point of view

Several of the books I have read lately have had interesting point-of-view choices. Leviathan has two third person limited POVs that switch every two chapters. Griffin Rising has a mixture of third person limited, omniscient, and first person over three or more characters. The Time Traveler’s Wife has two first person POVs with no alternating pattern. There is nothing wrong with any of these choices. The author effectively conveys the story with the chosen point-of-view.

When I write, I use third-person limited. I have dabbled in first person a few times, trying to branch out, but I just can’t do it. For some reason, I can’t get into a story when I write from a first person POV. I can get into second person before first person.

How do you choose which point-of-view to write with? Do you know the difference?

First Person point-of-view is the most personal. The story is told from the character’s mind, as they see, hear, and feel the world around them, and it’s told in the character’s voice. The reader can easily access the character’s thoughts and feelings without a narrative filter. For example:

I checked my breath as David walked around the hood of his Camaro. Minty. Kissable. He opened the driver side door and slid into his seat. With a grin, he shifted into gear and we were on our way to the convention center. The butterflies in my stomach turned to worms. I flexed my cold, shaky fingers and smoothed the red satin around my thighs. I wanted to throw up. I wanted to dance. I wanted to do some super spy maneuver and jump out of the Camaro before I embarrassed myself. What would Kim say when she saw us walk in together? The worms turned into grasshoppers. Me and David.  Not Kim and David. Shawna freaking Hall and David freaking Watson. Shawna who-didn’t-think-hot-boys-knew-she-existed Hall and David so-freaking-hot-the-sun-needed-sunscreen-when-he-went-outside Watson. Together. At prom.

Second Person point-of-view is the most unorthodox. Few people use it effectively. The idea is that the reader is the main character. It’s almost always used with present tense. For example.

You check your breath as David walks around the hood of the Camaro. Minty. Kissable. He opens the driver side door and slides into his seat. With a grin, he shifts into gear and you’re on your way to the convention center. The butterflies in your stomach turn to worms. You flex your cold, shaky fingers and smooth the red satin around your thighs. You want to throw up. You want to dance. You want to do some super spy maneuver and jump out of the Camaro before you embarrass yourself. What will Kim say when she sees you walk in together? The worms turn into grasshoppers. You and David. Not Kim and David. You, who didn’t think hot boys knew you existed, and David, who is so freaking hot the sun needs sunscreen when he goes outside. Together. At prom.

Third Person Limited is the most used POV next to first person. The story is filtered through the narrator’s voice instead of the main character’s. When used effectively, it can be just as personal as first person. The story is still told through the character’s eyes, just with a narrative filter. For example:

Shawna checked her breath as David walked around the hood of his Camaro. Minty. Kissable. He opened the driver side door and slid into his seat. With a grin, he shifted into gear and they were on their way to the convention center. The butterflies in her stomach turned to worms. She flexed her cold, shaky fingers and smoothed the red satin around her thighs. She wanted to throw up. She wanted to dance. She wanted to do some super spy maneuver and jump out of the Camaro before she embarrassed herself. What would Kim say when she saw them walk in together? The worms turned into grasshoppers. Her and David. Not Kim and David. Shawna freaking Hall and David freaking Watson. Shawna who-didn’t-think-hot-boys-knew-she-existed Hall and David so-freaking-hot-the sun-needed-sunscreen-when-he-went-outside Watson. Together. At prom.

Third Person Objective is used less often. This POV isn’t partial to any specific character. It’s impersonal, without seeing what is in the character’s mind.

Shawna checked her breath as David walked around the hood of his Camaro. He opened the driver side door and slid into his seat. With a grin, he shifted into gear and they were on their way to the convention center. Shawna flexed her cold, shaky fingers and smoothed the red satin around her thighs. David glanced at her as he turned down Main St. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. At the convention center, Kim sat outside, dateless.

Third Person Omniscient takes the best of the above point-of-views and works them into the story together. It sees everyone and knows what everyone is thinking. You could call it Omnipresent too.

Shawna checked her breath as David walked around the hood of his Camaro. Minty. Kissable.

David smoothed his hair over, checking his reflection in the window. Handsome as ever. He hoped Shawna thought so. She had never given him a second glance before this week. He opened the driver side door and slid into his seat. He grinned nervously at Shawna and shifted the car into gear. They were on their way to the convention center.

Shawna stared out the window. The butterflies in her stomach turned to worms. She flexed her cold, shaky fingers and smoothed the red satin around her thighs. She wanted to throw up. She wanted to dance. She wanted to do some super spy maneuver and jump out of the Camaro before she embarrassed herself.

David glanced at her as he turned down Main St. She looked completely different. Her hair was slicked back into a twisty thing on the top of her head, and she had glitter on her face. She looked nervous, maybe just as nervous as he was. He wished he had told someone who he was taking to prom. Everyone thought he and Kim would go together. They were a sure pick for King and Queen. What would they say when he showed up with Shawna on his arm? What would Kim say? He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel for something to do. The silence was unbearable.

Shawna bit her lip. What would Kim say when she saw them walk in together? The worms turned into grasshoppers. Her and David. Not Kim and David. Shawna freaking Hall and David freaking Watson. Shawna who-didn’t-think-hot-boys-knew-she-existed Hall and David so-freaking-hot-the-sun-needed-sunscreen-when-he-went-outside Watson. Together. At prom.

Kim stared down Main St. waiting for David’s Camaro to drive into view. He wasn’t going to dump her at the last second. Not Kim Roberts, captain of the dance team, homecoming maid, and tonight’s Prom Queen. Kim Roberts didn’t get dumped. David would have to be her date. He couldn’t go alone.

Okay, so that last one was a really long example, but I’m guessing you get the point. To be perfectly honest, I think all of these examples work well. You can see how first person, second person, and third person limited are nearly identical except for pronouns (and verb tense in case of second person). Third person objective is the most distanced, and third person omniscient is the most personal in regards to how many persons it gets intimate with. Each writer has their own way of telling a story. There is no wrong way. So hopefully you have a better understanding of POV now, and maybe it was mildly entertaining too.