We’ve been talking a lot about point-of-view (POV) here lately, most recently with a post exploring how the POV of our story shapes readers’ impression. As we discussed, from our readers’ perspective, our story is—in many respects—what our chosen POV tells readers it is.
The same plot and story events will feel very different to readers depending on if we use omniscient POV or 1st-person POV. Or if we write a story of a murder only from the perspective of the case’s detective (mystery genre) versus from the perspective of the murderer (dark anti-hero) versus from the perspective of the victim’s closest family member (emotional tragedy).
In every way, the POV we choose shapes and creates what our story will feel like to readers. So when deciding on our story’s POV, we might want to stop and think: What do we want readers to get out of our story and chosen POV?
