Writers in the Storm

by Lynette M. Burrows

The point of view influences every scene in your story. Ideally, your choice of a particular point of view (POV) seamlessly draws your reader into the story for a transformation (through education, entertainment, connection with characters, etc.) This is part two of a two post series on POV. In the first post, Choosing a Powerful Foundation for Your Story, the definition of point of view boiled down to the position which experiences or evaluates all events, places, things, and people in a story. That first post identified five different POVs, how to express each POV, and what each POV represents in the balance of power within a story. Today, in part two, we’ll discuss the strengths and limitations of each of those five POVs and tips on how to decide what to use or avoid for your story.

Strengths & Limitations

First Person

In this point of view, the reader assumes the character’s identity.

Strengths

• Creates immediate intimacy and connection by allowing the reader to experience the story through the eyes and emotions of a character.
• Can create complex, multi-dimensional characters to generate more empathy and investment in the story's outcome.
• Thoughts, emotions, and experiences happen in “real-time,” making the narrative feel more authentic, grounded, and believable.
• Can deliver an unreliable narrator in a way that creates suspense and intrigue for the reader.
• First Person POV can create a scene of incredible details
• When a first-person narrator knows much less than both the reader and the other characters that it creates comedy. In this strategy, the reader is laughing at the narrator, rather than with him or her. 

Limitations

• This POV restricts the reader to one perspective in each scene.
• Requires the reader to “adopt” the voice and personality of the character.
• Can create reliability questions. First person POV is by nature subjective and potentially unreliable. An overly biased or untrustworthy character can alienate readers and undermine the story’s credibility.
• First person POV lends itself to introspection. Too much introspection will slow the pace of the story.
• Too much action can leave readers feeling disconnected from the character. Finding the right proportion will keep readers engaged and invested in the story.
• POV slips can be especially jarring for readers.
• Can lead to a repetitive and tiresome use of the pronoun “I.” The writer must vary their sentence structure without making sentences convoluted.

Books in First Person POV

The Hunger Games by Susan Collins, The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

Second Person

This POV assumes the reader is the character and addresses the reader directly.

Strengths

• The most intimate POV provides an immediacy that can thrust the reader into the role of the character.
• It creates a unique and engaging experience for readers.
• This POV can be used to explore themes of identity, self-reflection, and the relationship between the reader and the story.
• Make certain you choose this POV because it works better for your story (more than style and desire to be literary)

Limitations

• It is the hardest POV to write effectively.
• Can create a feeling of self-accusation which can lead to reader discomfort and disconnection.
• It can be a lot to ask of your reader and of you. Written in present tense, it’s a challenge to create a suspension of disbelief. 
• Works better in short stories than in novels, it can by wearying
• It can create an uncomfortable intimacy if it creates a sense of complicity.

Books in First Person POV

The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin, Bright Lights, Big City by Jay Mcinerney, The Sound of My Voice by Ron Butlin, Ghost Light by Joseph O’Connor, Choose Your Own Adventure books.

Third Person

The reader is in the mind and body of the character whose experiencing this scene.

With the advantage of versatility, this POV, both close and limited, can work well in most genres. It provides some emotional distance, which allows the reader to form their own opinions and emotional connections with the characters.

Close Third Person

Strengths

• Offers intimacy of the first person while providing greater narrative flexibility, allowing the “camera” to pull back for wider shots.
• Allows deeper character development. The writer can focus on a character’s inner world without the limitations of the First Person POV.
• Maintains a strong character voice.
• Gives writer more control over information flow. Some information can be withheld to increase mystery and suspense.

Limitations

• Writers can confuse what they know and what the character does not know. For example: the sentence identifies a character by name that the POV has not yet met.
• Cannot show other characters’ internal thoughts or feelings.
• Requires balance of showing vs. telling to maintain a good pace.

Books in Close Third Person POV

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, The Dark Tower series by Stephen King, A Song of Fire and Ice by George R.R. Martin.

Limited Third Person

The reader doesn’t know everything that the character knows and often isn’t in the character’s body.

Strengths

• Offers intimacy of the first person while providing greater narrative flexibility, allowing the “camera” to pull back for wider shots.
• Gives writer more control over information flow.

Limitations

• It takes very skillful execution to avoid distancing the reader. 
• May create head hopping if shifts in POV aren’t clear.
• Requires balance of showing vs. telling.

Books in Limited Third Person POV

London by Edward Rutherfurd, 1984 by George Orwell, One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

Omniscient

The reader sees the scene from above with a little knowledge about every character in that scene

Strengths

• Provides maximum flexibility in time and space. 
• Allows insights into multiple characters, providing insights into the inner worlds of multiple characters, and creating a comprehensive, multi-perspectival narrative.
• Creates opportunities for dramatic irony
• Ensure that you develop this character thoroughly, providing insights into their thoughts, emotions, and motivations.

Limitations

• Can create emotional distance because it’s more than one person’s thoughts and feelings. Readers are watching and listening more than feeling.
• Requires skillful handling to avoid confusion in time or character.
• This POV can reveal too much and diminish the tension in the story.
• Jumping from character to character can fatigue a reader with a continuous shifting in focus and perspective.

Books in Omniscient POV

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

Objective

The reader knows nothing more than what the camera sees.

Strengths

• Provides impartiality.
• Creates suspense.
• Allows the reader to sift through the data and develop her own opinions.

Limitations

• Can only show actions and dialogue.
• Limits reader connection with emotional distance.
• Lacks character motivation and depth.
• Any interpretation by the author breaks the POV.

Books in Objective POV

Most of Hemingway’s work, The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett, The Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan

Tips

How to Choose a POV

• Think about the level of intimacy and detachment you want to convey to your readers.
• Whose story is it? If one character’s journey clearly dominates, the first person or close third person POV may work best.
• What information access serves the story? If dramatic irony (reader knowing more than the characters) is important, omniscient may be preferable.
• What emotional experience do you want to create for your readers? For maximum identification & empathy, first person or close third person may work best.
• Experiment. Try different points of view to see which feels most natural to you and which serves the story best.
• Pick the POV that plays to your writing strengths. Typically, that will be the POV that is the quickest for you to write.

Maximize the Strengths of Your Chosen POV

• Consistency is key. Switching between the different variations in POV can cause confusion and weaken the narrative.
• Use vivid descriptions to allow the readers to visualize the scenes and immerse themselves in the narrative.
• Focus on character development. This will help readers form a strong connection with the character and become invested in their journey.
• Dialogue is crucial for revealing character traits, relationships, and plot developments. Pay attention to the way your character speaks and interacts. 
• Watch the balance of showing verse telling. The right balance will help the reader understanding.
• Remember that every time you switch POV, your reader must step out of the story of one character and re-orient to the new POV. Too many POVs and you’ll lose your reader. Not firmly re-establishing your POV in the first sentence or two may also lose or at least confuse your reader.

Things to Remember

• When drafting your story, it is incredibly easy to make word choices or give information that is out of your chosen point of view. This is not a sign that you’re bad at writing or bad at creating a POV. But it requires careful reading of what you’ve written in order to edit out those mistakes.
• If you are still having trouble identifying which point of view is which, do a google search for point of view worksheets. The most common worksheets are for school-aged children and have examples that may help you.
• As with all writing “rules,” these are not unbendable. There is no right or wrong choice. Writers not only choose the point of view, they choose how particular to get about the way they write that POV. Ultimately, it’s about what pleases the reader and the writer.

Build Your Story’s Foundation with its Point of View

POV determines where the protagonist is present, the tone, the information flow, the level of intimacy, and emotional connection. An appropriate POV feels invisible because it’s so well suited to the story the readers forget they are experiencing a story through carefully designed lens.

Choose wisely and your readers may never consciously notice the architecture you’ve constructed because they’re so immersed in your story.

What POV do you prefer to write in and why? Is there a POV you haven’t tried and would like to?

About Lynette

Lynette M. Burrows is an author, blogger, writing coach, and Yorkie wrangler. She survived moving seventeen times between kindergarten and her high school graduation. Her stories weave her experiences into speculative fiction stories that balance character growth with thrilling action and social themes. 

Her Fellowship Dystopia series is an alternate history dystopian tale of a young woman of privilege who faces losing control of her life. Her desperation to avoid her fate leads to an escape and learning her world is far darker and more dangerous than she knew. And she faces a choice: return to suffocate under the rules or fight for her country and her life. Book One, My Soul to Keep, and Book Two, If I Should Die, are available at your favorite online book seller. Book Three, And When I Wake, will be published in 2025.

When Lynette’s not writing she avoids housework and plays with her two yorkies. They live in Dorothy’s home state of Kansas. You can follow Lynette on her website or her Facebook page or Sign up for her newsletter. 

Image Credits

Featured image by Lynette M. Burrows

Second image  by Petra from Pixabay

Final image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

By Jenn Windrow

You’ve typed “The End,” popped the champagne, and maybe even handed your manuscript off to a few trusted beta readers. They laughed in the right places, cried in the others, and gave you glowing feedback—so why isn’t your novel quite there yet?

Here’s the reason.

While beta readers are fantastic for gut-checks and general impressions, they’re not equipped to guide your story through the structural deep dive it may desperately need.

That’s where a developmental editor comes in.

Think of them as your story’s personal trainer—less cheerleader, more strategic coach—ready to whip your plot, pacing, and characters into shape.

Let’s dig into why beta readers, as helpful as they are, just aren’t enough.

What’s a beta reader?

A beta reader is a passionate reader who is helpful in offering early reactions to your story. They come in many forms, friends, family, the hard-core reader who sits in the cubical across from you.

And they are worth their weight in gold.

A good beta reader will help you find easy mistakes, share their emotional reaction to what is happening on the page, and tell you which character should be written out of the book.

But there are things that beta readers are not trained to spot.

The difference between a beta reader and a developmental editor.

The simple difference: a beta reader is not a professional editor. They are not paid to focus on every word, every detail, or to catch the deeper problems in a manuscript. They are given the book to read to give gut reactions and other simple feedback.

While a beta reader might be able to spot a plot hole, they can’t always explain how to fill it. They may gloss over structural problems because they do not know how to fix them. They might notice when the pacing is off or the world building is lacking, but they might not be able to dig deep and help the author shape the world into a rich read or quicken the pacing.

Yes, they can point out the problems, but most authors need professional guidance to fix them.

A developmental editor will not only point out when there is a deeper issue, but they will also provide a clear path to help solve the problem. They understand industry and genre standards. Simply put, they are trained to help you shape your book into something readers can’t put down.

Beta feedback can be confusing and inconsistent.

Sometimes having a lot of beta readers is like having too many cooks in the kitchen. They all give you their thoughts and opinions, but there are so different thoughts and opinions. Who do you listen to? How do you make them all happy? Then you dive into your MS wanting to please them all. And what happens? You story ends up muddy and confusing.

Trust me, I learned this firsthand. Now, I live by the rule of three. I send my MS to three beta readers, if two of my beta readers hate something, it goes. Majority rules in my writing world.

When you work with a developmental editor, it is just the two of you working one-on-one. You’re not only getting one professional opinion, but you are also getting a clear actionable easy to follow plan to help you fix those problem areas.

Beta Readers are often too nice.

Many beta readers are friends, family, and sometimes fans, making them hesitant to point out major flaws or offer an opinion that is not glowing. They don’t want to hurt your feelings or discourage you from writing. And while that is wonderfully kind, it is not always helpful.

A developmental editor is kind but objective — they want to find the issues before agents, publishers, or readers do. They’re being paid to provide comments and feedback that will strengthen your story.

I tell my clients that they paid me for feedback, and they are going to get it. In the nicest way possible of course. I don’t want to make anyone cry.

Beta Readers Read. Editors Analyze.

Beta readers tell you what they liked about the story, which character they loved, which character they hated. They read with emotion, they read on a surface level. They help you to understand what readers will see and feel once your book hits the shelves.

And yes, that is valuable. But you need more before you publish.

Developmental editors tell you why something works (or doesn’t) — and how to fix it at the root, not just the surface. They teach you while elevating your work. They can prevent you from wasting resources polishing a fundamentally broken story. And they can help you reshape and fix that fundamentally broke story.

In conclusion.

Beta readers are a wonderful first step into learning how your story will resonate with readers. A step that should not be skipped. Their feedback is valuable and needed. They can give you a boost of confidence when you need it most.

But every book needs a professional set of eyes on it to root out the deeper more problematic issues and help you come up with a way to fix them.

So, hug your beta readers tight, listen, learn, but still seek out that professional opinion.

Have you worked with both beta readers and a developmental editor before? What were your experiences with each? Please share with us down in the comments!

About Jenn

Jenn Windrow is an award-winning author of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance. When she isn’t editing her own books, she spends her time helping other authors shape their characters and worlds into the best books they can be.

Jenn loves characters who have a pinch of spunk, a dash of attitude, and a large dollop of sex appeal. Top it all off with a huge heaping helping of snark, and you’ve got the ingredients for the kind of fast-paced stories she loves to read and write. Home is a suburb of it’s-so-hot-my-shoes-have-melted-to-the-pavement Phoenix, where she lives with her husband, two teenagers, and a slew of animals that seem to keep following her home. At least that’s what she claims.

Website: https://jennwindrow.com/

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash

by Rebecca Forster

One of the biggest challenges a creative person faces is establishing creative credibility.

After college, I applied for a job as a copywriter at a major department store. Teachers told me I wrote well, and I was sure that would be enough to land the position. It wasn’t. Still, I got the job because my dad knew the hiring manager and put in a good word. I’m not sure he should have done that.

All types of writing are not created equal.

I quickly discovered that writing a term paper was not the same as writing a press release, an ad, or an executive bio. Each of those things required a different point of view, an understanding of a unique audience, and a targeted tone.

When I transitioned to the business side of advertising, I wrote marketing plans, letters to vendors and potential clients, and creative directives to my team. I had to learn a different language.

Years later, I wrote my first book. I was back to pitching myself with no relevant experience. The challenges were no different than those first jobs and the learning curve began again.

In short, my career trajectory could have been quicker and easier if I had some experience before I asked for the job.

Yes, it’s about the chicken.

No job without the experience; no experience without the job. Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

I believed that if someone (preferably a decision maker in a prestigious business or publishing house) gave me a chance, I would prove myself.  I also believed the only credible creative work was that for which I was paid.

The first notion is fantasy. Decision makers run businesses. Each hire must be an asset. This includes publishers. The second notion was impractical. If I was not an asset, I did not deserve to be paid. In fact, the time it would take to teach me would be a drag on the bottom line.

After a lot of trial and error, I found a solution to my problem:

I went where I was needed. 

Volunteer

Other professions have embraced the nonprofit strategy as personally fulfilling and professionally strategic. Lawyers work pro-bono, doctors cross borders to help those less fortunate, retired business people mentor start-ups.

But nonprofits need more than counsel. They need the kind of exposure writers, filmmakers and artists can provide. Whether you’re looking for that that first portfolio piece or expanding an already established one, aligning yourself with a nonprofit offers you a wealth of creative opportunities.

Start off on the right foot.

Determine your level of commitment. Become a member of the organization, or approach the nonprofit and offer to help as needed. In both instances, make your preference for communications known so you don’t end up on the baking committee.

Before you do either, familiarize yourself with the organization.

If you are not excited about the subject matter, it will show in your writing. I once volunteered to help inner-city girls learn to write college application letters. The group, while wonderful, was more political than I expected. I found my space with my local hospital and have been volunteering there for over ten years.

Respect the organization. Rather than insisting your way is the right way, find out how your words to enhance their mission. Remember, your objective is to build a portfolio and show that you know how to write to task.

Newsworthy Ideas

• Profile a volunteer
• Interview an administrator
• Write a about a fundraising event or the history of the nonprofit.
• Spotlight the success stories of their clients.

All of these efforts are newsworthy. Whether your writing will be showcased in a brochure or picked up by a newspaper, your portfolio is growing.

Watch the social media feeds to see if there is growth in following or likes for your stories and document that success. Use it to build your own following with a ‘contact’ line at the end but only after asking for permission.

Case Study

Eric, my son and aspiring writer, volunteered for the Peace Corps in Albania. While there, he wrote plays about his experiences and submitted them to Disney. Disney produced one of his plays at the Disney Center in Los Angeles and named him a playwright to watch. He used the proceeds of the production to fund a mobile library for the villages in the Albanian mountains.

His efforts also opened doors to publishers and employers.

My volunteer work at the hospital paid off recently when I needed inside information to write my book, The Ninth Witness. I never would have understood the workings of a hospital or had access to the legal department without it.

Final Thought

The next time you’re looking for a way to showcase your talent, look no further than your community. Your heart, your community, and your writing career will benefit from your generosity.

Have you found writing benefits from volunteering? Please share your experience (and what you did) down in the comments!

About Rebecca

Rebecca Forster started writing on a crazy dare and found her passion. Now a USA Today and Amazon best selling author, Forster is known for her legal thrillers and police procedurals. Over three million readers have enjoyed her Josie Bates thrillers in the Witness Series alone. With over 40 books to her name, Rebecca had a long career in traditional publishing before becoming an indie author. Her fast-paced tales of law and justice are known for deep characterization and never-see-it-coming endings.

In an effort to make her work as realistic as possible, Rebecca has graduated from the DEA and ATF Citizens academies, landed by tail hook and spent two days on the nuclear submarine U.S.S Nimitz, engaged in police ride-alongs, and continues to court watch whenever possible.

Rebecca has taught at the acclaimed UCLA Writers Program and various colleges and universities. She is a sought-after speaker at bar and judges' associations as well as philanthropic groups and writing conferences. Rebecca is also a repeat speaker at the LA Times Festival of Books.

Rebecca has just released The 9th Witness, the final book in her acclaimed Witness Series, Josie Bates Thrillers. Find all her books at any online bookstore or here: https://www.rebeccaforster.com/.

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