Types of Point of View
By: Flynn Hannan
Tags: Writing, Writing Tips, Writers On Medium, Writers On Writing, Writing Life

What is a Point of View?

A point of view is the perspective from which the story is told, whose character are we in, and whose mind we are thinking. One of the important elements writers should consider in writing a novel is employing the right point of view. Implementing a point of view is not just a creative technique to improve the story development, rather, it is the foundation of your storytelling process. The overall success of your storytelling manner lies in the point of view you employ. You have the freedom to use any point of view but not all of them would be a perfect fit for your story. Take a look at the types of point of view and pronouns you can rely on.

First-person uses the pronouns I and we.

The second person is told through the you pronoun.

Third-person employs he, she, and they.

Different Types of Point of View:

o First Person Point of View

The first person is one of the common types of point of view. It is often exercised in young adult fiction to cultivate greater intimacy between the reader and the protagonist. Aside from the fact that it is relatively easy to employ and write, the main character narrator should be and always will be inherently biased considering its limited perceptive abilities. This point of view doesn’t acquire a complete knowledge about the events in motion and other characters involved unless there is an interaction. Renowned novels like The Great Gatsby and the Hunger games are good examples of this point of view.

o First Person Peripheral

The first person peripheral still uses the I pronoun in the person of the supporting character instead of the main character’s role. And just like the first person POV, first-person peripheral’s knowledge and perceptive abilities to the people around him/her are limited. Usually, a supporting character gets picked as the first-person narrator because he/she has an excellent perception of what is going on with the real focal characters. Some famous works from Agatha Christie’s The Clock and Suzy Kline’s Horrible Harry showcase a remarkable use of first-person peripheral.

o Second Person Point of View

The second person point of view that uses you pronoun is the least popular among novels, regardless of it having a greater level of intimacy to the reader. It is structured to speak directly to the reader and get them assigned to a main or supporting role in the story, making it more incredibly tough to execute. Considering that it is not used as much as the other POVs, it offers a unique reading experience to readers. It can be potentially impressive if executed well and provides variety to a novel. A.M. Jenkins’ with her book Damaged and the popular romance novel of Erin Morgenstein, The Night Circus pulled off the execution of this point of view.

o Third Person Point of View

This point of view is employed when a narrator who is not part of your story is doing the storytelling. It is executed through third-person pronouns like he, she, and they. The third-person point of view is split into two categories:

Third Person Limited

Third-person limited is when the narrator’s perspective is limited to only a single character in the story. With this third-person limited, you can offer the same level of intimacy to the first person. Mainstream genres that benefit to this point of view are dime a dozen.

Third Person Omniscient

This point of view still uses he, she, and it narration, only that it’s an all-knowing perspective with no bias or preference. It acquires the full knowledge of all the characters and situations. It allows the narrator to employ a voice distinct from any character and holds the freedom to relate any given information anytime.

Choosing the right point of view for your story determines how it impacts your audience. Take the time to try different points of view and be aware of the limitations to arrive at a point of view that would highlight substantial aspects you want your reader to experience.

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