Point of View (POV) is integral to telling compelling stories and eliciting emotions from your readers. Let's start with a definition. Point of View expresses who is telling your story and what that narrator's relationship is to the story. It's very similar, if not synonymous, with the Voice of the story. While POV is a decision you must make before you start writing an entire story, there's an opportunity for creative exploration. Don't be afraid to take some time to write a scene you want in your story from a few different points of view. This could help you decide which one would be the most effective to get your point across. At this point, you may be asking, 'What are the different points of view to choose from?' Let's get into it!
First-person POV — This is when the narrative is told from the viewpoint of the character 'I.' Only what 'I' feel, believe, know, and observe can be shared with the reader. It's a powerful choice if you want to establish a strong connection between the reader and the character, as it allows the reader to delve into the thoughts of the first-person narrator. You'll often see the pronouns' me,' 'we,' and 'us' in the first-person POV.
Example — The brisk Autumn air caresses my skin as I walk through the grove of apple trees on Deacon Hill. It's merely 6:00 am, and the sun's gleam has yet to grace the rows of fruit. It's a pleasant morning for a stroll, although I hesitated to leave my snug bed. As I meander the paths, I wonder how the trees feel when the morning light touches their branches. Is it gratifying to sense the warmth? Or do they prefer the cool morning twilight? The trees rustle, and Fall colors crescendo in the air around me as leaves depart from their branches and fly toward the horizon.
Who is speaking? — In this case, the narrator, 'I,' describes what they think, feel, and do. The reader is only told what is occurring and what 'I' is thinking from 'I's perspective.
Second-person POV — This is when the narrative is told from the viewpoint of 'you.' The writer tells 'you,' the reader, what 'you' feel, believe, know, and observe. This tactic involves allowing the reader to feel participatory in the story.
Example — The brisk Autumn air caresses your skin as you walk through the grove of apple trees on Deacon Hill. It's only 6:00 am, and the sun's gleam has yet to grace the rows of fruit. It's a pleasant morning for a stroll, but you struggled to remove yourself from the snugness of your bed. As you meander the paths, you wonder how the trees feel when the morning light touches their branches. Is it gratifying to sense the warmth? Or do they prefer the cool morning twilight? You hear trees rustling and see waves of Fall colors whisking through the air as leaves depart from their branches and fly toward the horizon.
Who is speaking? — In this case, the narrator is the author describing what 'you' think, feel, and do. The reader is told what is happening to them and what they think and feel by using the pronoun 'you' to put the reader in the scene. The second-person POV encapsulates 'you' as both a character and the reader while also including the author.
Limited Third-person POV — This is when the narrative is told from the viewpoint of one singular 'she,' 'he,' or 'they.' In this perspective, the writer describes what one character does from an outsider's perspective. Only what is visible or known by the narrator can be in the reader's awareness, making it similar to first-person.
Example — The brisk Autumn air caresses Karina's skin as she walks through the grove of apple trees on Deacon Hill. It's only 6:00 am, and the sun's gleam has yet to bless the rows of fruit. Karina considers it a lovely morning for a stroll but had to lug herself from her cozy bed. As she meanders the paths, she bears a speculative expression. She wonders if it's gratifying for the trees to sense the warmth of the sunlight or if they prefer the chilly morning twilight. The trees rustle, and Fall colors crescendo around her as leaves depart from their branches and fly toward the horizon.
Who is speaking? — In this case, a third-person narrator describes what Karina thinks, feels, and does. However, the reader is only shown what occurs from the narrator's perspective of Karina's inner workings.
Third-person Omniscient POV — This is when the narrative is told from the viewpoint of an all-knowing entity. Omniscient still uses 'she,' 'he,' or 'they,' as in Limited Third-person, but the narrator can tell the reader what every character/thing sees, feels, and thinks, rather than being limited to one character. Everything is in the omniscient narrator's awareness.
Example — The brisk Autumn air caresses Karina's skin as she walks through the grove of barely awoken apple trees on Deacon Hill. It is only 6:00 am, and the sun's gleam has yet to bless the rows of fruit. The sun is still sleepy from the prior day of engulfing the world with light. It's not ready to begin the morning. Karina considers it a lovely morning for a stroll, although she had to rip herself away from her cozy bed. As the girl meanders the paths, she bears a speculative expression. She asks the trees if it's gratifying to sense the warmth of the sunlight or if they prefer the chilly morning twilight. The leaves rustle in response, thinking the sun's warmth is most welcome on a morning like this. They enjoy the rays that allow them to photosynthesize and nourish themselves each day. A whisk of wind releases the leaves from their home branches, and they feel liberated as they pilot themselves toward the horizon.
Who is speaking? — In this case, a third-person omniscient narrator describes what Karina thinks, feels, and does, as well as the sun and leaves. The narrator knows what is occurring in Karina's mind and what she is doing. The omniscient also knows the sun still feels tired from the previous day, and the leaves enjoy the sun and feel liberated after falling from the trees. The narrator knows all perspectives of all the people and things in the story.
Now that you know the options, how do you decide which POV to use? Well, you should ask yourself a few questions:
How much do you want the reader to know?
If you want the reader to be limited in their awareness, choosing first-person or third-person limited may be appropriate. These POVs limit the viewpoint to only one character.
What kind of story do you want to tell?
Do you want your story to be from the POV of someone in all the action, or do you want your story to be told outside of the action?
Would it be better if the reader could see inside your protagonist's mind to create empathy, or would it be best to have the reader use more inference?
Which character would tell the story the most effectively?
Maybe it would be best for your protagonist to tell the story because it's easier to understand from their POV. Maybe it would be better if your protagonist's best friend told the story so the reader could be more of an outsider. Maybe it would be better if an all-knowing entity told it so the reader could jump from character to character to get multiple POVs.
Who do you want to narrate your story?
Maybe you, the author, would like to tell your story because it is personal. Or perhaps you want a character to take over and tell their story.
Choosing a POV is a personal decision that affects the entirety of your narrative. The author's perspective vs. the protagonist's perspective vs. an outsider's perspective, etc., are all very different takes on the same story. Imagine if your dad was telling the story of your first day of school, and he thought you seemed excited, so he describes how happy you were and inputs his thoughts on the matter. But, in actuality, the first day of school was terrifying for you, and you were just acting excited to make everyone feel better. Those are two different stories about the same scenario. Deciding who you want the readers to understand the best and who would be the most appropriate to tell the story is essential.
Practice Exercise — Write about a memory you have from the first-person perspective, i.e., from your perspective using 'I.' Then, write the same story from an outsider's perspective. This outsider is observing you in the instance of your memory. Use either third-person limited or third-person omniscient.
How are the stories different? How are they the same?
Who did you choose to tell the third-person version of the story? Why?
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