Welcome back to our discussion about point of view (POV).
I want to continue to build on what I talked about last time.
In the last post, I explored what point of view actually is. Now I’m going to break down three different types of POV. Note that these are not the only other points of view, but ones used most often in fiction.
First Person Point of View
This is when the narrator is a character in the story, using “I” or “we.” The reader experiences the world directly through the eyes of that character. This POV creates a personal and/or intimate connection with the reader, but it can also limit information. Remember, the character can only know what he or she perceives.
Example:
Outside house character: The lights in the house went off, but I wouldn’t move yet. I shifted the weapon to my left hand. I needed the element of surprise on my side so the timing had to be perfect. So did my aim.
If I wanted to blatantly show how the character was limited in information, I’d switch to another point of view of someone inside the house:
Inside house character: With the lights off, I sat away from the windows and directly across from the front door. I held the gun in my lap, fingers curled around the grip. He’d be coming soon, but I was ready.
Books written in first person:
The Shack
The Great Gatsby
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Third Person
Third person is probably the most common point of view used in fiction. There are several advantages to using this. Writers are able to shape a story around one or more protagonists or the villain, but still remain “distant” enough to describe what’s happening around the characters.
Example:
Dr. Maya Sullivan lay still, ears ringing, heart thundering. Was it over? The roar of the avalanche had begun as a quiet rumble, like thunder rolling in from the distance.
Third Person Limited
This point of view is when an author writes a story from the point of view of a single character. But again, the advantage is they can also describe things around them by using the five senses.
Example:
Oliver stood frozen in the doorway. His mind raced, trying to make sense of the scene before him.
Books written in third person limited:
The Hunger Games
Divine by Karen Kingsbury
Never Fall Again by Lynn H. Blackburn
Any Love Inspired book that’s ever been published
Third Person Omniscient
This point of view is when the narrator knows everything—what every character is thinking, feeling, and doing at all times. The omniscient narrator can give the reader insight into multiple characters’ perspectives within the same scene. (I call this head-hopping.) This is not currently a very popular POV with publishers; and I recommend you stay away from it unless you know how to do it really, really well. It can make the reader feel detached from the story and the characters.
Example:
Oliver stood in the doorway, unaware that just upstairs, Rachel was making a life-changing decision of her own. She hadn’t told him yet, but the truth would come out soon.
Popular books written in omniscient POV:
Lord of the Flies
Charlotte’s Web
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Which POV type do you use for your WIP (Work in Progress)?
Here are a couple of exercises if you’d like to try your hand at something fun:
- Exercise 1: Take a scene you’ve written and rewrite it from another character’s POV. How does it change the way the reader understands the story? Does it change the way you understand it?
- Exercise 2: Write a brief scene using omniscient POV (this is actually very hard to do right), and then rewrite it in limited POV. Ask yourself which version feels more personal.
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So what now of my story,
a tale that’s claimed by God?
There’s not much here of glory,
and each day wields a rod
with which I am cruelly flayed
beyond salt tears and breath,
and yet that surcease is delayed,
the bennison of death.
In sunny days I thought to ride,
upon His shoulder, long of sight,
but now I’d really like to hide
within His heart, warmed by the light
that bids me trust one moment more
that there’s deliverance in store.
Beautiful, Andrew…:)
This is really helpful, Ms. Eason! Thank you so much for sharing these tips. I wrote my first novel in (what I though to be) third-limited, but I had a lot to learn about writing it correctly. 😆 Now I enjoy third person deep POV and I love trying out first person every now and then.
Thanks again for a helpful post!
I’m so glad you found this helpful! Thank you for letting me know. 🙂
Lynette
I do have a question… I’ve read articles written in a second-person point of view, mainly road tests in motoring mags (‘You walk up to the B Cobra for first introductions, and it fairly breathes a standoffish menace that turns your knees to pudding…’).
Has anyone attempted a book in 2pPOV? While a short article is a novelty, I would imagine it might be irritating at 70k words.
Second-person point of view is a beast. LOL. There have been books done this way, but they are few and far between for a reason. Personally, if I opened a book an it was in 2nd Person POV, I’d shut it and move on. That would definitely be irritating to me. Everyone has their own opinions and preferences, of course. But I’m with you. No thanks. Ha.
Thank you, Lynette. I have a question though. If each scene has one pov ( as it should), but the two scenes in the chapter are different pov, is that 3rd/limited or 3rd/ Omni?
Sincerely trying to get this right,
Caresse Carter
If there are two or three scenes in a chapter, each one is told from whatever POV type you are writing the story in. So, for example, if you’re writing third person limited or third person Deep POV, then you would write each scene that way from THAT character in the scene’s POV. I hope that makes sense. 🙂
Omniscient is FUN! It’s sort of like the narrator in “Our Town”. I chose to use italicized words within parentheses every time the “Omniscient Third Person” makes a comment. I call that person a cross between Ben Franklin, Mark Twain, and Will Rogers. It adds more of the tone I’m looking for.
I like omniscient (Our Town is a great example) when you want the feel of a story told around the campfire by a respected old storyteller whose tale every listener hangs onto. But if a reader simply wants to be transported into a story and personally “live” it, omniscient most likely won’t do the trick. Gets back to knowing your audience and knowing what you, the author, want the reader’s takeaway to be, not to mention what the market and the publisher is looking for.
Love your succinct presentation, Lynette, as always.
As a writing hack this week, I’m re-reading (in 10-15 minute breaks) a wonderful book, The Lotus Eaters, (2010) by Tatjana Soli. She writes three different POVs throughout: each chapter shifting from of the three major characters to another. That in itself isn’t so uncommon, but this story flows so smoothly, is so beautifully woven, with only the most subtle nudge from one character’s head into another’s, so effectively done that I didn’t really notice the fact until today. Apropos of your post, the POV discipline within each chapter is expertly maintained, and the transitions are well-timed with hooks that never jar you but actually enlighten.
If you’ve never read it, you might want to check it out.
Thanks for your excellent instruction.