Selecting a point of view for your stories is a critical step to finding your voice in writing.
When you begin to write, whether a short story or novel, you first need to know from which point of view (POV) the story will be told. You can always change this once the story is written or just doesn’t work out the way you had intended, but it’s best to plan from the beginning. Experiment with points of view, then choose a POV and stick with it till you’ve proven to yourself it’s not the right one for you.
You cannot successfully write a story unless you’ve first chosen your point of view. Whose story will you be telling? Who is your most important character? Do you tell the story through their eyes or do you tell it through someone else watching that person move through the action?
1st Person POV – The story is told through the mind of one character. 1st Person is also used when the author is telling a story or nonfiction experience from his or her own POV. When writing this way, what unfolds in the telling can only be what the point of view character perceives. The author cannot provide a point of view from another character’s mind.
2nd Person POV – The writer speaks directly to another character using you. 2nd Person is the least favored and most difficult point of view to use in fiction. The reader then becomes the protagonist; the hero or heroine. Among the many POVs in which Joyce Carol Oates writes, she offers us great examples of 2nd Person.
3rd Person POV – Stories are usually written through the main character’s POV. Use 3rd person to replace the tightness of 1st and 2nd Person in a story. 3rd Person can be broken down into varying styles of points of view. Here are three:
3rd Person Limited – This means that the entire story is written from the main character’s POV and everything is told in past tense. The reader gets to know only what the POV character knows. I find this stimulating because it can hide the obvious and keep the climax a secret till the POV character solves the mystery at the riveting ending. This is the POV that is easiest to read and is most readily accepted by publishers.
3rd Person Omniscient – The narrator takes an all encompassing view of the story action. Many points of view can be utilized. This can be quite an intricate way to write because too much detail needs to be included and may over-complicate the story. A poorly written omniscient story may inadvertently give away the ending thereby deflating a reader’s enjoyment. A well-written story in this POV was And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.
3rd Person Multiple – The story is told from several characters’ points of view. Though difficult, this could have the effect of heightening drama and action if successful. Writing from multiple characters’ points of view can become overly complicated, deflating the joy of creating the story. Tony Hillerman’s Coyote Waits is a great example of success with this POV.
No Set Rule Applies
No set rule for points of view applies when writing. A writer usually sticks to the POV that feels comfortable.
A great exercise for beginning writers is to write several paragraphs, including dialogue, from each POV. You will know immediately what feels right for your way of storytelling. You can also know what feels right for you by studying books you’ve already read that were easiest for you to understand.
I suggest you stick with one character’s POV to begin. Even successful writers risk giving readers whiplash when pinging back and forth between points of view.
Nora Roberts head-hops but does it with such skill the reader barely notices the jumps.
Once you have established your favored POV, get busy writing your story. Your voice will develop as you write. Voice is your storytelling ability; it leads to developing your style.
I like third person limited with bits of omniscient. For instance, sentences like ‘if only Mae knew what awaited her’ throughout an otherwise 3rd person limited lens. Is there a name for that? Anyway, thanks for this post!
Yes, I’ve seen stories written like that. It’s a bit of “author intrusion,” not necessarily omniscient since omniscient POV would tell the story from several POVs. If that comment could be made to come from another character, then it is omniscient.