The Impact of POV

I’ve never been one to put a lot of thought into what POV to use for a story. That said, Lauren Hildebrand’s talk on choosing point of view was one of the retreat sessions I was least excited for, but I figured it would be a good refresher on the basics. I was pleasantly surprised by how Lauren addressed the different effects each POV can have on a story, including the reader experience and the different literary devices available to each.

Ultimately, Lauren got me thinking of how important choosing the right POV is for the story you want to tell. With that in mind, I want to share the things I found most helpful in deciding which POV to use. Lauren broke all the POVs down in detail along with the different possible tenses for each. I unfortunately don’t have time to go over all the possible combinations, but I wanted to go over the three most common POVS for fiction writing: 1^st Person, 3^rd Person limited, and 3^rd Person omniscient.

1st Person

• This POV creates a close and personal relationship between the reader and the main character, making it great for creating an emotional impact.

• It is also the POV in which the character telling the story has the most sway over the narrative voice and tone. While this is usually the main character, it is also an option to have it told from a side-character’s POV (e.g. Sherlock Holmes mysteries being told by Watson), which can be used to create extra levels of mystery and entertainment (again, being in Sherlock’s head would be a little boring).

• In past tense, you get to play around with the fact that the narrating character has already been through the events in the story. With this in mind, the writer has more opportunities to insert foreshadowing, hindsight, and even dramatic irony into the story.

3rd Person Limited

• The most versatile POV when it comes to genres it serves well. In the words of Lauren Hildebrand, it will do everything. It is particularly good for following action-packed scenes while still maintaining some closeness to the main character.

• This is the second most personal POV; the reader may not be getting the main character’s direct thoughts, but their knowledge is limited to the main character’s, which is the perfect recipe for conflict.

• The main character’s personal prejudices and tendency to notice certain details can be utilized for a number of reasons, including to mislead the reader.

3rd Person Omniscient

• The least personal of the POVs because the narrator dips into other characters’ heads and ultimately knows everything about the story and world. This alone can be grounds for lots of foreshadowing and red herrings.

• Likewise, the least affected by the main character’s voice, since these narrators tend to be completely outside the story.

• This can be a tricky POV to handle since it often involves juggling the minds of multiple characters without confusing the reader, but it can be great for creating dramatic irony and covering stories with a large cast.

I hope these takeaways help you see the potential in each POV and the things the considerations to be made when deciding which POV will help you tell your story in the best way possible. Lastly, be sure to check out Lauren Hildebrand’s website if you’re interested in her work!