Point Of View Characters

As I was starting to write tonight, I realized I was having a little trouble getting started. While I don't doubt that some of the trouble was just the effort of starting, I've come to think that part of it was that I didn't feel strongly anchored to the second chapter. I think it was due to the fact that I wasn't yet anchored in a POV (Point-of-View) character.

The first chapter only had two characters, and I knew from the outset which one I was going to seeing it through. But with the second chapter, I planned to introduce the rest of my cast. With a total of five protagonists, who are going to be together for much of the story, how do I write this chapter in the most interesting way that I can?

I thought about it, and settled on one of my characters as my main POV character for the rest of the story - largely because I felt that this character was the one that an audience could most easily get behind. Things got a bit easier from that point on, and I made some progress. Not as much as either of the past two nights, but not that far off, either. (I'm having a tricky time getting from where the chapter starts, to where I know it's got to end. This is something I'm going to have to get used to, though.)

So I thought I'd ask... what are your thoughts on POV characters? Are they always necessary? Do they sometimes get in the way of telling a good story? When should you use them, and when shouldn't you? Just interested in hearing some thoughts.

I'm wrapping up a little early tonight, but I'm planning to work on my writing at some point tomorrow. I'm also planning to start work on clearing out my writing room. If I can find our digital camera, maybe I'll post some 'before' pictures.

And as always, I've copied tonight's work to Google Docs for my select pre-readers. If you've got the time, I think I have enough written that I'd like to hear about anything that you think stands out (positive or *ulp* negative).

Tonight's Word Count: 822

Total Word Count: 2922