Points of View by Rebecca Seaton

 

Points of View by Rebecca Seaton

 

There is much debate about the best way to narrate a story. The Point of View, or POV, is critical to this. Deciding on a point, or points, of view will determine the type of experience your reader has.

Up close and personal.

Some authors opt for first person as the point of view, putting the protagonist in the driving seat. For added effect, some writers also use present tense. For something like a thriller, this can heighten the tension dramatically as the reader is carried by the extreme emotions of the main character. However, disadvantages are that this can limit the overall view of what is happening. Again, a writer may happily swap that in for the immediacy and ability for the reader to empathise with their hero or heroine but there is a trade-off.

Omniscient overview

Let’s admit it, we writers like to play god! The third-person omniscient viewpoint enables the writer to show the reader their world. I use this writing fantasy as there is a lot of information I need to convey and events happen across the different continents of my world. In order to show the bigger picture, I’ve had to find other ways to show the emotions and drama my main characters are part of.

                                                        Third person so you can see the whole world

Are you mad? You are mad.

Then there’s second person. When I first heard of this I thought it was a crazy idea and I feel quite uncomfortable reading in second person. But maybe that’s the point. Successful novels using second person include Nuala Ni Chonchuir’s You, where present tense second person enables empathy with the protagonist, as well as sections of N K Jemisin’s the Fifth season, where second person is used for one viewpoint to trick the reader. Second person, like first, can be a great way to use an unreliable narrator as a plot device.

Considering viewpoint keeps us humble. What may seem really important to us might mean nothing to another…and only God really has the full picture and we can rest in this knowledge. ‘…for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart and knows everything.’ (1 John 3:20)

                                                                                                        

 

Rebecca writes fantasy novels, wrangles cats, chicks and children in various capacities and is becoming increasingly obsessed with steampunk.