Anna Staniszewski

Choosing the best POV for your story is an important step, but often people’s definitions of the different POVs vary so it can be tricky to know what you’re choosing and why you’re choosing it. Here’s my attempt at a simple breakdown of the most popular types of POV, with the pros and cons of each.

First Person

The story is told directly by a character (I) who is one of its central figures, someone who is present in all the key scenes. We experience the story as the narrator experiences (or experienced) it, and are privy to the narrator’s intimate thoughts. We are limited, however, by what the narrator knows or doesn’t know. If there is information the narrator has but doesn’t share with us, there’s a good chance we’ll feel betrayed.

I looked at the elephant, wondering why it was so tiny.

Second Person

The story is told by a voice that appears to be speaking to another character or to the reader (you). While the viewpoint can function much like first person, it is more difficult to convey the narrator’s thoughts and feelings, especially if they’re nothing like the reader’s thoughts and feelings. Unlike first person, second person can make you feel distanced from a narrator (which can be both a pro and a con). When used sparingly, this can be a surprising and effect POV.

You looked at the elephant, wondering why it was so tiny.

Third Person Limited

The story is told in third person (she or he) and features a character whose thoughts are known to us.  Overall, this is  the least intrusive viewpoint because it can be nearly invisible to the reader. Like first person, third person limited can show us a character’s intimate thoughts, but it also keeps us within the bounds of what the main character knows. Generally, a third person limited narrator can withhold information more easily than a first person narrator.

Sara looked at the elephant, wondering why it was so tiny.” OR “Sara looked at the elephant. Why is it so tiny, she wondered.

Third Person Omniscient Involved

The story is told from a viewpoint that may shift throughout the story. The narrator may show us the internal thoughts of any of the characters as well as his/her own. Often, the narrator’s voice is stronger than that of any of the characters, and we get the sense that the narrator is leading us through the story, showing us what we need to know. This viewpoint often keeps us at a distance from the characters, but it can be an effective way of underlining the themes and ideas of a story.

Sara looked at the elephant, wondering why it was so tiny. The elephant looked at the girl, wondering why she was so big. Neither saw the lion, eyeing them both hungrily.

Third Person Omniscient Detached

The story is told from a viewpoint that is uninvolved in the story. We see only the actions of the characters but are never privy to their internal thoughts. We observe the events of the story and are forced to guess at the characters’ motivations . As in fairy tales, characters are defined by their actions. There is no psychology and we must draw our own conclusions about the story.

Sara looked at the tiny elephant.

Ultimately, in choosing POV, the writer needs to decide how much the reader should know about the characters, about the story, and about the narrator. It’s also important to find the best POV for your type of story. For example, putting a story in first person but giving us none of the character’s internal thoughts most likely won’t work; the story would probably be more effectively told in third person.

For more detailed information on POV (including some not outlined here), I recommend Ursula Le Guin’s Steering the Craft or Orson Scott Card’s Characters and Viewpoint.

In unrelated news, make sure to check out this great interview with Kristin Cashore on The Enchanted Inkpot!

• Categories: A Closer Look, Craft, Enchanted Inkpot, Resources