Point of View, Part One

Ideally, the experience of reading both fiction and nonfiction is transformative. Readers pick up a book for that transformation, even if it is only to learn a new skill or to be entertained while the piece is being read. But how do the writer’s choices while developing, writing, and editing the book create that experience?

While every choice an author makes influences the reader, it is the choice of a particular point of view (POV) that provides the foundation for it all. Arguably, it is the most important decision the writer must make.

This first in a series of two posts will discuss the meaning of “point of view,” ways to express POV, how POV influences which pronouns to use, and how POV changes what the reader knows.

What is Point of View?

Discussions of POV are often confusing and sometimes contentious because the term has multiple connotations and are different for different media. For this article, we’ll stick to book writing.

Writers sometimes use POV to identify the main character. “Your POV character is (fill in the blank).” Most of the time, the main character is the point of view character, but not always.

Some people use point of view and perspective interchangeably. But the two terms are different.

The following definitions are from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

Perspective

1 a. A mental view or prospect.

b. A visible scene

2 a.The interrelation in which a subject or its parts are mentally viewed.

b. The capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance.

3 a. The appearance to the eye of objects in respect to their relative distance and positions.

4 a.The technique or process of representing on a plane or curved surface the spatial relation of objects as they might appear to the eye.

b. A picture in perspective.

Point of View

is a position, or perspective, from which something is considered or evaluated.

Many people over simplify the definition of the point of view to mean the pronouns in the narrative referencing the main character of that scene.

In this article, point of view means the position which experiences or evaluates all events, places, things, and people in a story. More than pronouns, “point of view” includes attitudes, education, interpretations, word choices, and much more. It is the hidden architecture, the underpinnings if you will, of your story.

The Foundation

Point of view isn’t just deciding what pronouns to use. It is nearly invisible to the reader, yet it provides the foundation for everything else in your story, from story structure to word choices. Your choice of POV will strengthen or weaken your story.

In broad terms, there are five choices for expressing “point of view” in any story. Those five ways are: First Person, Second Person, Close Third Person, Limited Third Person, Omniscient, and Objective. Each of these serve specific purposes and deeply influences every writing decision. Consider how the following scene plays using each of the ways to express the point of view. In Charlotte’s Web, the author uses an objective point of view. (Many apologies to E. B. White for the imperfect liberties taken with the opening lines of Charlotte’s Web.)

The difficulty for the author lies in how closely related these five different points of view are. Accidentally slipping in and out of the point of view is easy to do, even with only a single word.

First Person

The reader assumes the character’s identity through the use of the pronouns I and me. This view point shapes everything that “I” sees, thinks, and feels. She can see her feet, but she cannot see her own face unless she looks in a mirror (cliché alert).

Example

“Where’s Papa going with that axe?” said I to my mother as we were setting the table for breakfast.

“Out to the hoghouse,” replied Mother. “Some pigs were born last night.”

“I don’t see why he needs an ax.” I was only eight and didn’t understand.

“Well,” said mother, “one of the pigs is a runt. It’s very small and it will never amount to anything. So your father has decided to do away with it.”

“Do away with it?” I shrieked. My heart beat wildly in my chest. “You mean kill it Just because it’s smaller than the others?”

Mother put a pitcher of cream on the table. “Don’t yell, Fern!” She said. “Your father is right. The pig would probably die anyway.”

I pushed a chair out of the way and ran outdoors.

Second Person

Second Person viewpoint uses the pronoun you. This assumes the _reader_ is the character and addresses the reader directly. Second person POV shapes everything that “you” sees, thinks, and feels.

Example

“Where’s Papa going with that axe?” You said to your mother as the two of you were setting the table for breakfast. 

“Out to the hoghouse,” replied your mother. “Some pigs were born last night.”

“I don’t see why he needs an ax.” You, being only eight, didn’t understand.

“Well,” said your mother, “one of the pigs is a runt. It’s very small and it will never amount to anything. So your father has decided to do away with it.”

“Do away with it?” You shriek. Your heart beats wildly in your chest. “You mean kill it Just because it’s smaller than the others?”

Mother put a pitcher of cream on the table. “Don’t yell, Fern!” she said. “Your father is right. The pig would probably die anyway.”

You push a chair out of the way and ran outdoors.

Close Third Person

In this viewpoint, the reader is in the mind and body of the character whose scene this is and only knows what this character sees, thinks, and feels.

Example

Through the window, eight-year-old Fern saw her father stride purposefully across the yard in the morning light. “Where’s Papa going with that axe?” said Fern to her mother as she helped set the table for breakfast.

“Out to the hoghouse,” replied Mother. “Some pigs were born last night.”

“I don’t see why he needs an ax,” continued Fern. In all her eight years, she had never seen Papa carry an axe to the hoghouse.

“Well,” said Mother, “one of the pigs is a runt. It’s very small and it will never amount to anything. So your father has decided to do away with it.”

“Do away with it?” shrieked Fern. Her chest ached and her throat tightened. “You mean kill it. Just because it’s smaller than the others?”

Mother put a pitcher of cream on the table. “Don’t yell, Fern!” she said. “Your father is right. The pig would probably die anyway.”

Fern pushed a chair out of the way and ran outdoors.

Limited Third Person

At first glance, this appears to be the close third person point of view. However, in the limited point of view, the reader doesn’t know everything that the character knows and often isn’t in the character's body.

Example

“Where’s Papa going with that axe?” said Fern to her mother as she helped set the table for breakfast.

“Out to the hoghouse,” replied Mother. “Some pigs were born last night.”

“I don’t see why he needs an ax,” continued Fern. In all her eight years, she had never seen Papa carry an axe to the hoghouse.

“Well,” said Mother, “one of the pigs is a runt. It’s very small and it will never amount to anything. So your father has decided to do away with it.”

“Do away with it?” shrieked Fern. “You mean kill it? Just because it’s smaller than the others?”

Mother put a pitcher of cream on the table. “Don’t yell, Fern!” she said. “Your father is right. The pig would probably die anyway.”

Fern couldn’t let that happen. She pushed a chair out of the way and ran outdoors.

Omniscient

This is the god-like view. From this viewpoint, the reader sees the scene from above with a little knowledge about every character in that scene. The trick to this view is to treat every character the same way. If the author applies it to random characters or in random scenes, it’s called head-hopping.

Example

Eight-year-old Fern peered through the kitchen window. Her curious eyes followed her father’s figure, striding purposefully across the yard in the morning light. Her small hands put the plate on the breakfast table where her mother had arranged the silverware. “Where’s Papa going with that axe?”

“Out to the hoghouse,” replied Mrs. Arable, carefully answering her daughter’s question without saying too much. “Some pigs were born last night.”

Concern flickered across Fern’s face. “I don’t see why he needs an ax.”

“Well,” said Mrs. Arable, calculating in her mind how to explain the harsh realities of farm life to her eight-year-old daughter who had a tender heart, “one of the pigs is a runt. It’s very small and it will never amount to anything. So your father has decided to do away with it.” 

“Do away with it?” shrieked Fern. She couldn’t stand it. “You mean kill it? Just because it’s smaller than the others?”

Mrs. Arable put a pitcher of cream on the table. “Don’t yell, Fern!” she said, regretting she'd said anything. “Your father is right. The pig would probably die anyway.”

Fern couldn’t let that happen. She pushed a chair out of the way and ran outdoors.

Objective

This is the camera view. This can appear similar to the limited third person point of view except that it is not just one character. The reader knows nothing more than what the camera sees. Instead of conveying emotions as internal feelings, the only visible or audible expressions of emotions or motivations appear on the page.

Example

“Where’s Papa going with that axe?” said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast.

“Out to the hoghouse,” replied Mrs. Arable. “Some pigs were born last night.”

“I don’t see why he needs an ax,” continued Fern. 

“Well,” said her mother, “one of the pigs is a runt. It’s very small and it will never amount to anything. So your father has decided to do away with it.”

“Do away with it?” shrieked Fern. “You mean kill it? Just because it’s smaller than the others?” 

Mrs. Arable. put a pitcher of cream on the table. “Don’t yell, Fern!” she said. “Your father is right. The pig would probably die anyway.”

Fern pushed a chair out of the way and ran outdoors.

E. B. White, Charlotte’s Web (Original text)

A Note of Clarification

The author can create stories told by two or more characters within the story in any of these kinds of POV. The Help by Kathryn Stockett, An American Marriage by Tayari Jones, and The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger are each told with more than one narrator but all use the First Person POV. Some authors who use multiple narrators also use a mix of two or more kinds of POV. Veniss Underground by Jeff Vandermeer uses first, second, and third person narration. Louis L’Amour’s Galloway is the story of two brothers. One brother’s written in first person and the other is in third person.

A Balance of Power

Many authors say a character came to them and they had to tell that character’s story. Other authors start from a situation or a place or a theme. Often, what happens in the moment they decide ‘this is the story I want to write,’ they’ve made a subconscious choice. They’ve chosen a point of view. Why? Because the point of view determines how much information (factual and emotional) the reader will know at any point in the story.

For these examples, I’m going to pick on Charlotte and Mr. White again. 

First Person

I was upstairs changing my sneakers when I heard the back door swing open and closed. It must be Father back from the hoghouse. Breakfast would be ready soon. I couldn’t hear Mother setting the table anymore, and the smells of coffee, bacon, and wood smoke drifted up to my room.

Second Person

You are upstairs changing my sneakers when you hear the back door swing open and closed. It must be Father, you decide. He’s back from the hoghouse. Breakfast will be ready soon. You can’t hear Mother setting the table anymore and the smells of coffee, bacon, and wood smoke fill your room.

Close Third Person

Fern was upstairs changing her sneakers when she heard the back door swing open and closed. It must be Father back from the hoghouse. She couldn’t hear Mother setting the table anymore, and the smells of coffee, bacon, and wood smoke drifted up to her room. Breakfast will be ready soon.

Limited Third Person

Fern was upstairs changing her sneakers when the back door squeaked, a sure sign it had opened, followed by the bang of it closing again. She guessed Father was back from the hoghouse. She couldn’t hear Mother setting the table anymore, and the smells of coffee, bacon, and wood smoke drifted up to her room. Breakfast will be ready soon.

Omniscient

“When Mr. Arable returned to the house half an hour later, he carried the piglet in a carton under his arm, already regretting his decision to spare the thing. Fern was upstairs changing her sneakers, feeling a little proud of herself for convincing father to spare the little pig but also a little worried about what Father had meant. The kitchen table was set for breakfast, and the room smelled of coffee, bacon, damp plaster, and wood smoke from the stove.” 

Objective

“When Mr. Arable returned to the house half an hour later, he carried a carton under his arm. Fern was upstairs changing her sneakers. The kitchen table was set for breakfast, and the room smelled of coffee, bacon, damp plaster, and wood smoke from the stove.” E. B. White, Charlotte’s Web (Original text)

POV, More than Pronouns

An author makes thousands of decisions during the process of writing a fiction or nonfiction work. Point of view is one of the basic, foundational decisions and it heavily influences every word in that work. An instinctive choice of POV can work well, but it can also lead to an ineffective piece of writing or a frustrated author who must completely re-write her work. 

There are strengths and limitations to each of type of POV and not all types suit every story. Next month, the last installment of this series, will list those strengths and limitations, as well as give you guidelines to help you decide what to use or avoid for your story. Learning how and when to use the various points of view is a skill that will help engage your readers.

Which POV are you using in your current WIP? Why did you make that choice?

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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.