The Point of Views in a Novel

When writing a novel, its important to know all the point of views especially when you are trying to figure out who's telling the story. Some people like to say that all of the point of views are hard but I believe they are easy if you study them and you understand how to come from a different point of view when telling a story.

The first point of view I will speak about is First Person.

First person is spoken from the main character; the person who is in the story and living out the events as the happen or have happend. This point of view is spoken from "I" "As I woke up the next morning I heard a loud knock at the door"

Note: If the events have already happend, it's called First Person Past. Still spoken with an "I" If the events are happening as the story is told, it's called First Person Present.

If you are writing a novel and the main character is speaking, you as the writer will write from an "I" perspective in your main characters voice.

The second point of view is Second Person Past and Second Person Present: In the second-person POV, the author casts the reader as narrator. This is the Point of view that tends to be the hardest because the writer is not writing from an "I" POV, they are writing from a "You" point of view. Yes very confusing.

Example:

"When you woke up the next morning, you heard a loud knock on the door. (This is past)
"As you open your eyes, you can hear a loud knock on the door." (This is present)

The next POV is Third Person which is fairly easy. Most of the time a writer has the narrator tell this type of story. This POV you would use "he" "she" or "They" This story has nothing to do with "you" or "I"

Example:

"As Tiffany woke up the next morning, she heard a loud knock at the door."

When picking a POV it's important to know how you really want to tell the story. Yes, you can switch the POV's up in a story (fiction) novel. But make sure it's not confusing. If you start the story off with the "I" POV and then go into the Third Person POV (Narrator), that's ok. I've done it several times in my book. I do this when there's something I need to reveal to the readers but not the main character.

Most people would use the Second Person POV when telling s short story, writing an eassy (although you are not supposed to use the word "you" in an essay), in an article, poem or report. It's not very common to use the Second person POV but it really depends on how you want to tell your story and how you want it perceived.

Before we end this blog...

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Signing Off,
Dominique Watson