Point of View Is Not Just a Choice
It's a Promise to the Reader
By Sarah Sally Hamer
Writers often talk about point of view as if it’s merely a technical decision. First person or third person. Omniscient or limited. Past tense or present tense.
But point of view is far more than a grammatical choice.
Point of view is a promise.
It's the agreement you make with readers about how they will experience your story. It tells them whose eyes they're looking through, whose emotions they're feeling, and whose understanding they can trust. When that promise remains clear, readers sink effortlessly into the narrative. When it becomes muddled, they become confused, detached, or frustrated.
Understanding point of view—and understanding it at both the story level and the scene level—is one of the most powerful skills a fiction writer can develop.
Because point of view doesn't just tell a story.
It shapes the reader's entire experience of that story.
Global Point of View: The Story's Lens
Global point of view is the perspective that governs the entire novel.
It's the answer to the question:
Who gets to tell this story?
In The Hunger Games (and I’ll be using the first book, not the movie unless I say differently – they ARE different!), Suzanne Collins chooses first-person point of view through Katniss Everdeen. Readers discover the world only as Katniss discovers it. We don't know what President Snow is planning. We don't know what Peeta is truly thinking. We know only what Katniss sees, hears, believes, and misunderstands.
That limitation creates emotional intimacy.
We don't observe Katniss's fear.
We experience it.
Contrast that with J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (whether books or movies in this case). While the story often follows Frodo, the narrative shifts among multiple characters. Readers witness events occurring in different locations, gaining a broader understanding of the larger conflict and each character with a point of view tells the story from their own perspective. So, several characters become the protagonist, even if only for a moment or two, and we see the story through their eyes. These points of view are woven together to make a perfect overall story.
Neither approach is better or worse. It’s strictly a matter of understanding as a writer who is in charge of what and each version creates a different reading experience.
Short note: There are lots of books and movies out there that do not have a single point of view character or only one at a time. Some of them are very good. Some of them are not. But they do exist and, if that’s your style, there is nothing wrong with it.
Ultimately, the global point of view determines how much information readers receive and how close they feel to the characters. It shapes suspense, mystery, emotional connection, and pacing from the first page to the last.
Choose wisely because this decision influences everything that follows.
The Reader's Seat
Many writers understand global point of view.
Fewer understand scene point of view.
Every scene needs a perspective character. Someone owns that moment. Someone experiences the action. So, now we study how to tell a scene character by character.
The question becomes:
Whose scene is this?
Imagine the shark attack sequence in Jaws. The tension doesn't come from bouncing among multiple frightened swimmers. It comes from remaining focused on a particular experience. The audience knows where to look, whose fear to follow, and why the danger matters.
The same principle applies in novels.
Suppose a husband and wife argue over a looming divorce.
If the scene belongs to the wife, readers experience her fear, her hopes, and her interpretation of her husband's words.
If the scene belongs to the husband, the same conversation becomes an entirely different emotional experience, which can change the reader’s attitude about the story. If we’d only heard Rhett Butler’s point of view instead of Scarlett’s, we would have an entirely different understanding of the story. Good or bad? Not at all! A series of books has been written through the Wicked Witch of the West’s point of view of what happened in Oz. There are multiple characters with their own point of view, much less the entire series having a point of view separate from Baum’s books.
The facts in these stories haven't changed.
The story has because of who is telling it.
Point of view determines not only what readers see but also how they feel about what they see.
Why Clarity Matters
Readers rarely stop and consciously analyze point of view.
They simply feel it.
And, when a writer manages point of view well, readers become immersed in the story world. They forget they're reading. They live inside the narrative.
When point of view becomes unclear, immersion breaks.
A common mistake occurs when writers jump from one character's thoughts to another's within the same scene.
Jane worried her son wouldn't come home.
Across the room, Mark wondered if she knew he was planning to leave.
Then Jane noticed his expression and feared the worst.
The shift may seem harmless, but it unsettles readers. The narrative camera suddenly jumps without warning and confusion reigns. Once a reader is confused, it may take a long time to pull them back into the story.
It's the literary equivalent of a movie cutting from shot to shot so rapidly that viewers lose track of what's happening.
Readers shouldn't have to stop and ask:
Whose head am I in right now?
The moment they do, you've pulled them out of the story.
Point of View and Reader Enjoyment
Good point of view management isn't about following arbitrary rules.
It's about creating the most enjoyable experience possible.
Consider Harry Potter. Imagine how different the books would feel if readers constantly jumped into Snape's thoughts, Voldemort's thoughts, Dumbledore's thoughts, and Harry's thoughts every few paragraphs. Many mysteries would disappear and emotional surprises and wonder would vanish.
J.K. Rowling largely keeps readers aligned with Harry because that perspective creates the strongest emotional journey.
The same principle applies regardless of genre.
Point of view controls curiosity, surprise, empathy, and, most importantly, point of view controls emotional engagement.
Readers care most deeply when they're allowed to experience events through a clear, consistent lens.
How to Choose the Right Scene Character
When deciding whose perspective should control a scene, ask a simple question:
Who has the most to lose?
The answer often reveals the strongest viewpoint.
In The Silence of the Lambs, scenes frequently stay close to Clarice Starling because her emotional stakes are enormous. She needs answers. She needs growth. She needs to confront her fears.
Readers naturally invest in the character whose desires and risks dominate the moment.
Point of view works best when the emotional stakes and the narrative lens point in the same direction.
The Real Purpose of Point of View
Many writers think point of view exists to deliver information.
It doesn't.
Point of view exists to create experience.
Readers don't open a novel simply to learn what happened.
They open it to feel what happened.
Point of view determines whether they stand outside the story looking in or step inside and live it alongside the characters.
At the global level, point of view shapes the entire journey.
At the scene level, it shapes every emotional moment along the way.
Master point of view, and you give readers clarity.
Give readers clarity, and you give them immersion.
Give them immersion, and you give them one of the greatest gifts fiction can offer: the chance to disappear into another life for a while.
If you'd like to learn more, there is a free video at this link: https://youtu.be/TBQxmV914Is
How do you decide whose point of view controls a scene in your writing?
About Sarah Sally
Sarah (Sally) Hamer is a lover of books, a teacher of writers, and a believer in a good story. Most of all, she is eternally fascinated by people and how they 'tick'. She’s passionate about helping people tell their own stories, whether through fiction or through memoir. Writing in many genres - mystery, science fiction, fantasy, romance, medieval history, non-fiction – she has won awards at both local and national levels, including two RWA Golden Heart finals.
A teacher of memoir, beginning and advanced creative fiction writing, and screenwriting at Louisiana State University in Shreveport for over twenty years, she also teaches online at both margielawson.com and nostresswriting.com with blogs for writersinthestormblog.com/ as well as her monthly blog for thewriteconversation.com. Sally is a free-lance editor and book coach at Mind Potential, with many of her students and clients becoming successful, award-winning authors.
You can find her at sa***@***********al.org
Author picture from the author, featured picture from CoPilot
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27 comments on “Point of View Is Not Just a Choice”
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In my Mapleton Mystery series, the books are all told from the police chief's POV.
In my romantic suspense books, per convention, I have two POV characters--hero and heroine--and scenes alternate between them.
With only one exception, those are the only POV characters I use, and I write Deep POV.
Which is a very good way to do it. I love deep POV because I can "be" the character for a while. So getting it "right" is very important to me. I'm glad you've found a way that works for you!
Another excellent post!!
Thank you, Carol!
I'm writing a book in past tense with an omniscient POV. I tried it in first person, and there was just too much the protagonist(s) would never have explained to the reader. The reader would be lost, so I had to go omni. (It's speculative fiction.) But omni is hard. You have so many options for where to put the lens in any moment, and the narrator can dip into anyone's head. (This doesn't mean the narrator should.) It's especially hard when both protagonists are in the same scene in opposition to each other. They both have stakes. It makes me so grateful for my critique partners, who tell me when the transitions don't flow. I'd love to see a post on writing in omni POV, especially without the narrator having a persona (like Death in many books).
Sounds like you have an excellent handle on omniscient! It is such a hard one to keep clear. Good for you! I'm sure it's well done.
Yes, yes, yes! Excellent explanation, Sally. I wish all writers knew this. As a reader, I read because I want to experience the story. Too often I read books that head-hop until I have lost all connection to the story. I don't mind multiple POV or even global (or omniscient) if they are done well. As a reader and a writer I get really frustrated when the story fascinates me, but POV hops around either because the author mistakenly thinks they've chosen to write multiple POV or it's unintentional. Choosing the point of view and intentionally narrowing the story to that point of view is often difficult because we authors (yes, me included) often think the reader won't enjoy or understand the story because they can't know everything we know. What we forget is to trust that the reader will understand _because_ they can experience the story through that point of view.
I agree, Lynette. I find it hard to get into characters OR books that have head hopping. It's just so easy to stay in one character's POV at a time and so much better for the reader.
As in other posts, this is again useful advice, and it's arrival is timely! Therefore, I am re-examining all POVs in my short story collection. Thankyou.
Glad to help, Rosemary! Thanks!
Oops! re my previous post re this piece and the 'timeliness of its arrival'...not it's. Just another example of the need to proofread everything.
🙂 Happens to all of us!
1st person has been my default pov in all my stories and novels to date. But I am trying another in 3rd person limited because the protagonist is a woman and I won't dare to write a woman in 1st person 😁
Why not, Matthew? I write 1st person men all the time! 🙂 1st person is an extremely good way to stay in a POV because no one else can THINK when you use it. A lot of times when I teach, I recommend that someone struggling with POV use 1st person for a scene or two, to find their way, so to speak, then change it to 3rd if that's what the book calls for. It's just a writing tool and allows us to play in a couple of different creative swimming pools.
Thanks for the comment!
'Lord of the Rings' is third-person omniscient, although a somewhat fluid version of that PoV. It is most of the time in the mind of the omniscient storyteller, not that of a character. When the storyteller enters a character's mind, that character does not become the protagonist any more than the omniscient storyteller is. Most people who use that type of writing are no Tolkien and do not properly understand the omniscient PoV.
On the other hand, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, except for the first chapter and a brief scene during Harry's first Quidditch match, represents a strict use of third person limited solely from one character's PoV: Harry's. The point of remaining in the PoV of Harry Potter is to build the strongest relationship possible with Harry, who is the protagonist. The success of that novel tells me Rowling succeeded in that.
While in third person close, switching, either with a new scene or new chapter, to a different character always has the risk of weakening the relationship with the PoV character, who is usually but not always the protagonist.
I believe that omniscient is one of the hardest POVs to write and to get right. Which is why it's so beautiful when we do get it right. And, of course, it really has little to do with what character we choose as our global storyteller, since the omniscient "god" is the one telling the story, not a character, and told from the outside, just relating what a character feels or thinks or says or does.
Deep POV is the opposite, where we live inside a character, at least while we reading the book.
Thanks for the comment! A good starting point for a long and deep discussion!
I see the series as in omniscient POV but with the author/narrator choosing to be close to Harry most of the time. There are a few other spots in the series where Rowling focuses on someone else. I suspect the connection between Harry and Voldemort happened so she could stay as close to close third on Harry as possible, but still give the reader some info.
Tolkien is a master of what I call "the baton pass." One character comes near to another and that new character becomes the focus seamlessly. There are scenes where I'm trying to pull that off.
I trade back and forth with defined breaks between the FMC and MMC in my romances. When I write WF, it's solely from the FMC pov.
Which is an excellent way to do it!
Great post. Two of my series are written in mixed first/third person. The one I'm having fun writing now is all 3rd person because it is an ensemble cast. But in each scene, my effort is to stay with one main POV for the book... but shift to others only when that character isn't there. I love playing with POV. One of my favorites is to change the POV in a scene and see how it changes. When I wrote Dominion, the first 50 drafts of the first scene were in an omniscient view, because I was afraid my POV character would give too much away. When I rewrote it in his POV, the whole book changed... and it was better.
I love to play with POV too. One of my students writes her scenes in every POV of every character and then chooses which one she thinks works best. Too much information for me -- and, my characters tend to take over in a scene so I don't get the chance to let anyone else talk, but an interesting way to play.
Thanks, Lisa!
Who has most emotional stakes.
That's the criteria for me too. Who has the most to say, tell, and lose.
Thanks for the comment!
In my historical fiction WIP, the entire story needs to be seen from my single MC, in close third-person. But he does not experience all the pertinent events directly, so others come to him to report their experiences. Rather than include quotation marks for every paragraph of those others' narratives (annoying), I am adding a space break, then telling those individuals' stories (in third person), then indicating the return to my MC's POV with another space break. I think this will work.
I agree, I think it will work. There probably are several other ways to do it but, I think, no matter what you use, as long as you stay consistent so the reader understands what you are saying and gets used to it, they'll get it and not even notice. It's often the abrupt changes that make it problematic.
Thanks for the comment!
I tell my GWTW-length trilogy from the irregularly rotating pov of the three main characters, and by the end of Chapter 1, the reader should be comfortable with my system.
From my self-proclaimed redneck reviewer Pat Patterson:
"...But while I was waiting for the reveal (which never came, because it's not THERE!) I found myself turning page after page, and DEVOURING the words, licking my lips figuratively at how delicious they were, and thinking: SHE CAN'T KEEP THIS UP! There is no way she can continue to let me walk around and see and hear and feel what the characters are experiencing; except she did.
Kary is CLEARLY a hero, by any criteria you want to apply apart from armed combat, and she is the center of the book. She lives in isolation in New Hampshire, and writes; she suffers from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and it robbed her of her previous career as a physician, and gave her weak/treacherous husband the excuse he needed to rob her of her family. She has other grief in her life, but she does not share the pain casually."
Kary, but also Bianca (the villain) or Andrew could be the hero.
I aim to let the reader inhabit each as they tell their part of the story, from their pov, what they see as important and worth noting.
It has made it possible for me to write, too, because I channel the character whose pov the scene is, and I'm subject to their focused pov when I decide what to describe or report.
The scene most often goes to the character most affected, but here and there I cheat because one character can tell something another doesn't see, and that's the part of the story that comes next.
Wow, this is good. Especially the final section which sums it all up so punchily. Thank you.