Point of View: What Type of Person are YOU?

Do you enjoy reading a story where you’ve entered through the pages and are now the main character? Or perhaps you prefer watching the story play out and know exactly what the villain is intending while eagerly biting your nails for the main character to not play into his evil hands? Maybe you’ve only read books from a specific standpoint and aren’t really sure what the other ones are like. Well, I’m happy to break it down for you!

There are three different points of view that can be used in a novel: first person, second person, and third person.

· 1st person – The story is revealed through your character’s eyes and the reader only knows what the main character knows. Their inner thoughts are immediately revealed. You would use “I” and “me” as the narrator.

· 2nd person – The story is implied that the narrator is separating the story and uses “you” to explain what you're doing as you read.

· 3rd person – You are telling the reader what is happening and use “he” and “she” to describe your characters. This is the most flexible way of writing and can be used in two different ways. It gives the author a god-like ability to show the reader everything that is going on.

Each have their positives and negatives to telling a story, it just depends on what you're aiming for when writing it.

The unique thing with first person is that you make the reader feel as if they’re there. The negative side to writing in first person is that the reader only gets that character’s view and personality. If a reader can’t connect with the main character, it might make it more difficult for them to get through. Which is why I suggest writing two main characters and alternate their chapters if you choose to write in this narrative. This way the reader can see two personalities and how they feel about each other. For instance, the odd chapters could be “John” and the even chapters could be “Anne”. This method of writing is becoming more popular nowadays than it was before the 20th century, so they're easier to find if you want to read one like this. Another bonus with first person is you can use past tense or present tense depending on how you want the reader to feel. Here's an example of each:

· Present tense: “I dash down the dark hallway until my weight shifts with a slippery foot. A sting radiates through my palm as I suck in a hiss. Slow clicking of a widened heel steps closer through the void. My heart drums through my ears as I shuffle to the nearest wall. She’s coming.”

· Past tense: “I dashed down the dark hallway until my weight shifted with my foot. A sting radiated through my palm as I sucked in with a hiss. My heart drummed through my ear as I shuffled to the nearest wall. She’s coming.”

Second person is the most uncommon way of writing, but it is still used. This is where you, as the author, are addressing the reader directly. Example:

· “You ran down the dark hallway until your weight shifted from a puddle. Your hand burns as you suck in a breath. You hear clicking of footsteps inching closer, but you can’t see which way. You shuffle to the nearest wall and think, ‘She’s coming.’”

The most common way of writing is in third person. The great thing about writing in this narrative is that it’s the easiest way to write, especially for your first go, and it also expands the story greater than what you would see for the other two options. The reader can see what each character is doing, including the antagonist (bad guy). However, you can adjust this by focusing on the main character and their thoughts, similar to first person. This is called limited and omniscient view; observe.

· Limited: “Sarah ran down the dark hallway until feeling a pinch in her ankle as she slipped. She sucks in a breath as a sting meets her palm. The clicking of heels inches closer from the void. She quickly shuffles to the nearest wall and waits. She’s coming.”

· Omniscient: “Sarah ran down the dark hallway until feeling a pinch in her ankle as she tripped. Mrs. Meanie heard the whimper and quickly adjusted her path. Sarah noticed the rise in steps and panicked against the nearest wall.”

The fun thing about writing is that you’re not limited to what point of view you would like to use. You can bounce back and forth between first person and third person by chapters. Or you can write in third person and bounce between limited view (main character only) or omniscient (the whole picture). The choice is yours!

For those who are curious, I personally favor writing in first person, present tense. I enjoy the challenge it brings, and I feel more connected to the characters when reading in that perspective. I also get more nervous during a thriller when it’s written as if I’m there and running for my life. *shutter*