Point of View: A Review of a Writer's Storytelling Options

Point of view in writing is not your belief about a topic, as it would be in conversation—your "point of view" in an argument, for example. In writing, point of view, or pov, refers to the orientation of the narrator in your story. What narrative filter you’ve chosen, in other words.

Which greatly affects the way readers will see your story. A lot of how a story comes across to a reader is created by who tells it.

We’re not talking about voice either. Narrative voice is more the tone of the person talking; writer's voice is the overall style you use. Yes, they are influenced by point of view. But point of view is actually easier to figure out, because you only have a few choices. Let’s do a little review of pov choices.

First person

When you write in first person, you use the pronoun I because I am telling the story.

Memoir is usually written in first person because you are the narrator—it’s your story, told from your perspective.

Fiction can also be written in first person, of course. There’s a truism that first novels are more likely to emerge in first person, because it's easier to get into the character's head.

First person is limited. We only stay in one person's head. First person doesn't switch around. If you move to someone else’s pov, you are using multiple first-person narrators. This works just fine in longer works of fiction; for example, each chapter has an "I" narrator but different ones switch off. It’s harder to do in short fiction, and even harder to successfully pull off within a single chapter of a novel.

The easiest advice: unless you're really good at the switch, stick with one person for your first-person narrator.

First-person point of view is automatically prejudiced, or biased. We only can see what this person can see. It's not going to be the whole story, so it's up to the writer to reveal the unreliability of this narrator via setting, action, gestures, and sensory details that contradict the narrator's view of something.

Examples of first-person narration:

I crossed the street when the light turned green, not caring about the angry drivers who swerved to avoid me.

It was years before my father acknowledged how much he missed me; I thought he never would.

I'm climbing the stairs, aware of noises in the attic, not sure what I'll find there.

Second person

Second person narration uses the pronoun "you."

Second person feels edgy to me, both as a writer and a reader. I am super aware of the narrator, close up. Their opinions, their thoughts, their decisions all strike me hard, when I read a story in second person. It can even come across as confrontational, in-your-face. It demands skill to keep your reader engaged: some readers get tired of it fast.

In short pieces, though, it works well. Sometimes if my short story is lagging and needs more electricity, I’ll play with switching the pov to second person, just to see if that helps. But I find it's a tough point of view to sustain throughout a 250- to 300-page book.

And another thought: I may be wrong, but it seems an impossible feat to successfully switch heads if you’re writing in second person. Who is the “you” we are following?

Examples of second-person narration:

You crossed the street when the light turned green, not caring about the angry drivers who swerved to avoid you.

It was years before your father acknowledged how much he missed you; you thought he never would.

You're climbing the stairs, aware of noises in the attic, not sure what you'll find there.

Third person

Third person is possibly the most common pov used in all kinds of fiction, biography, and nonfiction. (In memoir, because the narrator is still the “I” voice, it’s rare.) Third person gives a certain distance or objectivity, compared to first person, which can mean it’s harder to get close to the narrator, as a character. More skill is required.

Here are the most common kinds of third-person narration:

Third person limited is the “he,” “she,” “them,” and “it” pov. Limited means it is exclusive to that person’s thoughts and feelings.

I love writing third limited. It keeps me honest. I may move from one narrator to another, from third limited in one person to third limited in another. I’m very careful not to head hop without excellent transitions, so the reader can follow easily.

We also head hop out of not knowing how this effects the reader. As a writing teacher, I found this was common with newer writers—they wanted to show a multitude of reactions to a scene, for instance. They didn’t have the skill yet to show it via one narrator. It takes work. But it provides depth.

Third person omniscient is a fallback you might consider. It’s popular in fantasy and literary fiction today. You’re in everyone’s thoughts at once. A multitude of characters!

Sounds easy, incredible. But much harder to pull off successfully. If your voice and authority on the page are very strong, the reader will follow you but if not, it may be hard to follow.

Transitions between points of view, when you can get into every single person’s head, are super tricky. Read writers who do this well, see how they manage it.

Depth is also harder to achieve because we are moving around frequently. We may not know individual characters at any depth.

Poorly done, third omniscient lends an academic (distant) feel to your writing.

Examples of third-person-limited narration:

Jason crossed the street when the light turned green, not caring about the angry drivers who swerved to avoid him.

It was years before Jason's father acknowledged how much he missed him; Jason thought he never would.

Jason's climbing the stairs, aware of noises in the attic, not sure what he'll find there.

Examples of third-person-omniscient narration:

Jason and Maria crossed the street when the light turned green, not caring about the angry drivers who swerved to avoid them.

It was years before their father acknowledged how much he missed them; they thought he never would.

Jason and Maria are climbing the stairs, aware of noises in the attic, not sure what they'll find there.

Basic rules

These are the main rules I find most helpful when choosing pov for your writing. The goal, in the end, is to engage a reader, not make it harder for them to follow a character or narrator’s trajectory. Test these rules out for yourself, study how your favorite authors use (or ignore) them, then choose the direction that best serves your story.

• Play with point of views until you find the one that best serves your story.

• If you have multiple narrators, keep them all in first or third limited.

• Switch at chapter or scene breaks to be easiest on the reader.

• If you really like the broader perspective and want to try it, experiment with third limited with multiple narrators first. See if that gives you the broad reach you're after. Or study writers who do this well.

Some writers love to break these rules, playing with one narrator in first-person and another in third limited. If you're tempted to try it, study books that do this well.

Your Weekly Writing Exercise

Read this interesting post from Reedsy for more examples and details about point of view— including what’s called “Fourth Person.”

Then look at a section of your own writing.

What point of view do you favor? Why?

What might it be like to experiment with a different point of view?