Point of What?

Point of View (POV)

Before you start writing your novel, you have to sit down and ask yourself a question that could potentially change the book you had in mind.

You've got to ask yourself:

What point of view do I want to use?

Well, my little lovelies, you've got a few different choices here. You can go with third person--Limited or Omniscient--or first person--my personal favorite--or even second person.

Let me start off by explaining the differences...

-Third Person-

With third person, you type "he" and "she." It's probably the most common POV used by writers and is usually written in past tense (but there's no rule saying it has to be).

Limited~ The writer should usually focus on the thoughts and feelings of ONE character. If you want to head-hop, do it between chapters and try to make the transitions as smooth as possible.

Omniscient~ This is popular with epic fantasy writers--think Tolkien. This point of view lets you see what's going on with pretty much every character. Sometimes the story is told through the eyes of the hero, sometimes it's the sidekick, sometimes it's the villain.

-First Person-

With first person, you type "I" and "me." This POV is really growing in popularity--I know it's my favorite. This focuses solely on the thoughts/feelings/experiences of ONE character.

-Second Person-

Quite possibly the rarest POV, second person is when you type "you." You don't see this perspective too often--it's used mainly for Choose Your Own Adventure books (who doesn't love those? lol).

*Advantages*

-Third Person Limited-

*Possibly the easiest to master.

*You're allowed to show more than one character's POV.

*Doesn't sound quite as monotonous as first person.

*Readers are used to seeing it.

*You don't have to worry about character voice in your narrative.

(Let's say your MC is a bad boy. If you're writing in first person, you can't get all flowery when describing the sunset or whatever because your bad boy would never describe something that way.)

-Third Person Omniscient-

*Possibly the easiest to handle.

*You can drop information whenever you want.

*You're allowed to get into ALL your characters' heads if you want.

*Gives your reader a wide-spread view of the story and the world it takes place in.

-First Person-

*Sucks the reader in a bit more than the others.

*More intense.

*Helps the reader bond with the MC.

*Writing "I" seems to be more natural than writing "he" and "she."

-Second Person-

*Makes the reader feel like they're a part of the story--especially good if you're writing *ahem* erotica.

*Can be pretty fun to write.

(Is it totally obvious I don't know much about second person? Haha.)

*Disadvantages*

-Third Person Limited-

*The temptation to head-hop is insatiable.

*Doesn't hit as hard as fist person.

*If you're using more than one POV, the story can feel inconsistent.

*You can't give out information your POV character doesn't have.

-Third Person Omniscient-

*The story-telling can seem shallow.

*The reader can become detached from the characters/lack empathy for them.

*Your reader is very aware of the narrator.

*Every POV character has to be distinctive.

-First Person-

*Has been called the hardest POV to master.

*Your MC has to be in EVERY important scene.

*Your readers only get the thoughts/feelings of your MC.

*Writing "I" sometimes lets the writer put too much of themselves in their MC.

*If your MC isn't someone your readers will like, they probably won't read it.

-Second Person-

*Extremely difficult to pull off.

*Can be very jarring for a reader.

*No one likes to be bossed around and this POV sometimes feels that way.

Let's see how POV can affect a scene, shall we?

-Third Person Limited-

Shannon leaned against the door frame, watching the sun dip below the horizon. Brilliant reds and pinks and purples danced across the sky--bleeding together in the most perfect of ways--but she could hardly enjoy it. The floorboards behind her creaked, startling her out of her daze. Spinning around, Shannon sighed and covered her heart with her hand.

"Oh, Dave," she said, steadying her breathing, "it's just you."

-Third Person Omniscient-

Shannon leaned against the door frame, watching the sun dip below the horizon. The sky was alive with brilliant colors, but she could barely enjoy it. She was too deep in thought to pay attention. Behind her, Dave stepped into the room, watching his wife with heartache flashing in his eyes. The floor squealed under his feet and Shannon spun around.

Covering her heart with her hand, she sighed and said, "Oh, Dave...it's just you."

-First Person-

I leaned against the door frame, trying to enjoy one of the most amazing sunsets I'd ever seen, but my mind was too cluttered. After everything that happened with Sal, I was surprised Dave stuck around. My heart ached as I thought about Dave--he could walk out on me at any moment now and I'd deserve it.

The floor squeaked, sending my heart jumping into my throat. I spun around, half-expecting to see Sal, but it was only Dave. Sighing, I put my hand over my heart.

"Oh, Dave...it's just you."

-Second Person-

You lean against the door frame, half-watching as the sun dips below the horizon. The sky is alive with the most amazing colors you've ever seen, but you're finding it hard to enjoy. Your mind is on other things--one thing in particular. Dave.

Now that he's found out about your affair, he could leave you at any given time. Your heart aches at the very thought.

Behind you, the floorboards issue a tiny squeak, startling you. You spin around, but it's only Dave. Sighing, you put your hand over your heart and say, "Oh, Dave...it's just you."

You see what kind of effect the POV can have on your scene?

It's very important and shouldn't be taken lightly. Think for a while about what POV you want to use before diving into your story.

It'll save you hours of wasted time later if you decide you want to do something else.

I can't tell you which POV is best for your story, but my advice would be to take a potential scene--opening, middle, ending, whatever--and write it out in all the POVs. Go with whichever sounds the best and flows the smoothest.

Hope this helps!

If you've got any questions or have a suggestion for a future topic, just leave a comment and I'll get right on it!

Happy writing, lovelies.