Writing Process: Point of View

When writing a story, one of the first things that you will need to consider is what point of view you will be writing in. Many people will stick to the same narrative view, but some people like to change the view depending on the story they are writing. Each different point of view has its own pros and some narrative stances may be more suited to your story than others.

First-Person Narrative.

In a first-person narrative, the story is told to us through the thoughts of a specific character using first-person personal pronouns such as 'I', 'my' and 'we'.

"I scrambled to my feet, dusting the large flakes of mud from my knees."

"We hadn't had a class test in weeks. In fact, so strange was the phenomenon that some of us actually thought that our teacher might have picked up some undiagnosed illness."

First-person narrative allows the reader a look into the story as one or more of the characters see it. This can be particularly useful when writing crime fiction, where the reader knows as much as the narrator does, allowing the author to keep certain details a secret until they desire to reveal them. It can almost be described as a constant stream of consciousness from the character, allowing us into their utmost thoughts and desires.

Examples of published books that use first-person narrative styles are The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. f

Second-Person Narrative.

An unusual and relatively rare way of writing, second-person narrative brings the reader into the story itself, usually as the main character. Second-person narrative is characterised by the use of second-person personal pronouns such as 'you' and 'your'.

"You scramble to your feet, dusting the large flakes of mud from your jeans."

"You haven't had a class test in weeks. In fact, so strange is the phenomenon that you think your teacher might have picked up some undiagnosed illness."

This form is used in many DIY booklets, songs and is a prevalent way of writing in the Choose Your Own Adventure genre of books. The advantage of writing in second-person narrative is that it pulls the reader right into the heart of the story, making them feel as if they are the main character within the story itself. It brings the reader closer to the trials and tribulations of the character as they read.

Examples of published books written in second-person narrative are Aura by Carlos Fuentes and Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerey.

Third-Person Narrative.

A story written in third-person narrative uses third-person personal pronouns such as "she", "they" and character names to create a view of the story from the outside.

"John scrambled to his feet, dusting the large flakes of mud from his jeans."

"Sarah hadn't had a class test in weeks. In fact, so strange was the phenomenon that she thought her teacher might have picked up some undiagnosed illness."

Third-person narrative allows you to explore every aspect of the story. As the story is being told by someone outside of the character set, it allows the author the most flexibility whilst writing. Vital pieces of information that the characters in the book are unaware of can be added in when using this narrative style and it gives the impression of looking down on the story as it is happening, as opposed to experiencing the events with the character.

Examples of published books written in third-person narrative are the Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling and The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien.

Omniscient or Alternating Point of View

Usually, only one of the above narrative views is used within the one book but some authors choose to switch between one or more points of view (mainly first and third person narrative). This is an extremely tricky stunt to pull off, but can often allow the user to show the details of a part of a story through the eyes of a different narrator or to show the details of an event where the main narrator is not present.

This narration style is often used within books of the epistolary form (books that are formed through the likes of diary entries or letters), although it can be used within the premise of any story. It can be very difficult to make an effortless switch between points of view, but when it is done correctly, it can provide the best of both worlds: a valuable insight into the thoughts of a character as well as the all-seeing eye that third-person narrative provides.

Published books that use more than one narrative stance are Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.