This week: Point of View Edited by: Annette  
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This newsletter will discuss the point of view in writing. Before we dive in, let's find out what others had to say about points of view.
Nothing is beautiful from every point of view. ~ Horace
There is nothing insignificant in the world. It all depends on the point of view. ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
There is no absolute point of view from which real and ideal can be finally separated and labelled. ~ T. S. Eliot |
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Point of View
First Person Point of View
In this style, the author writes as if she sees everything out of her own eyes. This point of view keeps the narration fixated in one person's mind and plot line. This also limits the story to those things that the first person narrator experiences in the course of the story. First person narration became very popular in the Young Adult genre a few years back. Sometimes, it is coupled with present tense narration. Usually, the desired outcome is to rope the reader into the story as everything happens right in front of them and as it happens. This can also feel somewhat breathless because everything is always right there. The limitations of this point of view are that whatever happens to others has to be told to the first person narrator by other characters.
A drawback of first person narration is the limited point of view.
I suppose that you are wondering why I summoned you here today "Invalid Item"
I feel the G force grow stronger as the ship gains speed. "The curse of immortality "
I wake with anxiety in my chest amongst the blackness. "The Machine"
Second Person Point of View
There are two ways to use "you" in narration.
One is the actual second person. You, the reader, are also the active party in the story. The author tells you what you see, hear, feel, taste, and do. This can make a story feel much more personal. It can also drive a reader away when he doesn't want to experience in fiction as if it happened to him.
The other way to use "you" in narration is to have a first person narrator speak to one other "you" in the story. Caroline Kepnes wrote You: A Novel in that style. In this book, Joe tells us his story with Beck by referring to her as "you" whenever he thinks of her. If reading the book is not what you want, you can watch the TV show on Netflix.
Your family ignores you. "Blurred"
You are gonna be in so much trouble. "Alone in an Uber"
If at this point you find yourself not responding to the process very well, fear not. "How to Slay a Borish Hellbeast"
Third Person Point of View
Although this point of view has been called outdated, it is still the dominant one. A search for short stories here on Writing.Com shows that the vast majority of stories are written in third person. It is the most versatile point of view because the reader is not limited to one point of view or forced into feeling like a part of the story. By telling a third person point of view story, the author gives the reader the "fly on the wall" view. Everything is seen, even those things that the main character doesn't see. This type of narration is useful when a book has different characters who are carrying the plot and each of them gets their own chapters.
An example of that is the series A Song of Fire and Ice, commonly referred to as A Game of Thrones, although that is only the title of the first book in the series by George R.R. Martin. The book chapters are named for the character who is going to be the main one in that chapter. Once two of them meet, Martin chooses one to give their name to a chapter title. At this point, I also want to point out that if anyone here on Writing.Com had done it like that: to name each chapter by the main protagonist, they would have been told that would never work.
Even as he scrolled Twitter for any mentions, hashtags, or fleeks, or whatever the term kids used, he debated if he should wait much longer. "Invalid Item"
Somebody didn't want this demolition, Kort thought. But why? "The Demolition Dilemma"
Saran rolled her eyes, folding her ears back as she did so. "The Bet"
Which point of view to you prefer to write? And which point of view do you prefer to read? |
First Person Narration
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Second Person Narration
Third Person Narration
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An earlier story of mine. Canine must stay in a haunted house overnight to collect 0.
#2277812 by Louis Williams  |
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I received these replies to my For Authors newsletter "Reviewing Should Be Collaboration" that asked Can you review constructively and stay encouraging?
Jack Henry wrote: A good article especially this line: "All the publishers now want first person narration. Stay in one point of view only, readers can't handle more. Present tense is the fashion now." I've heard this before. And yet some popular authors such as Lee Child tell a story from many points of view. Sometimes it can be a little confusing, but I believe authors (and publishers) should not second guess the intelligence of their readers. The latest series of Stranger Things jumps from Hawkins to Russia, to the Upside world, and places in between. I can't understand why the same stylistic approach can't be utilized by authors.
You are so right that we should never second guess the intelligence of the audience.
Pumpkin Ready for a New Year  wrote: I had some opposite reviews. I wrote a story in the first person for a contest, and one of the judges told me that was hard to handle. She hardly ever read a successful first person account. But some remark in her review led me to believe it was her personal experience that limited her. I don't want to be snobby and reject comments. I need to grow, but I have learned to take criticism with a grain of salt. I just appreciate the read and time to comment. Maybe a suggestion was okay, then again. . .
There are many successful first person stories and books out there. While I don't necessarily enjoy it, I wouldn't call that out as a defect.
dogpack saving 4premium  wrote: Reviewing is important and should be helpful to the writer. I like the word collaboration, I definitely agree that writers and reviewers should see reviews as collaboration. Thank you very much for pointing this out to me in the newsletter. "Yeller tellen a feller"
Thank you for reading and commenting.
strategos101 wrote: I happen to agree with what you said whole-heartily. I posted a short story, and in general, I tend to write stories that have an old flavor to them, and was told by a reviewer that she didn't like the use of generalizations, obscure phrases I used, because it might leave the reader confused. I wrote the story in the same style as a tv mini series I once use to love and this is how it was presented. She wanted me to change the story so much, of which I did, I shouldn't have, that it lost everything that was special to me about it.
Anyway, thanks for saying so.
If one reader doesn't like your style, she is not your audience. There are still many people who like old flavor type writing. About generalizations: the one thing to avoid is lecturing the reader. I once read a short story in which the author explained, "The internet is a wonderful invention that gives all sorts of information with just a few keystrokes." That was painful to read because it ages the writer who is still amazed by the internet when the vast majority of people aren't. However, explaining something ancient that the contemporary audience may no longer know feels enriching to me as a reader as long as it adds to the story.
Beholden  wrote: Thank you so much for pointing out these so-called modern rules of writing and calling them into question. The plain fact is that readers couldn't care less whether you use a lot of adjectives, what POV you use, and what tense you write in. As long as it doesn't jar or interfere with the story, they're happy. If the "rules" were that important to good writing, everyone would be published (and no one would be reading anymore). Write a good story, edit it properly and you'll make it sooner or later.
Personally, I'm old fashioned and I enjoy most writing in an old fashioned way when the story demands it. But I can write avant garde if that's required (or if I'm in the mood). As an old man once told me, "It depends."
You have a very balanced view of this. I like it.
An apple a day....  wrote: I enjoyed your newsletter and wholeheartedly agree!
Thank you for agreeing.
BIG BAD WOLF is Merry  wrote: It can be annoying when one encounters a fella who dislikes a certain topic to the point where they just give you a low rating, just because your story is about said topic. Of course, things get funny when, upon checking up on them, they ain't been on in almost a decade, while you yourself have become a Yellow Case or better. Got to laugh.
Good point about the topic. It is true that people should not read stories where they don't like the topic. If something is that disturbing, it might be better for that person to find something else to read.
Quick-Quill  wrote: Annette, I'm a bit skeptical of your newsletter. I could have written it when I first joined WDc. However, over time and after reading books with a writer's eye, I found writing outside the rules puts people off. They feel something isn't right but don't always know what it is. They just stop reading. I have issues when a writer uses was, were, and went too much. I want to throw the book out the door. While some writers push the POV switch in multiple paragraphs, it doesn't work for everyone.
Not everything works for everyone. As someone who's been here on the site for a while, I also think that we here don't read like the average reader anymore. It's hard to look at a text and turn off that "editor eye." However, if you start reading published books that have come out in the last twenty years, you will find that "writing outside the rules" is very common - and successful. But you should write a newsletter making your point about was, were, went and how it affects you as a reader. That way, authors here on the site can read it, as it's not likely that everyone sees your comment down here.
Jayngle Bells  wrote: I like to call this "don't rewrite someone else's story in your own image". I will give advice on specific passages if they don't work, pointing out possible different options that may help with clarity. "Publishers only want X format, or X genre, or X whatever" - sure, maybe, at the moment. But you know what? Publishers publish a lot of books that stink. They also gatekeep what the 'in' thing is, and it changes (although traditional publishers move like molasses).
You won't have success in traditional publishing OR self-publishing with horrid grammar or poor sentence structure. However, people need to understand that self-pub, despite being rife with poorly-written books, has a lot of success stories. I personally know multiple people - yes, multiple - that either make a comfortable living, or a decent supplemental living, with an organically grown fan base. And yeah, they pay real editors to polish their stuff. They have real covers. They keep more money per sale with about as much advertising as a traditional publisher is going to give you as a new author before they dump you in the bargain bin.
My point is, authors are not limited to traditional publishers any longer. Telling someone a traditional publisher doesn't want their work ignores what the author wants in the first place.
As far as adjectives and adverbs go - the fact that the famous guy who perpetuated this in modern times has books chock full of them, and a lot of them are really good books.
Learning to write from multiple points of view is a skill. Do it wrong, it's not fun for the reader. Do it properly, and it's barely a blip on the radar. However, I still love third-person and omniscient, and strict first-person POV can get tiresome.
Good writing is good writing, and a good book is a good book. Check your biases at the door, or at least acknowledge them during your review.
Thank you for all of this. All your points make a lot of sense, especially "check your biases at the door" because reviewers often don't do that when it comes to writing styles.
Joy  wrote: Good points all around. The one about the "mass hysteria" made me chuckle because it's sooo true. I think they only show that the reviewer is not well-read. Adjectives, adverbs, or certain styles have been used profusely at one time or another within the last century and a half. Anyway, I enjoyed your editorial greatly. May all the good reviewers prosper!
Yes! May the good reviewers prosper!
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For Authors: August 31, 2022 Issue [#11498]
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