What's Your Point of View?
First-time novelists often struggle with choosing a point of view (PoV). Point of view is the manner in which the “voice” (or narration) of a story is told. As an editor, I would probably advise inexperienced novelists to stick to one point of view. That’s not to say a careful writer cannot change the point of view within a novel, but only if they weave together almost seamlessly, which few authors can achieve.
Point-of-view changes often jolt the reader out of one character’s life too abruptly (unless that is what you were aiming for!). Ah, yes, dear readers, there are always exceptions — that’s what makes writing, and studying the craft of writing, so exciting. Writers can choose one of the following points of view, or, as mentioned above, incorporate several into their novel.
First person. This is where your character writes about himself or herself as “I”. E.g. I can’t remember exactly when I discovered I wasn’t human. I suppose I was about four years old – in human years, that is. I know I had already discovered I didn’t have a dangly, wrinkled looking thing between my legs like my older brother Bob did. I remember being a little disappointed by that, so I suppose I was about four.”
First person is a good way to relate to your character as a writer (and, yes, you can even include some autobiographical elements) and create a believable voice for your protagonist. Many young adult novels are written in first person.
Second person. In second person PoV, the narrator refers directly to the audience or to character in the novel as “you”. E.g. You put down your hairbrush and set it on the nightstand, the set of your mouth indicating your unhappiness. Or, You are probably wondering, at this point, why I called you here to read this?
Second person is a popular PoV for Choose Your Own Adventure books. It makes the reader feel involved in the story. Second person is also common in self-help books and in marketing copy.
Third person objective. In this PoV, a narrator explains the actions of all characters by name (or using the pronouns they/he/she) but does not relay the thoughts or hidden motivations of any of the characters. For instance: The group struggled towards the stand of trees. Henry got there first and began to climb. “Sara,” said Ben, “here, I’ll give you a leg up.”
Third person subjective singular (or third person limited). This is where a narrator explains the actions of all characters by name, or using the pronouns they/he/she, but knows the thoughts or intentions of only one character. The group struggled towards the stand of trees. Henry got there first and began to climb. Better help the girls up first, thought Sam. “Sara,” said Ben, “here, I’ll give you a leg up.”
Third person omniscient. Here, an external, all-seeing narrator can explain the actions, thoughts, and motives of all characters. The group struggled towards the stand of trees. Henry got there first and began to climb. Better help the girls up first, thought Sam. “Sara,” he said, “here, I’ll give you a leg up.”
Well, at least Sam’s a gentleman, Sara mused. From the treetops, Henry realised he’d done it again. It wasn’t his fault chivalry didn’t come naturally to him. Stupid Sam, always showing me up, he thought.
Some writers refer to this as the “universal omniscient”, and it is sometimes called “Little did he know” style, because the narrator may give the reader forewarning of a character’s death or some other information unknown to the character. E.g. Little did Tom Bibot know, but the insurance policy was timely: by this time next month he’d be pushing up daisies.
Third person POV is sometimes known as “over the shoulder” narrative, and singular and third person omniscient sometimes even include the thoughts of an intrusive, but anonymous narrator. For an example, CS Lewis intrudes as the narrator in his Narnia Series when he writes, "For it is a very silly thing indeed to lock oneself in a wardrobe.” Third person omniscient allows the author to divulge what is happening to several characters even if they are separated by time or location, and also to show their internal thoughts and feelings. It is a popular choice for high fantasy or epic novels, which often have intricate plots and require lots of stories to be interwoven.
One rarely used PoV, although very effective on occasion, is First Person omniscient, in which a first person narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all other characters. Commonly, the first person narrator is a ghost or a dead person, as in Alice Sebold’s bestseller The Lovely Bones, or chapters narrated by Elspeth in Audrey Neffeneggar’s Her Fearful Symmetry. Markus Zusak’s award-winning novel The Book Thief is written from the first person omniscient point of view of Death.
Here are a few examples of the PoV in some famous novels:
First Person Singular
John Marsden: Tomorrow When the War Began & The Ellie Chronicles Series (very effective use of journal narration in first person)
Iris Murdoch: The Sea, The Sea
F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby
Jim Carroll: The Basketball Diaries
Harper Lee: To Kill a Mockingbird
DBC Pierre: Vernon God Little
JD Salinger: The Catcher in the Rye
First Person Plural
James Bradley: The Resurrectionist (first person plural “we”)
Isaac Asimov: I, Robot
First Person Omniscient
Markus Zusak: The Book Thief
Alice Sebold: The Lovely Bones
Second Person
Tim Winton: The Turning in the story “Long, Clear View”
Tom Robbins: Half Asleep in Frog Pyjamas
Albert Camus: The Fall
Third Person Omniscient
Phillip Pullman: His Dark Materials
JR Tolkien: Lord of the Rings
CS Lewis: The Chronicles of Narnia
JK Rowling: Harry Potter Series
Jostein Gaarder: Sophie’s World.
Leo Tolstoy: Anna Karenina
Novelists, want more on PoV?
Check out these links...
Absolute Write Article
Fiction Writers Mentor
Point-of-view changes often jolt the reader out of one character’s life too abruptly (unless that is what you were aiming for!). Ah, yes, dear readers, there are always exceptions — that’s what makes writing, and studying the craft of writing, so exciting. Writers can choose one of the following points of view, or, as mentioned above, incorporate several into their novel.
First person. This is where your character writes about himself or herself as “I”. E.g. I can’t remember exactly when I discovered I wasn’t human. I suppose I was about four years old – in human years, that is. I know I had already discovered I didn’t have a dangly, wrinkled looking thing between my legs like my older brother Bob did. I remember being a little disappointed by that, so I suppose I was about four.”
First person is a good way to relate to your character as a writer (and, yes, you can even include some autobiographical elements) and create a believable voice for your protagonist. Many young adult novels are written in first person.
Second person. In second person PoV, the narrator refers directly to the audience or to character in the novel as “you”. E.g. You put down your hairbrush and set it on the nightstand, the set of your mouth indicating your unhappiness. Or, You are probably wondering, at this point, why I called you here to read this?
Second person is a popular PoV for Choose Your Own Adventure books. It makes the reader feel involved in the story. Second person is also common in self-help books and in marketing copy.
Third person objective. In this PoV, a narrator explains the actions of all characters by name (or using the pronouns they/he/she) but does not relay the thoughts or hidden motivations of any of the characters. For instance: The group struggled towards the stand of trees. Henry got there first and began to climb. “Sara,” said Ben, “here, I’ll give you a leg up.”
Third person subjective singular (or third person limited). This is where a narrator explains the actions of all characters by name, or using the pronouns they/he/she, but knows the thoughts or intentions of only one character. The group struggled towards the stand of trees. Henry got there first and began to climb. Better help the girls up first, thought Sam. “Sara,” said Ben, “here, I’ll give you a leg up.”
Third person omniscient. Here, an external, all-seeing narrator can explain the actions, thoughts, and motives of all characters. The group struggled towards the stand of trees. Henry got there first and began to climb. Better help the girls up first, thought Sam. “Sara,” he said, “here, I’ll give you a leg up.”
Well, at least Sam’s a gentleman, Sara mused. From the treetops, Henry realised he’d done it again. It wasn’t his fault chivalry didn’t come naturally to him. Stupid Sam, always showing me up, he thought.
Some writers refer to this as the “universal omniscient”, and it is sometimes called “Little did he know” style, because the narrator may give the reader forewarning of a character’s death or some other information unknown to the character. E.g. Little did Tom Bibot know, but the insurance policy was timely: by this time next month he’d be pushing up daisies.
Third person POV is sometimes known as “over the shoulder” narrative, and singular and third person omniscient sometimes even include the thoughts of an intrusive, but anonymous narrator. For an example, CS Lewis intrudes as the narrator in his Narnia Series when he writes, "For it is a very silly thing indeed to lock oneself in a wardrobe.” Third person omniscient allows the author to divulge what is happening to several characters even if they are separated by time or location, and also to show their internal thoughts and feelings. It is a popular choice for high fantasy or epic novels, which often have intricate plots and require lots of stories to be interwoven.
One rarely used PoV, although very effective on occasion, is First Person omniscient, in which a first person narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all other characters. Commonly, the first person narrator is a ghost or a dead person, as in Alice Sebold’s bestseller The Lovely Bones, or chapters narrated by Elspeth in Audrey Neffeneggar’s Her Fearful Symmetry. Markus Zusak’s award-winning novel The Book Thief is written from the first person omniscient point of view of Death.
Here are a few examples of the PoV in some famous novels:
First Person Singular
John Marsden: Tomorrow When the War Began & The Ellie Chronicles Series (very effective use of journal narration in first person)
Iris Murdoch: The Sea, The Sea
F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby
Jim Carroll: The Basketball Diaries
Harper Lee: To Kill a Mockingbird
DBC Pierre: Vernon God Little
JD Salinger: The Catcher in the Rye
First Person Plural
James Bradley: The Resurrectionist (first person plural “we”)
Isaac Asimov: I, Robot
First Person Omniscient
Markus Zusak: The Book Thief
Alice Sebold: The Lovely Bones
Second Person
Tim Winton: The Turning in the story “Long, Clear View”
Tom Robbins: Half Asleep in Frog Pyjamas
Albert Camus: The Fall
Third Person Omniscient
Phillip Pullman: His Dark Materials
JR Tolkien: Lord of the Rings
CS Lewis: The Chronicles of Narnia
JK Rowling: Harry Potter Series
Jostein Gaarder: Sophie’s World.
Leo Tolstoy: Anna Karenina
Novelists, want more on PoV?
Check out these links...
Absolute Write Article
Fiction Writers Mentor