Pronoun vs. Name Issue

In English prose, starting two sentences with he, she or it isn't generally frowned upon. Novelists do it frequently. The trick is not to make it obvious. I would split the sentence:

He holds on to John’s wrist, but he can barely make a sound due to how tightly John is holding him around his throat.

The sentence is too complex to create a good

I see. So you're saying it's better to have it: He holds on to John’s wrist. He can barely make a sound due to how tightly John is holding him around his throat. In which case it would be three sentences in a row that start with "He." I know that's okay; my original concern was that it would be too odd, since the first "he" refers to one man and then the followi

I didn't say you should start three sentences with "He". If you suddenly switch the action to another character, then yes, you need to make that clear (sorry, I didn't catch that. I somehow thought the whole scene is John's point of view). A change of POV usually calls for a new paragraph. Of course that is not a set rule. If you do head hopping, you need to tell the reader in which head (s)he's n

A Rabbit Made of SkyI somehow thought the whole scene is John's point of view

Well, it's both their POV. John is holding Patrick by the throat, and Patrick is holding on to John's wrist. So you're saying now, though, that it should be "Patrick holds" rather than "He holds."

SnarfWell, it's both their POV. John is holding Patrick by the throat, and Patrick is holding on to John's wrist.

Yes, you are going for the omniscient POV. But even then, at the moment of a particular action, the reader finds himself in the head of the character performing the action: John is holding Patrick by the throat (here, we are automatically John); Pa