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Once upon a time point of view (POV) meant the same thing to everyone. Now, I hear a story is written from three characters' points of view. I hear that we can't use omniscient point of view. However, point of view and perspective are two different things when we talk about writing.
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What Is Point of View (POV)?
Point of view comes in three sizes: first person, second person, and third person. Third person has two sub-sizes: limited and omniscient. Now, let's discuss what each means.
First person point of view has one of the characters narrating the story. The narrator (person telling the story) is a main character or a minor character such as in The Great Gatsby. Narration uses pronouns such as I, we, me, my, our, us. The narrator can only share what he/she hears, sees, feels, or thinks.
Second person point of view involves the reader and is used for nonfiction that gives directions or instructions. The pronouns used in the narration include you, your, yours. In any writing other than directions or instructions, second person stops the flow and "yanks" the reader out of the story.
Third person point of view has two forms: omniscient and limited. Both types of third person POV have a narrator who is not part of the story but shares observations. In omniscient third person POV, the narrator sees, hears, and knows everything, sometimes for all characters in the story, sometimes for several characters in the story. Limited third person POV, the narrator sees, hears, and knows everything that one or two characters in the story sees, hears, and knows.
Some experienced authors manage to mix points of view in a novel. For example, some chapters will be third person limited, using the perspective of the main character. Other chapters may be written in first person, from the perspective of one character. If an author knows what he/she is doing, the method works. However, most authors stick with one point of view throughout the story or book, even if they may change the perspective from one character to another.
What is the difference between point of view and perspective? Point of view can only be first person or third person in fiction (using second person causes problems for a reader). Perspective, however, relates to the outlook of different characters. For example, if an author is using third person omniscient, he/she may have one scene from the perspective and one character. Another scene may be from the perspective or outlook of a different character. Some people interchange the terms point of view and perspective, but they do not mean the same thing.
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For Authors: July 17, 2019 Issue [#9651]
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