Point Of View: What You Need To Know
Let’s Talk Narrative Viewpoint.
Narrative viewpoint is something I see many new writers struggle with, and it’s one of the first things I address when a client begins working with me.
When I started writing fiction, I didn’t understand it either, and I was a good 40K into my first story before I figured out where I’d gone wrong. So I hope to save you some of the same heartaches.
What is Point of View?
Point of view is the vehicle you use to deliver your story. It refers to who is narrating the tale and how it unfolds.
If the story works, the narrator typically feels invisible (unless the author wants the opposite); the story flows effortlessly, and you, as the reader, never stop to think about how the tale is being told or by whom. If you do, the magic is broken.
The cardinal rule of POV is consistency.
Think of it as an agreement between the writer and the reader. The writer agrees not to change the game for the reader after they’ve started, and the reader agrees to call the writer out if they do.
Therefore, the writer must be consistent in their POV choice across the entire novel.
That doesn’t mean you can’t have more than one POV. Of course, you can.
What you cannot do is be inside two heads in one scene. That’s head hopping, and you risk confusing the reader.
So remember to give the scene to one character and stay in that character’s head (perspective).
I know, I know, the classics and some of your favorite authors do it. I said the same thing. But my advice is if you are a new writer learning the ropes or a new author trying to break in, don’t start there. Head hopping is frowned upon by agents and readers.
So please repeat after me: I will not switch point-of-view characters within a scene.
Okay, now that you know the rules, let’s talk specifics.
What are the different points of view?
There are three distinct points of view, and they differ in pronoun utilization but also in how much access the reader has to the character’s perspectives and knowledge of story events.
First-Person POV: The narrator is a character in the story (not necessarily the protagonist), and the story is told from their perspective only.
Pronouns: I, me, myself, mine.
Advantages:
Creates intimacy for the reader
A relatively straightforward POV to write because we tell stories like this all the time. It’s the way we speak (if it’s in past tense).
Disadvantage:
The reader can only know what the character knows, so the amount of exposition conveyed is limited.
Repetitive/redundant if the writer overuses the I pronoun to begin each sentence/paragraph.
It isn’t easy to describe what the POV character looks like. We don’t usually describe ourselves, so the writer will need to get creative here.
Second-Person POV: The least common POV in fiction. The reader is essentially made to be the narrator.
Pronouns: You, Yours
Advantages:
Creates immediate reader intimacy with the story.
It’s damn interesting to read when done well.
Disadvantages:
Difficult to pull off an entire novel with this POV.
You can exhaust your reader and yourself—many authors who use the second-person POV intermix it with different POV types to break it up and add variety.
Third-Person POV: There is an invisible, outside narrator who tells the tale about a character or characters.
Pronouns: He, She, It, They, and their variations.
Advantages:
Using an outside narrator can expand the story’s scope and convey more information about the character they would not naturally reveal.
Disadvantages:
Sometimes, it creates a less intimate experience for the reader, but I think it depends on how it’s written.
The writer will need to watch their use of distancing language: she felt, he saw, they heard, and she realized. You get what I mean.
Breaking Down Third-Person POV
There are several different types of third-person POV.
Third-person limited: The narrator closely follows a single character and narrates the story from that character’s perspective only (much like 1st person). We can only know what the character knows and feels.
Third-person multiple: Here, we have multiple narrators in the third person. Think Game of Thrones; still, you are only in one character’s head at a time.
Third-person objective: The narrator reports only objective findings and does not have access to the character’s internal thoughts/feelings.
Third-person omniscient (the all-knowing narrator): This narrator knows everything about the story, what everyone thinks and feels, and they relay the story of one or multiple characters.
Pronouns are the same as third-person limited and multiple: he, she, they, his, hers, their.
Advantages: Great for vast epic adventures: think Dune. The narrator can have a very distinct voice. The actor Wilford Brimley comes to mind. For books, think Lemony Snicket. You can play with dramatic irony (readers know something the character doesn’t see coming) because you have the advantage of knowing everything about the story.
Disadvantages: Hard to pull off, can be distancing, there’s a risk of giving too much away too soon and losing the element of suspense, and even though you could technically jump into another character’s head during a scene, it’s not recommended.
Remember the cardinal rule for POV: consistency.
How do you choose which POV to use?
Consider the tone of the story you want to write, how much you want your reader to know, and how much distance you want between your reader and your character.
Look at books in the genre you are writing, see what’s out there, how it’s done, and how well it’s performing, and lastly, consider your experience level.
Don’t be afraid to take pronouns for a test drive.
Try a POV on for size and see what feels right.
