 For Authors: March 02, 2016 Issue [#7503] |
  For Authors
This week: Point of View Edited by: Vivian  
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I reading and hearing people mixing point of view and perspective. The terms are not synonymous, do not mean the same thing. Let's discuss Point of View (POV).
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Point of View
There are only three points of view: First person; Second person; and Third person (which has two sub-divisions - limited and omniscient)
First person: The narrator tells the story, can only report what he hears or sees personally unless someone else tells him something that happens when he isn’t present.
Second person: Used for instructions or directions since the reader is involved. Seldom used in fiction or nonfiction successfully, not usually wanted by publishers .
Third person: The narrator sees and hears and knows what is happening, although he is not a part of the plot.
Limited: The narrator can only know what one character feels or knows, reports from that character’s perspective.
Omniscient: The narrator can see, hear, know what more than one character feels or knows. The narrator sees all and knows all from more than one character’s perspective. Good use of omniscient doesn’t confuse the reader by jumping between characters too quickly, only changes perspectives between scenes or chapters. Never should have more than one perspective in a single paragraph.
Perspective and Point of View are not the same thing. Perspective of one character in third person point of view to another's perspective does not mean the author is writing from that character’s point of view but from his perspective. Point of view comes only in the “flavors” above.
Examples of Point of View
(taken from softschools.com)
First Person Point of View from Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises
"I could picture it. I have a habit of imagining the conversations between my friends. We went out to the Cafe Napolitain to have an aperitif and watch the evening crowd on the Boulevard."
Second Person Point of View from Dr. Seuss' Oh, the Places You'll Go!
"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go."
Most writers are not able to write like Dr. Seuss. They usually don't have the ability to take chances and make it work. Most readers don't like being address directly by authors because what the author says does not involve the reader.
Third Person Point of View from E.B. White's Charlotte's Web
"Wilbur never forgot Charlotte. Although he loved her children and grandchildren dearly, none of the new spiders ever quite took her place in his heart. She was in a class by herself. It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both."
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Words from Our Readers
First of all, I have heard about the movement to use "they" as a singular third person pronoun, which allows more confusion on the part of readers. The authors of any writing should know the gender of any person or character in their works. Therefore, why use "they" rather than he or she? I try to help people be better writers, not try to keep up with fads or informal usage.
pbcurtis12
Thanks. This was very helpful
jerics
Thank you; for this newsletter.
Cynaemon 
Thank you for including my story, "The Chinese New Year Cat", in this month's newsletter. That was a pleasant surprise. Cynaemon
Quick-Quill 
WOW how odd to see the correct pronouns used. In most cases they sound odd so you don't use them. In some of your examples the correct ones sound odd to my ear? "Just between you and me" is correct, but "just between you and I" almost sound better to my ear?
Patrece ~
I actually thought that "between you and I" was the proper way to write that statement. I'm not sure I understand why it isn't, but it is good to know this for future writing. I think I just wrote that comment yesterday in an email to someone. Oops!
All right, between is a preposition just as for, under, in, and other words. Would you say or write, "That present is for Jim and I"? Would you say or write, "That present is for I"? No. You would say or write, "That present is for Jim and me." "That present is for me." The same is true when you use between as a preposition. A pronoun object of a preposition, whether compound or singular, is the object form of a pronoun, NEVER the subject form of a pronoun.
🦄🏳️🌈Sapph 
Nice newsletter, Viv! I wanted to bring some attention to the singular usage of they (and to other extents them) such as in gender-neutral writing. I know that I use this nearly every day when speaking to other people and would love to see it come into writing more. What are your thoughts on it? Here's an article that I found on the topic: http://grammarist.com/usage/they/
Thanks, but I don't need to read any article on using "they" as first person singular. Please read my note about the subject at the top of this section. Why would you want to create more informal, confusing writing? What would that accomplish? Would you or anyone using such language improve writing or understanding for readers?
Brandiwyn🎶 
Hey, Viv! Great topic. Smile Did you know that Oxford now recognizes "they" as a singular reference to a person of unspecified sex?
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/they
I heard about it for the first time this past year, so I'm pretty sure it's a recent change.
Cheers,
Michelle
As I have stated more than once, yes, I know. I also know it is considered "informal" usage. I ask again: Do we want to write well and have readers who understand, or do we want to join the new idea of using pronouns that could cause confusion? Authors should know the gender of their characters, shouldn't they?
Lucinda Lynx
I really appreciate this. I am coming from a country called Finland, so English is not my own language.
For those who said I've helped them better understand pronoun usage, I'm glad. I want to help.
Thank you for joining me for this issue. I hope the subject helps you be a better writer. I'll see you again in four weeks.
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