Types of Point of View
Erik (ThisKidReviewsBooks) has graciously requested a blog post on types of POV, and I am happy for the request! If anybody else has anything they’d like to see addressed in this series, please don’t hesitate to mention it.
While writing, an author may try out different types of POV (point of view) until they find one they are happy with. Each POV type has benefits and pitfalls, and some of them just feel more natural than others.
The most common POV style is third person. Using third person feels natural because it’s the style most storytellers use when narrating a piece of fiction. The following paragraph is taken from The Poor Girl by Deborah Marree Wise, which I edited (used with permission). It was written in third person:
<ital>Alone again, she began looking for somewhere to escape the crowd. She’d already had more than she could bear in confrontation, and the noise and crush of the room was stifling. She was afraid to stand still again, in case someone else saw it as an opportunity to give her the benefit of their opinion.</ital>
You can tell it’s third person by the use of the pronouns she and her. It also happens to be written in past tense. I’m going to leave all the examples in past tense, but they also could be crafted in present tense.
Now let’s look at this written in second person.
<ital>Alone again, you began looking for somewhere to escape the crowd. You’d already had more than you could bear in confrontation, and the noise and crush of the room was stifling. You were afraid to stand still again, in case someone else saw it as an opportunity to give you the benefit of their opinion.</ital>
Second person POV has the effect of really drawing the reader into the story, making them feel a part of it first-hand. It’s not used often in fiction writing, though. The most frequent use of second person POV is in books where the reader chooses what steps to take next in the story, leading to a different outcome every time.
Here is the same material written in first person:
<ital>Alone again, I began looking for somewhere to escape the crowd. I’d already had more than I could bear in confrontation, and the noise and crush of the room was stifling. I was afraid to stand still again, in case someone else saw it as an opportunity to give me the benefit of their opinion.</ital>
I happen to enjoy reading first person material, but other readers hate it. It also draws the reader into the story, but has a distinct limitation. The main character—and, therefore, the reader—can’t know anything they don’t already know. For instance, if the main character—I, in this case—is meeting somebody for the first time, they can’t know any prior history about them. There is no additional information or backstory that can be imparted. This is especially true if it’s written in present tense.
I hope you found this useful, Erik! 🙂
Next week we’ll discuss ‘Ellipses’
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NOTE:
This series is not meant to be (nor will it be) simple static information.
I’ll be here for each post to answer questions, offer suggestions as necessary, and interact with you.
If there’s something you specifically want (or need!) to see addressed in terms of self-editing, please let me know in the comments under this, or any of the articles of the series.
Susan
EDITING – NON-EDITING – BOOK FORMATTING
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Reblogged this on Viv Drewa – The Owl Lady.
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Thanks for sharing Viv 🦉❤🦉
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Thank you, Viv!
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Reblogged this on Orthografia.
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Thank you! 😀
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You are welcome!
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What about when two characters are having a conversation, with one of them the POV character, and a third character enters the scene – is describing the third person’s actions, slotted between the conversation, head hopping or just plain narrative?
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No, describing the third person’s actions is not head hopping. Describing their feelings, probably—unless somehow they’re plainly obvious. 😀
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Ha, ha 🙂 When I say ‘bed’ I actually mean shutting down the computer then sitting up in bed for two hours or more writing (I ‘write’ longhand then type it up the next day) followed by half an hour of reading, time I get between the covers it’s usually gone 4.00am.
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😀 Yes, when I go to “bed” I play a couple of games on my tablet and do some scheduled reading! But not too long—definitely not until 4 a.m.!
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I tend to sit up late. Sometimes writing. sometimes reading, and sometimes a bit of both. I have a question. I’m working on an SF series. I’ve never written this genre before and it is new but that is not part of my question. What is happening in this series is that there are two main characters. the one tells the story in the first person from her POV and the other’s story is told in the third person is this method wrong? I’ve seen it done in a couple books, but the only thing I’ve ever published thus far has been my own story and it was Nonfiction and I did tell it in the first person. Thanks.
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Sounds interesting! And nothing is “wrong” if you can pull it off. 😀
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When people mention alternating first and third POV, and that it shouldn’t be done, I always think of ‘The Carpetbaggers’ – massive seller back in the 60’s when it was THE book to read.
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