First person, third person, deep POV... do you get confused about which viewpoint is the best for your novels? Let us clear up the confusion about POV, and help you decide which one is right for your books. POV is as important as your novel's setting; it gives your entire book flavor and attitude. Let's break down the most common types of point of view so you can decide which one fits in best with your next novel.
First Person Singular
This point of view shows one persons experience through the narration. One character tells a personal story, and the information is limited to what that person experiences. First person gives the reader a sense of immediacy, along with a tight connection to the character's thoughts and emotions.
- Pros: First person makes it seem like the character is speaking directly to the reader. It's a good choice for character-driven novels like romances.
- Cons: Because this POV is limited to the character's experiences, events outside her actual experience are difficult to include. This would make it very difficult for you to use this POV in a novel with a large cast of characters.
Third Person Limited
This POV spends the whole story using only one character's perspective. This means it has some of the closeness of first person, but can sometimes pull back from the character to show the character as he himself can't see.
- Pros: You can get the closeness of first person while maintaining the distance created with third.
- Cons: You're still only telling the story through one character's viewpoint. This limits you in what you can say to what the character experiences, just like with first person.
Third Person Omniscient
Third person omniscient still uses the he and she pronouns, but can go into any character's consciousness and into any time, setting or place. This is a favorite choice of authors who write novels with large casts and sweeping plots.
- Pros: You have unlimited storytelling power and can jump between settings, times, and characters.
- Cons: Jumping from character to character and setting to setting can confuse or fatigue your readers. It's important to center scenes on specific characters to keep readers interested.
Deep POV
This hot new method of bringing readers into your character's minds won't work with all novels, but if you're concentrating on only one character, it could be the key to creating books that readers can't put down. This technique puts your reader right inside your character's head. Top indie authors are using this POV to great effect.
- Pros: There's an immediate connection between your character and your readers. This connection can make for some powerful fan reactions.
- Cons: Deep POV isn't for every book. It only works with one strong character who can carry the entire story.
Lets us me know what you think about this topic.
Keep the Faith and May the force be with you!
