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Point of view — Who's telling the story?If it's any comfort, even professional writers have trouble with point of view. And yet, this is an essential concept for any writer to learn because it's an integral part of storytelling from the moment you put your first word down on paper. There are all sorts of technical terms to describe different POVs, but all it comes down to this — just who is telling this story and where are they standing as they narrate? Whether you're aware of it or not, you can't begin to write until you've answered that question. Handled correctly, POV can be a powerful writing technique, so choose the perspective that best suits the story you want to tell. How do you choose? Here's a rough guide: Are you interested in explaining the thoughts and actions of several characters as they interact? If so, you need a narrator who is watching the scenes from above, who can report on anything happening — third person, omniscient. Or would you rather concentrate on one person, observing only their behavior and reactions to the other characters? If so, your narrator has dropped down to look over your protagonist's shoulder, making authorial comments on what it can see from that perspective — third person, limited. If the narrator's identification with the protagonist is strong enough, it might make more sense to let the character tell the story herself, in her own words and voice — first person. If you have a complex story in which no single, consistent perspective can report on all the aspects, the POVs can be varied in different sections — mixed viewpoints. Warning: this is a difficult technique to pull off well, so avoid using it until you are very comfortable handling more standard approaches. |
