8

Point of View

Point of view determines how the story will be told or narrated. As such, some choices have to be made. You must ask yourself: Will I tell this story in 1^st person, 2^nd person, or 3^rd person? In 1^st person a story is narrated using the pronoun “I.” The character telling the story is part of the story, which means that the narration is limited to that character’s observations and opinions. He may narrate his own story or someone else’s, but in either case it will always be his story. After all, he is the one telling it. Thus the advantage of 1^st person is also its disadvantage. It may offer you a sense of control in working through a single character, but it also provides limited flexibility as the narrative is restrained by that character’s singular experience.

In 2^nd person a story is narrated using the pronoun “you.” The narrator could be speaking to someone specifically within the story or just be referencing “you” in general. If the narrator is speaking to someone within the story, the narrator is a character within the story, but if the narrator is referencing “you” in general, he may actually be the narrator of the story writing directly to his reader (i.e. you). The advantage of 2^nd person is that it is slightly more flexible than 1^st person as it presents the option of two different narrators. However, the disadvantage of 2^nd person is that it can be complicated and confusing. If it is to be used well, it requires careful control. If it is not carefully controlled, it can quickly become cumbersome, awkward, clunky, even irritating. 2^nd person tends to work best when it is a narrator within a story speaking to another character. So make it clear that your narrator is speaking directly to another character and avoid mixing its use with the usage of “you” in general. Using “you” in general is generally best avoided, that is, unless you have an intentional reason for it.

In 3^rd person a story is narrated using the pronouns “he” or “she.” The narrator tells someone else’s story from the outside. He may narrate by showing, that is, describing the story’s characters, events, and scenes using only what can be seen or heard, or by telling, that is, depicting the characters, events, and scenes by summarizing them, interpreting them, or commenting on them. The advantage of 3^rd person over 1^st person or 2^nd person is that it is much more flexible. 3^rd person offers a range of narration from objective (purely descriptive) to omniscient (all-knowing). Using 3^rd person allows you to move unhindered between the external and internal worlds of one or more characters.  While 3^rd person provides ultimate flexibility in terms of point of view, it may also be difficult to control. So it is wise to clearly distinguish each character and organize shifts between characters’ points of view.