Let’s talk a little about point of view. In conversation, we talk about somebody’s point of view. “That’s his point of view.” By this we mean, that’s the way he sees things.
In a book, when we talk about point of view, or POV, it’s similar.
First, what are our options in a book? We can have first person POV. The book is written from one person’s point of view and that person is the narrator. “I recognized Hazel from across the room.” “I considered what that picture signified.” “The room smelled musty.” All descriptions of what is happening in the book come from the first person. Other persons can make observations in conversation. John looked at me and said, “There are four men following us. I could hear them talking before I met you.” John is giving us information in his dialogue. But, we the reader are getting it because the narrator, first person “I”, heard John say it.
The POV can be in the second person. This is rarely used, difficult, and I’m not going to discuss it here.
Quite popular is third person. Here, a character in the book can report on everything he or she observes or thinks. And since there may be several persons in the story, it is possible to have several POV characters. And this is where the problems come in. More on that in a moment.
There is also the omnipotent POV. In this case, some external being sees and knows everything, every action, every thought. And this being can report on any and everything. This may seem appealing to the writer. However, it is difficult to get the reader to really identify with any of the characters in the book. Everything is in the POV of this external being and even if the reader identifies with this being, it generally does not draw the reader into the book in the same manner that identifying with the protagonist will.
Let’s go back to the third person point of views. I said we could have multiple third person POV characters here. The important things to note here are: don’t have too many; and only one POV per scene. Too many and the reader can get confused. And it is difficult to have a bunch and get the reader to really identify with your protagonist. In my novel Murder a Cappella, we use first person. One POV character—the protagonist, naturally. (The first person narrator doesn’t have to be the protagonist. To Kill a Mockingbird and The Great Gatsby are two examples where the star of the story is not the narrator.)
Everything has to be presented as something the POV character experiences. She can’t see behind herself. She can’t be in two places at once—that is, she must be on the scene to experience what is going on. Of course, she can get reports from other people in their dialogue. That’s okay, because she is hearing the dialogue and therefore we can get the dialogue through her ears.
On the other hand, in Cleansed by Fire, I use third person and have several POV characters. This means I must make it clear to the reader when I switch POV. Each scene must have a single POV. (Even better is to keep each chapter in a single POV.) As an example, a scene can be from the POV of Joan. The next scene begins, “Across town, Sarah was having her own problems.” The reader is immediately alerted to the fact that this next scene is in Sarah’s POV.
It’s not difficult to stay in one person’s POV – if you pay close attention. Here’s an example of a typical POV mistake. The scene is in Karen’s POV.
Karen scanned the street carefully, making certain no one was watching, then slipped in the door. Jacob was waiting inside for her. “Glad you could come,” she said. He tried to look bored and said, “I had nothing else to do. I saw Wilson make the drop yesterday.”
You have slipped into Jacob’s POV when you say, “He tried to look bored.” He knows what he tried, Karen doesn’t. You could avoid this by saying, “Karen could tell he was trying to look bored.” Now, we are still in Karen’s POV. It’s okay for Jacob to tell Karen what he saw Wilson do. That’s not breaking POV. Karen is hearing it and the reader knows it now because Karen does.
Another example of how you can slip out of POV. This scene is in Alice’s POV.
Alice was still shaking. “I was so scared I thought I would faint.”
I almost wet my pants, Willie thought. He pulled Alice closer. “I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”
Alice as POV character can’t know what Willie is thinking. I’ve shifted out of her POV and into his if only for a moment.
It’s easy to let those POV mistakes creep in. Even David Baldacci, one of the top sellers today, can get caught. In his The Collectors, he has a chapter in the protagonist Stone’s POV. But we see this bit.
“Keep your eyes open,” Stone warned. “We’re undoubtedly being watched.”
True to Stone’s words, the same pair of binoculars from the window across the street was trained on the group. …
Once inside, Stone suggested …
Stone doesn’t know binoculars are watching. He believes that: “We’re undoubtedly being watched.” But he doesn’t know that. The author is telling us. We are in the author’s POV.
The bottom line –
Pare POV characters to a minimum.
Only use one POV character in a scene.
Verify that everything comes to the reader through that one POV character.
Any comments?
POV can be tricky. This post did a lot to demystify it. I especially enjoyed the examples of POV slippage. Thank you.
Thanks. The POV “slippage” can catch any of us at times.
Deciding on the POV is important. So far I’ve written short stories only in third person and it works fine. For my novel, I started in third person and it felt flat. When I switched to first person, the story and the character both came alive. The writer may need to try the various POVs to find the right one for that story. Thanks for the post, Jim.
You’re absolutely right. I’ve changed from third to first (once) and it did help the story. Thanks for the comment; something I should have mentioned.
Good piece on POV, Jim. After all my years of teaching and editing, I’m quick to note any change in POV. It’s a hard concept for writers to grasp and I find myself arguing with some of them about why it just doesn’t work. If it’s a different chapter, and a new POV, okay, but some writers probably never get what you’re communicating here.
Thanks, Eileen. Sometimes it is difficult for novice writers to see that a change of POV even took place.
We argue about this in my group. The important thing is the story. A favorite author of mine does;t mind changing POV in mid-paragraph – the story is overriding.
A great story can override almost anything.
Good post. Sometimes it can be just as confusing for the writer as it is for the reader. There might be information you want to impart, but because of the POV you can’t include it. I have read books, such as Stephen King’s “Christine”, where the author switches from first to third person, and if done right, it can work.
You’re right on that. If done well, you can do it. I’ve seen books with two first person POV characters – alternating chapters. But, if you are not very careful, you will confuse the reader. As a reader, I really hate to have to look back to see who is talking or thinking. And as a writer, I really hate for the reader ever to need to back track. Well, maybe at the end, to check it out and then say, “Okay, the clues were there, I just didn’t pay attention to them.”
Jim,
Interesting post. Lots of great information.
I’ve been trying to contact you via email. Have you changed your email address?
Hi Patricia, I’m not sure what you were using (although I have been out of the country for a bit. But, use: jim@jamesrcallan.com And if I don’t respond in a day or two, hit me with another “comment” and I’ll make it happen. Thanks.
Nice post, Jim. I’ve written in first person POV as well as third, and obviously both have their advantages. I couldn’t imagine ‘Cleansed by Fire’ in the first person. If it was just Father Frank’s POV, readers would lose so much. In ‘American Caliphate’ I wove together several character’s POVs to explore the action from different perspectives. Yet in my Henry Grave mysteries, I use first person. I’m willing to forego the multiple viewpoints for the advantage of being able to bring forth one inner world.
William Doonan
http://www.themummiesoblogspace9.com
And you do both very well, I might add.
Jim, your use of POV in Cleansed by Fire is terrific. Your shifts and what you kept back helped to develop the dramatic tension and the life of the book. I loved that. I had enough information to keep me going but not so much that the ending was a giveaway.
Thanks, John.
Very helpful information and the handle at the end is very useful. Thanks for this:)
Thanks for the comment, Jody. I do appreciate it.
Jim, great piece and very informative. Also enjoyed the piece about challenging words — further — farther, its — it’s… Would you consider writing one about documenting character thoughts. Such as — he thought, where can she, he thought, Where can she, he thought, where can she(italic), he thought, “Where can she…”
Please keep up the writing tips!!!
Thanks
Thanks for the kind words. And yes, I can post a piece on how to handle a character’s thoughts. Thanks for asking.
Great info, Jim. Gee, I thought we were in the binoculars POV!!! LOL. It is easy to slip out of POV, because sometimes one little word can do it. I think I’ve told you, I can’t write in first person. Well, I can in short stories, but I can’t in a novel. I admire those you can…like you.
http://www.anneverett.com