How to Choose the Right Point of View For Your Novel

One of the most powerful tools in a writer’s storytelling arsenal is point of view (POV). It shapes how your readers experience your story, how much they know at any given moment, and how emotionally connected they feel to your characters.

And yet, POV is something many new writers struggle with. That was certainly the case when I began writing. I was more than 40,000 words into my first novel before I realized I didn’t understand how to use POV. That discovery came only after receiving feedback from a book coach, and while it was a tough pill to swallow at the time (starting over is no one’s favorite), it ultimately taught me a critical lesson: getting POV right matters.

If you’re unsure how to approach point of view in your novel—or whether the one you’ve chosen is working—this article will walk you through the options, the advantages and limitations of each, and how to make POV choices that serve your story.

What Is POV?

Point of view is the lens through which a story is told. It determines:

• Who is telling the story

• How much the reader knows

• How emotionally connected the reader feels with the narrator

When POV is executed well, it often fades into the background. Readers feel immersed without noticing the mechanics behind it. But when POV is inconsistent or unclear, it can break that immersive spell, leaving readers confused or disconnected.

If there’s one essential POV guideline to keep in mind, it’s this: stay consistent within a scene.
Switching between characters' inner thoughts without a clear break—commonly called head hopping—is a fast track to reader disorientation. While some seasoned authors can make this work, it's rarely effective for those still developing their narrative control.

The Three Core POV Options

Let’s look at the major types of point of view and what each can offer your story.

1. First Person (I, me, my)

This POV places the reader inside one character’s perspective, often the protagonist’s. It creates intimacy and a strong narrative voice, which is excellent for emotional arcs, suspense, or unreliable narrators.

Strengths:

• Deep connection to the narrator’s voice and worldview

• Naturally limited information (great for building mystery)

• Immediate access to the character’s internal state

Challenges:

• Can feel claustrophobic if overused

• Often leads to repetitive sentence structures (“I did this,” “I felt that”)

• Describing the protagonist objectively can be awkward

Tips for avoiding repetition:

• Open scenes with setting, action, or sensory detail rather than always leading with “I”

• Use interior monologue or implication (“Would he call back?” instead of “I wondered if…”)

• Vary sentence rhythm with fragments, voice, and body language cues

2. Second Person (you, your)

This POV casts the reader as the protagonist, or as a character being addressed. It’s rarely used in long-form fiction but can be incredibly effective in small doses.

Strengths:

• Creates immediacy and intimacy

• Can unsettle or surprise the reader in a powerful way

Challenges:

• Difficult to sustain across an entire novel

• Can feel gimmicky or alienating if not handled with care

Examples include You by Caroline Kepnes and The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin, both of which use second person in different but highly effective ways.

3. Third Person (he, she, they)

Third Person is flexible and arguably the most commonly used POV in fiction. It includes several variations:

• Third Person Limited: Focuses on one character’s perspective at a time. Readers can only know and feel what that character experiences, though you do have the flexibility to pull back and slip into exposition without pulling the reader out of the story, so long as it’s not an info dump.  

• Third Person Close/Deep: A subcategory of limited POV that mirrors the character’s voice, thoughts, and emotional lens closely—often as intimate as first person, but with third person pronouns.

• Third Person Limited Multiple: Alternates between several characters limited perspectives, one per scene or chapter. Think Game of Thrones.

• Third Person Omniscient: An all-knowing narrator who can access any character’s thoughts, provide commentary, and share past or future events. This works well for epic, expansive stories (Lord of the Rings, Dune), but requires great control.

• Third Person Objective: A fly-on-the-wall approach—no internal thoughts, just observable action and dialogue. Rare in fiction, but useful for building subtext and tension (see Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants”).

Tips for writing third person limited/close:

• Anchor firmly in one character per scene

• Let the character’s worldview and voice shape the narrative language

• Use interiority and sensory detail to ground emotion and deepen connection

• Be mindful of narrative distance and exercise flexibility—pull close during emotional moments and pull back for pacing or transition

Can You Mix POVs?

Yes—with clear intention and boundaries.

You can absolutely alternate between POV types across a novel—say, one character in first person and another in third limited. Or you might use omniscient narration for key prologues or transitions and stay in close third the rest of the time.

Just be sure:

• You’re consistent within each scene

• You’re clear about why the shift is happening

• The changes serve the story rather than distract from it

The Harry Potter series is a great example. Most of it is in third-person limited from Harry’s perspective, but select scenes (like the openings of Sorcerer’s Stone and Goblet of Fire) use a more omniscient frame to set tone and stakes by sharing things Harry could never know.

How to Choose the Right POV for Your Story

There’s no universal rule here, but these questions can help guide your decision:

• How close do you want readers to feel to your protagonist?
  If you want intimacy and emotional immediacy, consider first-person or third-person close.

• Should readers know more than your characters?
  If yes, omniscient or alternating POVs may suit you. If no, stick with limited/close or first person.

• Is this a personal emotional journey or a broader ensemble story?
  A character-driven journey might call for first person or close third. A story with multiple threads might need multiple POVs or omniscient narration.

Still unsure? Try writing a few scenes from different points of view. Sometimes the story itself tells you what it needs.

Final Thoughts

Point of view is more than just a technical choice—it’s a storytelling strategy. It can shape everything from your reader’s emotional connection to how your plot unfolds. Learning how to wield it takes time and practice, but it’s a skill worth developing.

So be curious. Experiment. And above all, be intentional. The more you write, the more instinctively you’ll know when POV is serving your story—and when it’s getting in the way.

Keep writing. Keep exploring. And as always, you can revise later.