In the pack: ChatGPT, Claude & Gemini Prompts for Writers and Authors
POV and Head-Hopping Check
Prompt
The passage: {{PASSAGE}}
The intended POV (for example close third on Mara, first person present, omniscient): {{INTENDED_POV}}
Check for:
1. Head-hopping: places where we learn another character's thoughts or feelings that the POV character couldn't know. Quote each and say whose head we slipped into.
2. Knowledge slips: the POV character describing things they can't see, or knowing things they haven't learned yet.
3. Distance shifts: unintended jumps between close and distant narration (for example, a close third suddenly describing the character's own face, or "little did she know").
4. Tense slips, if the tense changes without a reason.
5. Filtering: "she noticed", "he felt", "she could see" where deep POV would drop the filter. Count these and quote three examples.
Output a table: Quote | Issue type | Why it breaks the POV | Suggested approach (described, not rewritten).
If the passage is intentionally omniscient or has a deliberate shift, say how to make the intention clear rather than flagging it as an error. Don't rewrite the passage.
Customize this prompt
Fill in the variables below to personalize this prompt:
Model Settings
Recommended Models
Temperature
Max Tokens
Additional Notes
About this prompt
“POV and Head-Hopping Check” is a free prompt for ChatGPT in the Writing & Creative category, 186 words long, added to The Prompt Index on October 28, 2026 by The Prompt Index. Copy it with the button above, paste it into ChatGPT or any other AI chat assistant, and send it.
It has 2 placeholders to fill in first:
{{PASSAGE}}, {{INTENDED_POV}}.
Use the “Customize this prompt” fields to personalise it before you copy.
Recommended models: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini.
0 upvotes, sent to an AI tool 0 times, viewed 9 times.
Browse all Writing & Creative prompts, the AI prompt database or use the AI prompt finder to search every prompt.