Comments on: Examining Omniscient POV

By: annastan

annastan — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:25:04 +0000

PJ, I felt the same way about Unwind at first, but then it all clicked into place. I’ve been recommending that book to everyone I know – it’s so good!

Lia, Harry Potter is such a good example. I think most people don’t realize it’s omniscient because the narrative voice is so subtle (almost invisible) – I wonder if that’s part of what makes it work so well.

By: Lia Keyes

Lia Keyes — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 08:51:15 +0000

Oh, and I particularly loved the point you made about omniscient being a good way to explore an argument (like abortion) from several different viewpoints. In this way we can explore all the ramifications of a complex topic and the pov’s become a dialogue.

I also liked your suggestion for how to overcome the sense of distance from the characters that omniscient pov inevitably engenders: raise the stakes, make the conflict as big as the ‘god-like’ omniscient pov and we’ll still care about them.

Another example of occasional omniscient POV use is Harry Potter. Many people remember that as a close 3rd person past tense story. But there were several chapters told from an omniscient POV. The first chapter of the first book, the first time we meet the British prime minister, and the scene at Lucius Malfoy’s house where Snape has to prove his loyalty to Voldemort as a body is hangs suspended from the ceiling above the meeting table.

A fascinating topic for a blog post. Thanks so much!

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By: PJ Hoover

PJ Hoover — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 05:15:25 +0000

Unwind was amazing in its POV. It’s funny because I couldn’t imagine why the author was writing it that way, but when I finished, it was all worth it. Totally worked for me.

By: annastan

annastan — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 03:02:10 +0000

Andrea, thinking of omniscient POV as a movie camera is really the best way to envision it. It gives you a lot of freedom, but it also makes storytelling that much harder!

MG, I tend to prefer closer POV too because you get to feel closer to the characters, but a good omniscient POV story can suck you in too, just in a different way.

Karen, I think that’s what I love about this POV, that you feel like you get the WHOLE story. It can be very satisfying to watch it all unfold before you (and really hard to pull off as the writer!)

Lia, it’s funny that people used to write in this classical POV so much more often, but now it’s less trendy and we also see it as very challenging. I guess we can’t all be Austen or Pullman.

By: Lia Keyes

Lia Keyes — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 23:40:34 +0000

I adore the omniscient POV voice, the classic storytelling voice of the 19th century. Think Austen. And for a more modern but just as masterful version check out Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy.

By: Karen

Karen — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:55:08 +0000

I have always been fascinated by this type of POV but I think it would be really tricky pulling it off. But the benefit to the reader is that you get to see all sides of the story at all angles.

By: MG Higgins

MG Higgins — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:33:15 +0000

Done well, I love reading omniscient POV but I’ve never tried it myself. It’s a little intimidating, because it does need to be done well to work. I much prefer a closer POV.

By: Andrea Vlahakis

Andrea Vlahakis — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:48:17 +0000

Anna, nice conclusion to POV. Third omniscient is like making a movie, with a wide story to tell. But you nailed it down by emphasizing that the reader has to care about the characters. If that connection isn’t there, ultimately you’ll lose your reader.

By: annastan

annastan — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:17:13 +0000

Sara, I feel the same way – love reading omniscient POV but actually writing it seems a bit scary. Maybe we can be brave together.

Aw, thanks Laura! I’ll be sure to swing by.

By: Laura Pauling

Laura Pauling — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:41:52 +0000

Hi Anna, I’m passing on an award to you tomorrow. So stop by!