Intro

For some writers, picking a point of view for their stories might be a bit of an afterthought, something that they don’t really plan out. Other writers might just have a certain one that they always default to without even considering other options. There’s nothing wrong with either of these, of course, but I think a lot of people don’t realize just how big of an impact the point of view that you write your book in has on how the reader experiences the story—and how much the POV you choose might actually change the story, or at least how the reader understands it.

While there are really only three general POVs for you to consider for your stories—first-person, second-person, and third-person—there are lots of variations of each of these. The differences in these variations mostly lie in how much the narrator can tell the reader—for example, in first-person and also in third-person limited, the narrator only knows what the main POV character knows, so that’s all you can tell the reader—and in what tense the narrator is telling the story in—you know, whether the narrator says “I walked to the store” (past tense) or “I walk to the store” (present tense). These might seem pretty minor at first glance but, when you think about it, they’re both actually a really big deal when it comes to the reader’s experience.

Like all writers, I have my favorites. At the moment, I only write in first-person and third-person (second-person is wacky and I like reading short little things written in it, but a whole book written that way seems a little too wild to me), and I only ever do it in the past-tense. Most of the time, I like to shift perspectives between characters regardless of whether it’s first-person or third-person (even though it’s a bit of a pain in first-person, I’ve seen it done well, so I’m determined to try it), but, more recently, I’ve also started to write more with more limited perspectives. 

Although these preferences do help to narrow my options down a bit, it can still be tricky to decide what would best suit a given project. Let’s go over some of the things that I try to consider whenever I’m trying to make this call.

Genre Norms

Although this is easily the least exciting thing I consider when I’m trying to choose a POV for a story, it’s also probably the easiest way to find something that seems appropriate. All genres have their elements and themes that make them feel like what they are, and the POV is often one of these elements.

I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a genre that’s almost exclusively written in one very specific point of view, but they all definitely have their norms. Take fantasy and sci-fi, for example. Both of these genres are most commonly written in third-person, usually in the past tense, but first-person and present tense are becoming more common too, especially in the young adult and new adult genres.

So, if I’m having a hard time picking a POV, one of the first things I consider is what POV most of the books I’ve read in the genre I’m writing are in. More often than not, this is what I wind up going with, but sometimes this doesn’t narrow down my options as much as I’d like, and I need to bring other things into consideration.

The Story I’m Trying to Tell

Different POVs can bring different elements into the story. Third-person can be looser, letting you have as many point of view characters as you want, whether it’s a large cast or just a single character, and also puts a little more distance between the reader and the POV character, allowing them to perceive the character through their own eyes rather than the eyes of the character themself. On the other hand, first-person may be more constricting in the number of POV characters, but it lets the reader be a lot closer to the POV character and get into their head, helping them see through the character’s eyes and really come to understand them and their actions.

I love both of these POVs, so it can be hard to choose between them. Which is why I sometimes have to stop and really think about the story I’m trying to tell, and what aspects of it are the most important to highlight in order to tell the story most effectively, and also to give off the sort of vibe that I want.

So, let’s take a closer look at both POVs and see what they each do well, and what they each do not so well, and see how that could help narrow down my options.

Third-Person

Third-person tends to feel more traditional, and maybe even a little more formal, than first-person, which is probably a big reason why it’s so common in fantasy. And, like I mentioned earlier, if I have a big cast, and I want to be able to easily switch between POV characters, third-person would definitely be the easiest way to accomplish this. Another thing that could be a perk depending on what sort of story I’m telling is the distance between the reader and the POV character—which might surprise some people (it kind of surprised me when I first realized it, so that’s why I’m saying it), but hear me out. There are multiple instances that I can think of where you actually would want your reader to not feel super close to your POV character; maybe the character is supposed to be mysterious, or maybe you want them to feel a little larger than life. Both of these things are way harder to accomplish using first-person, when you’re in their head and get to see all of the character’s secrets and insecurities.

On the flipside, there are also some potential drawbacks to writing in third-person to consider. The most obvious—and potentially the biggest turn off—would be the whole not being able to feel super close to the POV character thing. Obviously, you can still make the reader feel close to the character, but it will never be as close as it would be if the story is in first-person. Another thing that I’ve found is that, if your main POV character is a very quiet and/or private person—or maybe can’t talk whatsoever—it can be a little tricky to show their personality and thoughts if you aren’t in their head. This can be okay, if I’m rolling with the whole mysterious thing that I mentioned earlier but, if the character isn’t supposed to be mysterious, it can be problematic. I’m sure some writers have managed to pull this off well in third-person, but it’s not an art that I’ve mastered yet myself.

First-Person

First person, on the other hand, usually feels a little more casual and intimate. It’s easily the best way to show the POV character’s thoughts and personality even when they aren’t actively interacting with anyone, because the whole story is ultimately told in their voice. Another thing that can be really great—both stylistically and functionally—about first-person is that the reader’s knowledge is typically limited to what the POV character knows or cares to share with them. This can be really useful for a variety of purposes, like helping to make the plot or the world seem more mysterious or whimsical by putting the reader in the shoes of someone who’s experiencing it all, or like using an unreliable narrator to keep the reader on their toes. 

And, just like with third-person, there are also the cons. I personally find first-person considerably harder to write in than third-person, though I know there are a lot of writers out there who feel the opposite. One of the trickiest things about first-person to me is the whole it’s hard to have multiple POV characters thing. Because they’d all be referred to as “I” at different points in the story, it’s very important to give them very distinct voices, so it’s harder for the reader to forget whose head they’re supposed to be in at any given time. 

Outro

So that’s all the basic stuff that I try to consider when I’m deciding what POV to tell a story in. It doesn’t always have to be a super deep decision—sometimes, I do just make the call depending on my personal preference—but I always try to keep this in mind. Thanks for reading, and be sure to check back later this month for the next book recommendation post!