Figuring Out the Point (Of View)
Creating a "punny" title is the least of my writerly worries
As far back as elementary school, we all learn the different points of view.
1st person—stories are told through a single character from their perspective. This POV allows for readers to easily immerse themselves in stories and also emphasizes characters (particularly the main character) and any unique voice that comes with them.
2nd person—stories are told as if addressing the reader. The reader literally becomes the main character of the story, but it also requires a suspension of belief that can be challenging, especially in long-form writing.
3rd person—stories are told by a narrator that is not part of the story, although they can have access to specific details only certain characters would know. This POV can follow a single character (or many) with limited knowledge, and some POV’s can offer omniscient knowledge of everything happening in the story.
Once an author has a story, has figured out what they want to do and who they want to do it with, there’s a moment where you realize it’s time to get to work.
Cut to me staring at a computer screen as I try to figure out how I want to tell that story.
My current manuscript is written in a limited 3rd person POV. I can’t remember why I chose 3rd person other than I think at the time I was writing something in 1st person and wanted to mix things up. By the time I finished writing, 3rd person came as naturally to me as typing (breathing felt too cliche there).
Now that I’m looking at other projects to pass the time between edits, I thought I’d return to the idea of a 1st person POV. It’s probably my favorite perspective to read (though not my most read), and I do like the idea of testing myself to keep writing techniques fresh in my mind.
But then I actually tried to write in a 1st person POV…
Maybe it’s the story I want to tell, maybe I’m out of practice and falling back into my brain’s default, or maybe I’m still figuring out parts of this story and am struggling to get into my main character’s head. Whatever my problem is, it’s absolutely prohibiting me from liking any of the chapters I’ve written so far. It’s making me question whether to take a step back and reassess nearly everything I know about this world.
I’m not sure if this was a good or bad idea, but I decided to rewrite my first chapter in 3rd person POV. Yes, I noticed a lack of character and voice I tried to build, and yes, I cut a few lines I kind of liked, but I also really liked this new version. Not enough to delete my old version, of course, but enough to make me wonder whether forcing myself into a POV is the right choice.
High-school Randi wouldn’t believe me if I told her 3rd person has become my new default. For the longest time, I thought I was making myself write in 3rd person to “stretch the muscle,” so to speak. Now I’m wondering if I gravitated toward it all along because I find it easier to write in.
Now that I’m thinking back on some of my favorite short stories in college, I’m pretty sure all of them have one thing in common: a 3rd person POV.
But just because I find one POV easier to write in doesn’t mean I always want to write in that POV. As someone who enjoys reading a 1st person narrative, I understand the benefits for readers—it’s much easier to “get into” the story, it’s preferred among Young Adult novels (which I write), and it allows an author to slowly reveal information as the protagonist figures it out for themselves.
It’s not impossible for all of these things to happen in 2nd or 3rd person stories, but that falls more into the reader’s preferences than the style/quality of the author’s writing. Preference isn’t bad, but it could be the difference between DNF-ing a book before chapter three or finishing the story in under 48 hours (both very real things that I have done).
So, what to do?
Do you have a favorite point of view to read? Drop a comment down below!
In all honesty, I’m still not quite sure what I’ll end up doing.
My knee-jerk reaction is taking my two chapter one’s and sending them to some writer friends. If they rebuild my confidence in 1st person, great, and if they all unanimously prefer the 3rd person version, even better!
Even though this is a quick-fix solution (in the loosest of terms—very little about writing is quick), I still want to work on writing in different POVs. I want to test myself and try new things, and I especially don’t want my #1 hobby to feel stale or boring. Switching it up every now and then can help me stay excited and invested in my work.
I think. In theory.
I personally prefer 3rd person as it seems less complicated to read. That’s just me!