How POV Affects Character
Posted by annastan on February 1st, 2010. Filed under: A Closer Look, Craft, Writing Rants.Last week I did a breakdown of the most popular types of POV and stressed how important the right POV is to a story. Today, I wanted to elaborate on that a bit more, specifically on how POV affects character.
As a few of you noted in the comments of the last POV post, first person and third person limited seem to be the most popular POVs used these days. We read because we want a good story, but we also want characters we can relate to. First person and third person limited allow us to get to know the characters in slightly different ways.
First Person
You may have noticed that a good percentage of YA is written in first person. I think this is true for a number of reasons. We tend to see adolescence as a very self-centered time, so it makes sense that characters would want to tell their stories in their own voices. Also, having a teenage character telling you what “really” happened makes the story feel that much more real and relatable.
First person can make us feel like we really know the character. We experience the story with her, and she tells us her jokes and her intimate thoughts. Once we feel connected to her, we’ll root for her to achieve her goals, and we’ll want everything to work out for her in the end.
The tricky thing with first person, however, is that we need to like, or at least sympathize with, the main character. If we find her whiny or hard to relate to, it might turn us off. That’s why some characters are better told about in third person. Emma-Jean Lazarus is a great example of this. She’s a very intense character, to the point where it might be distancing to be directly in her head all the time. But told in third person limited, her personality comes across in a sympathetic (and hilarious) way.
Third Person Limited
Although third person limited can function very similarly to first person, you don’t quite get that same connection to the character. You’re still aware that there’s a narrator in between you and the main character, even if that narrator is practically invisible. As I said above, this psychic distance can be a bit of a relief when the main character is particularly strong. Can you imagine if Sherlock Holmes were to tell his own story, for example? I can guarantee we’d feel a tad lost in his first person narration.
Third person limited can also be very handy when writing from the perspective of alternating characters. It can be such a challenge to have two (or more) first person narrators sound distinct enough from each other. In third person limited, we can hear their internal thoughts while the third-person helps us keep the characters straight.
One potential difficulty of third person limited is finding the right balance between internal thought and narration. In first person, you can get away with more “telling” without it being obvious. But in third person limited, too much emphasis on what the characters are thinking and feeling can feel overdone. With third person limited, often less is more. When in doubt, remember to show through action!
All right, I think that’s enough POV analysis for today. But I don’t think I’m quite done with this topic yet. I’ve read a couple of books recently that used third person omniscient very well, so I’ll discuss those in an upcoming post. Happy writing!
February 1st, 2010 at 6:35 am
Nice post, and continuation of POV. I think it’s difficult, sometimes, to get across to my students that the POV you use depends on what’s best for the character, and making that character connect to us. A lot tend to plop into first because they think it’s easy and it’s an extension of them telling us the story (instead of the character). Looking forward to your discussion of omniscient.
February 1st, 2010 at 6:41 am
Great post! I agree that POV choice has more to do with the character than the writer. I’d add that one of the pitfalls of first is that there’s a tendency to stall the action while the character just yaks — tell rather than show, in other words.
February 1st, 2010 at 6:55 am
Andrea, I think you’re right that people often assume first person is easy (when it’s usually far from it). Interesting point about your students writing in first because they can essentially channel their own thoughts. It might be fun for them to write, but I wonder how often it leads to a compelling story.
Marcia, I agree that first person can get very chatty so that it keeps things from actually happening in the story. If the narrator is particularly likable, this can still work, but a lot of times we want the character to stop talking and get to the story already!
February 1st, 2010 at 11:10 am
I’m trying to decide right now what POV to use for a book I just finished outlining. Most books in the genre are 3rd person and they offer multiple POVs. I’m wondering if I should follow the crowd or try it in 1st person. Decisions, decisions…
February 1st, 2010 at 11:30 am
Sherrie, that is a big decision! I know in those situations I tend to go with what I’m more comfortable with (3rd person) but it’s always fun to try something different. Good luck!
February 1st, 2010 at 1:41 pm
I see pov as a tool. Once I decide on the tone for my story that usually dictates whether first or 3rd person is necessary. The biggest challenge I find is having a strong female mc that is likeable. Because without the right balance she/he comes across mean or bossy. Same with a shy character – he/she can come across wimpy. Not easy. When I first started writing it was all so easy!
February 1st, 2010 at 3:05 pm
Another great POV post! My current WIP alternates between two first-person narrators, which is something I’ve never done before. It’s challenging and interesting, and I’m having a lot of fun being inside two different characters’ heads.
February 1st, 2010 at 4:07 pm
Laura, isn’t writing so much easier when you’re just starting out and you think you know everything? Oh well… I have a hard time with first person female characters too. In fact, I find boys much easier to write for some reason. I’m not sure what that says about me.
Thanks Joanna! Sounds like your dual first person experiment is working out well so far. I’m doing a dual third person right now and it’s so much fun to hear what they two characters are thinking about each other!
February 1st, 2010 at 5:11 pm
Great post! I am looking forward to the follow-up on third omniscient.
April 6th, 2010 at 8:16 am
POV is such a vital issue. My WIP started out alternating first (protagonist) and third (antagonist), then changed to only first person before I found the true voice: third person, with the character I had originally planned as the antagonist now taking the part of the hero MC. Whew!
May 11th, 2010 at 7:32 pm
POV is a never-ending discussion in my critique group. It is vital to pick the right POV for each story.