The point of view is the perspective from which a novel is told. A story can be told in first person, where the protagonist tells their own story; in third person limited, where the reader gains access to only one character’s thoughts and feelings (often that of an observer); or in third person omniscient, where it feels like you’re reading about everything at once.
The type of point-of-view you choose will have a significant impact on how your readers experience your novel. In this blog post we are going to discuss four different types of points-of-view and what they offer for writers’ creative process.
The point of view that is best for a novel can vary depending on the story being told. Some novels will have one main character or narrator, while others may switch between characters and narrators throughout the book.
The choice of point of view depends largely on what kind of information is most important to know in order to fully understand the plot and themes.
Table of Contents
What are the points of view for writing?
First person point of view:
The narrator is writing about their own experience and thoughts. This type of narration can be personal, told from a singular perspective that includes telling things seen or felt by only one character in the story.
The first-person voice allows readers to learn details about characters and events through someone who has experienced them firsthand.
However, the first-person voice can be limiting, as it is difficult to present thoughts and feelings of other characters.
10 Famous Books Written In The First Person
- Coral Island
- Dom Casmuro
- Gulliver’s Travels
- Lolita
- Rebecca
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
- The Catcher in the Rye
- The Time Traveler’s Wife
- To Kill a Mocking Bird
- White Oleander
Second person point of view:
The narrator speaks directly to the reader and addresses them using “you.” As a result, readers are drawn into the story because they feel like an active participant.
For example, if you had to run from danger, you might say “you run as fast as your legs can carry you” or something along those lines.
This type of point of view is difficult to write well because it requires a lot of energy and creativity on behalf the author in order to keep readers interested.
Great books written in the second person POV
- All the Truth That’s in Me
- Bright Lights, Big City
- Emergency Skin
- Harrow the Ninth
- If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler
- In the Dream House
- Interior Chinatown
- The Diver’s Clothes Lie
- The Fifth Season
Third person limited:
In this narrative style, the narrator only knows what one character does not know or sees what they see through their eyes without any other characters’ thoughts being revealed.
The third-person limited perspective makes for interesting reading because readers don’t get bogged down by too many details about different events happening at once, but are able to focus on one event that’s more fully explored than others in the story–such as when a detective follows clues while solving a crime.
10 books to check out written in third person limited POV
- An Offer From a Gentleman
- Assassin Study
- Beneath a Scarlet Sky
- Drilled
- Knock Out
- Silent Lucidity
- The Alice Network
- The Optimist’s Daughter
- The Wild Swans
- Waiting to Exhale
Third person omniscient:
In this narrative style, the narrator knows and can tell everything that happens to any of the characters in the story at any time.
The third-person omniscient perspective creates stronger connections between readers and characters because it allows for more detailed information about all aspects of their lives being revealed–such as when an interviewer asks questions of interviewees during job interviews or a blogger shares with readers what they’ve learned from interviewing experts on different topics.
The reader is able to understand better where other people are coming from because they’re privy to so much knowledge about them which may be important pieces of context not shared by others who only have limited access to information about these individuals.
11 novels written in third person omniscient
- A Game Of Thrones By George R.r. Martin
- A Wizard Of Earthsea By Ursula K. Le Guin
- Beloved By Toni Morrison
- Crazy Rich Asians By Kevin Kwan
- Everything I Never Told You By Celeste Ng
- Middlemarch By George Eliot
- Nine Perfect Strangers By Liane Moriarty
- Ripper By Isabel Allende
- Station Eleven By Emily St. John Mandel
- The Interestings By Meg Wolitzer
- The Lowland By Jhumpa Lahiri
First Person Omniscient and Third Person Limited
First person omniscient is a point of view that’s when the narrator has an objective, all-knowing perspective. It tells what every character knows about other people, thoughts or feelings in their mind;
It also narrates any action they see not just from their own eyes but with regard to everything else happening around them.
First person limited means the narration only shows information available to one particular participant (the protagonist/main character).
This may be important for some situations where there are no other witnesses who can provide first hand accounts of events as in mysteries or thrillers etc., like Jodi Picoult novels often do.
The downside of this approach is readers might feel cheated if key event sequences happen off stage.
First person character-limited means the narration is limited to what a specific protagonist knows and thinks. This approach creates more intimacy between reader and narrator, but requires that some information be withheld until later in the story or novel.
What is the best point of view to write in?
As you can see, it all depends on the story that one wants to tell and how they want to tell it. I don’t think there’s a “right or wrong point of view.
For new writers, I would recommend starting with either third person limited or first person as those are the most common points of view and easiest ones to write from.
Personally, my preference is always been three-person limited because it allows me more creative freedom without getting too close in an invasive way— though sometimes I do use first-person perspective when appropriate in dialogue scenes where each character has their own thoughts about what’s happening.
What reveals the point of view?
The point of view is revealed by the narrator’s voice, tone and their perspective on what they are describing. For example: “I was very impressed with how ___ put up a fight” would reveal first-person; whereas “____ won” reveals third person limited.
In some cases, it can be difficult to determine whether or not one is reading from first-person because there will often only be two sentences telling about an event that happened in the protagonist’s life (e.g., Amy ran into her old boyfriend).
We know something must have occurred but we don’t actually hear any dialogue between them– so who knows what transpired? This could mean either first or third person—the reader just has to use their own interpretation.
Some authors will use first-person for the entire novel, while others might switch between viewpoints throughout in order to provide a more comprehensive story or create an interesting narrative voice.
Think about what kind of story you are trying to tell– do you want your readers only privy to one perspective on events? Or does this give them too much information and not allow their imagination enough room to work?
Consider why you have chosen first person: Do I need my protagonist’s thoughts and feelings expressed at all times for authenticity?
Am I telling a very personal story that cannot be told by anyone else but me? Have I created characters whose dialogue is so captivating it would make sense from any point of view because they speak for themselves?
I like first person point of view because it allows me to conduct an interview with my character and get their authentic thoughts and feelings.
It also gives the reader a chance to feel as if they are in the protagonist’s shoes, experiencing everything firsthand!
As for third person – I find that this has its benefits too depending on what kind of story you want to tell. Third person is mostly used for telling dramatic stories where there might be more than one main protagonist.
Readers will experience events from both sides without being limited by just what one protagonist sees or experiences.
Do readers prefer first or third person?
It’s hard to say. I think people can appreciate both depending on what kind of story they want to read.
Some might find first person more accessible because it gives them a chance to relate most closely with the protagonist and really get into their headspace, whereas others may prefer third person because it allows for a more epic storytelling experience– showing not only one character but multiple characters in full detail.
It all depends!
A lot of people say that they prefer first person, because it’s easier to relate to the narrator. Others like third person, because it’s more objective and removed from the story.
What point of view is best for a novel?
The third-person point of view is the most commonly used perspective because it offers both a passive and an active way to portray action. With this mode, you can be either “the onlooker” or “an actor in your own story.”
It’s also easier to read when compared with first person narration and second person dialogue as there are less limitations on sentence structure.
However, this is not to say that first person narration and second person dialogue are less desirable. It all depends on the type of story you wish to tell.
Third-person point of view offers flexibility in sentence structure and narrative distance; however, it also has its disadvantages.
The narrator can be intrusive when they share information about a character’s thoughts or feelings which may distract from the storyline.
In addition, third person point of view limits your ability to describe how characters interact with each other as opposed to what emotions people feel towards one another (as we cannot know anyone else’s subjective experience).
When writing in third-person mode there will always be more than one protagonist who speaks for themselves because this perspective either shares universal truths universally accessible by everyone or it is telling a story that has more than one protagonist with each character taking turns in the spotlight.
How can you determine a story’s point of view when reading fiction?
There are a lot of ways to determine if a story is written in first person or third person. One way is to analyze the pronouns used in the text. When reading texts that use “I”, they are most likely written from first person perspective with an individual telling their own story.
Third-person stories usually refer to themselves as “he” or “she” rather than using “I”, and often times have other characters narrating parts of the story too.
How do first-person and third-person perspectives in novels differ?
First person perspective is the point of view that tells a story through one character’s experiences.
Third person, on the other hand, can be told from many different characters’ points of views or switches between them. In this case there are multiple protagonists with each taking turns telling their stories.
This type of narration creates suspense because readers want to know what happens next for all the protagonists at once. However, reading about more than one protagonist makes it difficult for writers since they have to stay true to each individual while also weaving together every narrative into an interesting whole.
There’s not just one way to write a novel; anything goes as long as you’re able to keep up the style and keep readers interested.
Can a story have more than one point of view?
Many people think that a story can only have one point of view. However, there are many stories written in the third person that use multiple points of view.
The most common way to do this is by using alternating chapters between two or more characters. Another technique some authors use is called “head-hopping.”
This is when an author tells the thoughts and feelings of different characters within a single chapter without telling which character’s thoughts are being communicated to the reader at any given time.
If you are using alternating chapters between two or more characters, the author must use various techniques and tricks to make sure that readers keep track of what’s happening in each character’s story.
It can be difficult for some readers to follow this style but it works well if there is only one point-of-view change per chapter.
Can Point Of View Change In A Story?
Point of view is the perspective from which a story is told. The reader only knows what the protagonist sees, hears and feels. In some cases, point of view changes in a story to help readers understand what the antagonist’s motivations are.
Point of view is one technique that authors use to give readers a sense of what the character feels, thinks and sees.
Point-of-view changes in stories can be confusing for some readers but it doesn’t have to be difficult if there’s only one point-of-view change per chapter.
Point of view shifting is a complicated topic, even for professional authors. When you decide to tell your story in multiple perspectives either with first person or third person point of views, it can be difficult to keep track and stay consistent across the entire novel.
There are many different ways that writers use this formatting technique; some will switch every few chapters so readers get more insight on both sides while others might only have two characters’ perspective throughout their book- but there’s no universal rule!
Most first person stories- as well as many third persons’- focus solely on one character’s thoughts or dialogue (or sometimes mindsets).
There are points when changing from one perspective to another becomes necessary by providing information not covered through an individual viewpoint alone.
This is a really difficult question to answer, because it’s different for every writer and there are many other factors at play when writing this type of novel. It might be best if you think about the story first before deciding on your point of view!
One thing that can help make sure your perspective stays consistent is to use something called an objective correlative- or another way of saying several events happening in one place (or time) that have significance to each character involved.
This will help show readers what they’re thinking without having them narrate their thoughts aloud. Suppose someone sees his car being stolen; the thief then crashes into another parked car while trying to escape with his prize.
The driver who had their vehicle wrecked might focus on the gaping hole in their bumper and how it will affect his insurance rates.
The person whose car is being driven away might be distraught at the idea of never seeing her vehicle again, or hoping to get as much information about where it’s going before giving up hope of a successful recovery.
How does point of view impact a story?
The point of view the author chooses can have a big impact on how the story is understood. Telling events from one character’s perspective, as in first-person or second-person narratives, allows readers to get into that person’s head and understand what they’re going through.
The opposite effect occurs when an omniscient narrator tells the story without identifying who each event is happening to–this style forces readers to draw their own conclusions about who might be feeling these emotions because it doesn’t tell them outright.
Point of view also impacts whether characters are sympathetic or not; if someone has been narrating for 100 pages only talking about themselves and never listening to another individual’s opinion, then chances are that anyone reading will find this protagonist difficult to relate to and care about.
Conclusion: Point of view is a powerful tool that helps readers experience the story in different ways, depending on who’s telling it.
People also ask …
What point of view should I write my novel in?
If you’re still not sure what point of view to write your novel in, this blog article might help. There are three main types of points of views: first person, third person limited and third person omniscient.
First-person point of view is when the narrator is telling the story from his or her own perspective. The reader only knows what that character knows (or thinks they know).
Third-person limited point of view means that the narrator tells the story from one character’s perspective; it follows just one character throughout the story with access to their thoughts and feelings but not those of any other characters.
Third-person omniscient means that there is no single protagonist for which we follow — instead, readers have access to all perspectives. This is the most difficult point of view to use, but it allows readers to see into all characters’ thoughts and plans.
Is it better to write in 1st or 3rd person?
This is a difficult question, as there are some benefits to each point of view.
First person gives the readers insight into what the protagonist is thinking and feeling at every moment in time without having to rely on dialogue or observations from other characters.
Third-person limited does not have this advantage; however, it can be used more easily when compared with first person because we only need access to one character’s thoughts and feelings.
If I wanted my reader to know how Jane felt about being late (without including her internal monologue), all they would see was that she was running towards her office building while trying their best not to breath heavily so no one would notice them sprinting through work space where others were already seated comfortably typing away).
As writers, we often have to make tough decisions about how our story will be told. Do you want your reader feeling high identification with your POV character?
If so, then choose first person or close third person limited point of view (POV) for the entire book. Or do you want them getting a more full understanding of what is happening in this world by watching it unfold from an outsider’s perspective?
Maybe that might mean using omniscient narrator and taking on different characters’ points-of-view as they go through their own journeys.
Are most novels written in third person?
Most novels are written in third person, which is one of the most common points-of-view. In this POV, the narrator has a specific perspective on what’s happening, but they’re not always attached to any particular character and can instead take on different characters’ perspectives as necessary.
Third person limited point of view (POV) means that there’s narrative distance from the protagonist because we only know their thoughts and feelings through their own eyes.
We often see first or close third when an author wants us to feel deeply identified with his or her main character so that readers have some sense of feeling like they actually inhabit these people for awhile.
This is great if you want your reader really getting into someone else’s shoes for a while.
Having a first person narrative is an important decision that can take your novel to the next level. But if you’re unsure, there are multiple viewpoints for 3rd person narratives: objective, limited omniscient and omnipotent.
If any of these work as well with your idea than it might be best to make this choice.
Othe resources – What Point Of View Is Best For A Novel:
How to Choose the Right Point of View for Your Story
6 Tips to Choosing the Right Point of View
All About Point of View: Which One Should You Use?
Writing 101: Choosing the Best Point of View for Your Story
