“The term point of view as used by writers is misdefined even in good dictionaries. It means the character whose eyes are observing what happens, the perspective from which a scene or story is written.” (Solutions For Writers)
The point of view through which we choose to write our novel has a huge impact on the emotions and experience of the reader, so it should be carefully chosen. There are quite a few choices for point of view, although for beginner writers, it’s probably best to choose between first person, third person, or omniscient. Generally, those who teach writing suggest that beginners steer clear of multiple points of view, which need to be handled with skill as it tends to jar the reader. Those using the Marshall Plan software will discover that multiple point of view shared by two viewpoints is actually suggested. However, the software gives clear guidance on how to do this.
First Person Point Of View
First person point of view can be either first person singular or first person plural. In first person singular, the narrator refers to themselves as ‘I’, and in first person plural, as ‘We’. First person narrators can be conscious they are telling a story, or they can experience the story without being aware they are telling it, similar to a third person narrative.
These days, the first person narrator is usually involved with the story, as either the protagonist, or another main character. This is in contrast to fiction in the 19th century, where the first person narrator was usually just an observer of the story that happened around him. Of course, you can still write that way if you want!
In a first person narrative, only the thoughts of the viewpoint character, and the events he sees, can be written. So, there is often a degree of manipulation to ensure the point-of-view character is present when they need to be. This can come across as artificial if not handled properly.
In first-person narrative, writers generally need to use other characters to reveal the POV (point of view) character’s traits, and also show the POV character’s traits in action. On the plus side, this viewpoint allows the reader to strongly identify and sympathize with the POV character, regardless of how well or poorly they act within the novel.
Other types of first person narrative include reliable, unreliable, letter, and journal narration.
Third Person Point Of View
Third person point of view, where the narrator refers to the other characters as “she”, “he”, “they” or “it”, is very flexible. It is probably the most common point of view used these days, but in many ways can resemble first person narrative (without the use of the “I”, of course) – “the character’s thoughts are given, if not precisely in his own words, at least in a suggestion of his own personality” (The Art & Craft Of Novel Writing). The effect is less intense than first person, but the ability to go beyond a single narrative character is appealing.
Third person point of view does not have to be limited to the perspective of one character, though you should not switch between characters within a given scene – otherwise it becomes omniscient narration. The third person narrator is usually an undefined person that isn’t involved with the story in any way.
“The third-person modes are usually categorized along two axes. The first is the subjectivity/objectivity axis, with “subjective” narration describing one or more character’s feelings and thoughts, while “objective” narration does not describe the feelings or thoughts of any characters. The second axis is between “omniscient” and “limited”, a distinction that refers to the knowledge available to the narrator. An omniscient narrator has omniscient knowledge of time, people, places and events; a limited narrator, in contrast, may know absolutely everything about a single character and every piece of knowledge in that character’s mind, but it is “limited” to that character—that is, it cannot describe things unknown to the focal character.” (Wikipedia)
“Once the author establishes the limitation of the third-person point of view, he must stick to it and the limitation becomes an advantage, a restraint, a discipline. If you adopt a loose form of third person in which, say, each chapter is seen from a different character’s POV, be sure to choose for each scene the character who is most affected by the events of that scene.” (Solutions For Writers)
With third person point of view, plausibility can be a problem. Readers will accept things presented in first person more than they would third person. In that sense, first person has authority, whereas third person can be like ‘hearsay’ in a court of law.
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Omniscient Point Of View
In the omniscient point of view, the author “oversees his novel from a height, describing matters from Up There, and diving down into the consciousness of one of his characters when he finds it necessary or helpful. He is unconcerned with the fact that his audience is aware of him within the novel, manipulating his characters like marionettes and turning up their thoughts for the reader’s edification.” (The Art & Craft Of Novel Writing)
Omniscient viewpoint presents the most freedom to the writer, but probably has the greatest potential problems. Readers can find it harder to actually experience the story, as they are going to be more aware of the author’s voice. Emotional rapport, and credibility, are harder to establish. In addition, even though the omniscient viewpoint is the author, the author in many ways needs to be a character – his voice must have personality, wisdom, authority, and preferably, humor.
“The great danger in using the omniscient point of view is the loss of control that is attributable to the lack of discipline.” (Solutions For Writers)
Generally, if you’re not sure what point of view to use, the best novel writing advice is to use what seems most natural to you. This will probably be what you are most familiar with as a reader, although the story itself may suggest a certain point of view. There are exercises in The 3AM Epiphany, available through Amazon, has a number of exercises on point of view that can help broaden your range.
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Also, if you’re stuck with a novel, try switching point of view. If you don’t like the way your first draft has turned out, try rewriting it from a different point of view. It can really revitalize a novel.
References:
1. Brian Kiteley, The 3AM Epiphany
2. Sol Stein, Solutions For Writers
3. Oakley Hall, (The Art & Craft Of Novel Writing)
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