Point of view (POV) is arguably one of the most important stylistic choices in writing. The perspective that a story is told from shapes it in many ways and opens up different opportunities in terms of writing style. Different points of view have different pros and cons, but most articles on the internet don’t actually get into them, so here’s a guide for choosing what point of view to write from.
First-Person POV
First-Person POV is a really fun POV to work with. Stories that use first-person POV tell the story from the character’s perspective, using statements that involve “I” and “Me.” This is one of the best POVs to use to showcase a character’s personality, thoughts, and feelings without it seeming forced. It’s also one of the easiest POVs to experiment with the unreliable narrator since your readers already know that your character is fallible (whereas in third-person POV, for instance, your readers might not think to question the narrator). You should consider using first-person POV if:
- You want to give people a selective look into your character’s mind
- You want to play with how your character chooses to portray themselves to the reader
- You want to play with the unreliable narrator through your character
Third-Person Omniscient
Third-person omniscient tells a story from the perspective of an outside narrator, using statements that involve “he,” “she,” “they,” etc. What makes this POV different from the other third-person POVs is that the narrator knows what multiple characters are feeling and thinking, so the story switches around between characters. Stories told in third-person omniscient can focus on one main character but occasionally show scenes focused on other characters as well (i.e. antagonists, supporting characters, etc.) or focus equally on multiple characters. This POV allows you to show your readers things the main character has no way of knowing, which is always fun. However, it’s also harder to play with the unreliable narrator in this POV, since the narrator is supposed to be all-knowing and readers probably regard them as trustworthy. You should consider using third-person omniscient if:
- You want to build tension by allowing your readers to know things that your main character(s) has no way of knowing (i.e. the antagonist’s plan)
- You don’t want to just focus on one character throughout the entire story
- You want your readers to inherently trust your narrator
Third-Person Limited
Like third-person omniscient, third-person limited also tells a story from the perspective of an outside narrator, using statements that involve “he,” she,” “they,” etc. However, third-person limited only showcases the thoughts and feelings of a single main character. Scenes don’t deviate from the main character, and for the most part, the audience only knows as much as the main character. This POV allows the readers to build a connection to one character (which can be hard to do with third-person omniscient) without having to inherently worry about the portrayal of that character being unreliable (like in first-person POV). Of course, any narrator can be unreliable, but generally, first-person narrators are more likely to be. You should consider using third-person limited if:
- You want your readers to feel connected to one main character
- You don’t want to have to keep track of what your audience knows and your character doesn’t, which can be confusing
- You want your readers to inherently trust your narrator
Third-Person Objective
I’m going to be honest with you: the third-person objective is probably my least favorite POV. Like all the other third-person POVs, third-person objective tells a story from the perspective of an outside narrator and uses statements that involve “he,” “she,” “they,” etc. However, in the third-person objective, the narrator doesn’t know any of the characters’ emotions or thoughts and instead tells the story objectively. While I personally prefer to give my readers a little more insight into the minds of my character, there are definitely some benefits of using a third-person objective. It can be an unbiased narration style, meaning your readers can judge your characters for themselves, rather than being nudged by the narrator. It also allows the writer to develop the narrator’s personality without interfering with the character’s portrayal. You should consider using a third-person objective if:
- You want your readers to judge your characters equally by their actions, and decide for themselves who they prefer
- You want to play with the style in which the story is told (i.e. you want it to be told in a more informative manner)
- You want to develop the narrator’s personality or even have them comment on the story without creating certain dynamics (which could be created if there the narrator was all-knowing)
I hope this guide helped you decide what POV you want your next work of fiction to be in! If you’d like more in-depth explanations of what the different POVs entail, I recommend reading this article.