I have just posted the final bit of the 1st chapter If I Were a Bird and it is written in the first person, an 8yr old girl. I am now thinking of introducing the older Elsa after each chapter to tell some of the story from her own perspective as the older person. (Am I making any sense here?) My problem is how do I do this? And would it fit in with the flow of the story? I'm overthinking. Help!
Thank you Lorraine for your helpful comments. I'm tempted to leave it just as it is. To change it, for me, would take something away from the heart of it. I might try it, but I would definitely be stepping out of my comfort zone. I know Elsa with her ways and quirks and can play around with this because of the familiarity. I think for now I will keep writing her story the same way. Thank you for your advice it is much appreciated.
At the moment you have a story that's raw and true; it takes us into the era perfectly, and Elsa's thoughts and views on the world have a wisdom which children can display, especially when they have learnt so many hard lessons in life already.
I can see that an older Elsa, looking back, could add something; for a start, we'd know that the child survived (obvious, but worth noting) and grew into this other person with her own ideas and (no doubt) an air of hard-won confidence.
Whether what the adult knows would undermine the sense of childish wisdom, I don't know. It may be that the older Elsa reveals that the child is wrong at times, which could break your reader's heart a little, because she matters to us so much. That's no bad thing, though.
If you are inspired to add something at the end of a chapter, then try it. You won't know otherwise. It may be stepping out of your comfort zone, for example, or it may just not fit with the tone of the piece. I think it could work very well so long as you don't give away the answer to the question, did she fly away? That needs to be kept to the end!
Hope this helps.
Lorraine