan of hard and fast rules when it comes to writing. After all, aren't rules meant to be broken? But head hopping in first person POV is more akin to breaking the law. It should be written in every country's constitution—thou shalt not head hop in first person perspective. If head hopping is always bad, then head hopping in first-person POV is the worst.
Head hopping is bad, but switching POVs can be more acceptable if done correctly. This is best done through a new chapter, but at a push, you can also use a page break and make it clear from the wording of the first line that there has been a POV switch. I'm gonna be honest, it's going to be hard to get away with it.
Head Hopping:
"I walk down the hall with my hat in hand, a deep pit in my stomach. John sees me. He thinks about how much he hates me."
Not head-hopping
"I walk down the hall with my hat in hand, a deep pit in my stomach. John meets my eyes. I have no idea what he was thinking."
Switching POV:
"I walk down the hall with my hat in hand, a deep pit in my stomach. John meets my eyes. I leave him standing there. Chapter 10—John I watch her leave, the sigh of my name on her lips, "John." I feel bad, but also I don't because I hate her."
Head Hopping and Second person POV
Second-person POV is the bad penny of the writing world, nobody wants to talk about it, and I understand why. It’s complicated, and everybody has different opinions on what is and is not a second-person POV.In second person POV, your reader is a character in the story or the reader, being addressed directly through the pronoun, ‘you.’ Head hopping, or even perspective shifting, will be a confusing ride for the reader. Head hopping might be preferable to perspective switching. Second person can feel like gamification, and it's not unheard of for gamification to supply the 'player' with more information than they otherwise might have.
Head-hopping:
"You walk down the hall, hat in your hand, a deep pit in your stomach. John sees you and thinks how much he hates you."
Not head-hopping
"You walk down the hall, hat in your hand, a deep pit in your stomach. John meets your eyes, and you have no idea what he's thinking."
Switching POV:
"You walk down the hall, hat in your hand, a deep pit in your stomach. You meet John's eyes and walk away, leaving him standing there. You watch her leave, the sigh of your name on her lips, "John." You feel bad, but also you don't, because you hate her."
Head Hopping and Third Person POV
A book written in third person limited can change perspective from one chapter or even one scene to another. It's the writer's responsibility to make that change clear to the reader. If the reader is confused, then you've head hopped. Anyone who has ever read a book with head hopping knows how frustrating it is. You're three pages into a new chapter, the mountains have been rhapsodized over. The political climate bemoaned, and you, the reader, still need to learn whose POV you're following. The author leaves the reader lost in the wilderness without a map. The thoughts of the local vicar, the evil queen, and the distressed damsel all conglomerate into one horrible mess that leaves you groaning.
Head Hopping:
Meg walked down the hall with her hat in hand and a deep pit in her stomach. John saw her and thought she hated him.
Not head-hopping
Meg walked down the hall with her hat in hand, a deep pit in her stomach. John met her eyes, and she had no idea what he was thinking.
Switching POV:
Meg walked down the hall with her hat in hand and a deep pit in her stomach. John met her eyes, and she left him standing there.
John watched her leave, the sigh of his name on her lips, "John." He felt bad, but also he didn't because he hated her.
Head Hopping and Omniscient POV
Okay, this is where it gets really tricky. Omniscient POV, by nature, means that the narrator is aware of all the characters' thoughts, feelings, opinions, the future, and the past. The opportunities for head hopping abound. Again, it will come down to how well the writer manages the POVs. I've read books written in omniscient where the writer gives insight into the minds of two characters within one sentence and gets away with it.
I've also read books where even the use of scene breaks wasn't enough to alleviate the confusion created through so many POV's so poorly expressed. Chances are you will use a lot of filter words—she thought, felt, saw—to differentiate the character for the reader, and then you will have to do battle with all the rules that tell you that filter words are second only to the devil. A writer should concern themselves first with establishing whose POV the reader is following, and then worry about a narrative distance.
Head Hopping:
The sun shone through the windows; the dying light cast Meg's face into shadows that enhanced the blue hollows under her eyes. The hat in her hand shook when John spotted her and thought about how much he hated her.
Not head-hopping
The sun shone through the windows; the dying light cast Meg's face into shadows that enhanced the blue hollows under her eyes. The hat in her hand shook when John spotted her. She knew he hated her.
Switching POV:
"The sun shone through the windows; the dying light cast Meg's face into shadows that enhanced the blue hollows under her eyes. The hat in her hand shook when John spotted her. She met his eyes and left him standing there. John watched Meg leave and thought how much he hated her."
8 Tips To Help You Avoid Head Hopping
Avoid changing perspective in a single scene
If you do change perspective, do it through a page break or a new chapter
Always make it clear whose perspective you are in as soon as possible
Show what other non-POV characters are thinking and feeling through actions—body language, facial expression, etc.—and through dialogue
Don't reveal the internal thoughts, feelings, and opinions of characters who are not the current POV character
Resist the urge to give your POV character supernatural insight into other people's motivations and actions—unless it's a magic book and that forms part of your narrative.
You can name your chapters after your POV character as a perspective shift shortcut
Use formatting, such as a new indented line to indicate POV shifts, a new line for a new character action, thoughts, feelings, etc.
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