Writing 2101: POV

Writing 2101: POV

Stories are populated with characters of all kinds, but only a select few provide readers with a view of the story. These are POV – point of view – characters, and their experiences and thought processes not only relay the facts of a narrative, but color the reader’s perception as well. How we feel about a secondary character can usually be tied to the POV’s thoughts toward that person. If an author’s writing is effective, readers feel empathy, and even sympathy toward POV characters; they can visualize the unfolding events of the story as if they had watched them on a movie screen.

In my own writing, the first, and oftentimes the most important choice I make is about POV: who tells the story and how. There are several factors to consider. First, how you want to tell the story:

First Person POV

In a first-person narrative, the characters are speaking directly to the audience. This is the “I/me” way to narrate a story. Almost all popular fiction that’s written in first-person is done so from a first-person limited perspective, as opposed to the omniscient storyteller approach that was common to fables and classics. The reader knows what the narrator knows, and nothing else. Generally, only one or two characters carry the brunt of the story when it’s told in first-person, and then the narrators are often labeled at the beginnings of chapters so the audience is aware there’s been a POV shift.

Third Person POV

This is the POV in which I write all of my work. This is the “he/she” approach to narration. As with first person, most contemporary stories are written from the limited perspective, with one narrator in possession of limited knowledge at the helm at each time. Though labeling can be used, it isn’t necessary, because your sentences contain the characters’ names and it is usually clear who is in the narrator seat. With my own writing, I limit each scene to one narrator; if the narrator changes, it’s because the scene has changed; in this way, I have multiple POV characters in each novel, but POV only shifts between scene breaks, and not between paragraphs – as some unobservant readers have suggested in the past (ha!).

Second Person POV

This narration style is the least popular. The narrator is referred to as “you.” It’s “your” story, but an outside narrator is dictating it to you.

A Note of Preference

Much talk of which is the “best” POV style circulates in review circles. I’ve often seen it argued that first person POV feels more “immediate,” and that it helps to ground a reader more solidly in the moment of a story. I want to take a moment to disagree with this notion. Things like sensory details, tangible emotion, and cultural relevance of a character’s struggle are the things that make a story feel accessible to a variety of readers. Intimate descriptions of locations and a character’s feelings are what elevate a story to the next level – “I” versus “she” isn’t the thing that makes a book feel real; that’s a mere stylistic choice.

The author’s job, no matter the POV, is to create an emotional investment in the reader.

POV Characters

Once you’ve decided between first, third, or second person POV style, it’s then time to decide who your POV characters will be. Keep in mind that every POV character should do at least some work toward either advancing the plot or illuminating a character. They don’t all have to pull equal weight, but each POV should offer the reader new information. If a POV only reiterates another POV’s point in the exact same terms? It’s extraneous.

You also want to make sure that each POV character’s thoughts and feelings accurately reflect their current state. That sounds like a no-brainer, I know, but it’s not uncommon to run across characters who don’t seem to mesh with the portrait the author is trying to paint. Think about your character’s age, experience, and current frame of mind when constructing his or her dialogue and inner monologue. If you’ve put due diligence into character development, sliding into your character’s head should be fairly seamless. Something I’ve heard before from readers is that they want “mature” characters; maturity is a state of mind, rather than an age. If your character is in his or her forties or fifties, they should act and think like it. An author’s job isn’t just to tell the audience, but to show them. Remember: don’t use particular traits or experiences as props; let those traits and experiences inform the way your character interacts with the world.

Beware the Inner Monologue

I’ll just be frank right off the bat: I don’t care for inner monologue. It seems to be a more recent phenomenon in which characters have conversations with their own minds for paragraphs upon paragraphs, and I don’t like them because, for the most part, they aren’t telling me anything.

A more diplomatic note on the subject: some inner monologue, or dialogue, if you want, used sparingly, is just fine. A character’s quick thought of should I? Or oh no. Or damn it. Silent I love yous, or internalized pleases. But large chunks of italicized internal ramblings can, for the most part, pull a reader from the immediacy of the moment. Because here’s the truth: as humans, we’re subtler than we sometimes think. By that, I mean that it’s very possible that, in certain tense moments, we don’t know how we feel. We try to think, fail to do so, and are pushed by circumstances into making a decision. It’s only later, hours or sometimes days, that we can truly unpack everything that’s happened and try to make sense of it. In writing, what we leave unsaid can have a greater impact than overexplaining something.

For instance, in a scene where a character is asked to make an impossible choice, it’s likely he or she would hone in on one or two pertinent thoughts. You don’t have to walk the reader through the minutiae of the decision; we can guess, based on his or her answer, what they were thinking in the moment.

Note that recalling memories, describing a person or a setting doesn’t count as inner monologue. I’m referring only a character’s direct address to his- or herself.

Remember…

Remember that the most important aspect of point of view is the character’s ability to communicate a story to the reader. First, third, or second doesn’t matter; all that matters is that:

1)      You keep consistent, and don’t swap between POV styles in the middle of a scene or paragraph; and

2)      The POV characters offer unique story and character perspectives to the over all narrative that, when combined, help to create a complete and enriching story experience.