World Literature

POV (point of view, not power of veto, all you Big Brother viewers) is one of the most important decisions you’ll make when planning your book. Although traditionally third person is most popular, many writers find first person works better for some stories. Not sure which is better for your novel? I’m here to help you figure it out.

Find out what’s common for your genre

Almost all books used to be written in third person, but first person is getting more and more popular, especially in certain genres. For example, first person is increasingly common in young adult and new adult novels. But third person is the standard when it comes to fantasy and science fiction. Keep up with what’s trending in your genre.

Determine your preferred point of view

Some writers feel very strongly about one POV or the other. Once I read a comment on Facebook that was something like, “God save us from first person present tense!” Wow! Now, that writer has a strong opinion about POV. Successful stories have been written in both POVs (and tenses, for that matter). The important thing is to know the strengths and limitations of each. That leads me to my next point:

First person

Strengths:

• It’s more realistic, since we each experience real life through only one perspective.
• It allows for a deeper emotional connection to the POV character because the readers gets to know all the thoughts and feelings of the protagonist.
• The POV character’s voice comes through clearly, so there’s little room for the reader to misinterpret the character’s motivations and reactions.
• You have to make sure all the sentences don’t start with I.
• Switching characters’ point of view can be confusing for readers.

Third person

• Most readers are more comfortable with third person point of view, since this is how most stories are written.
• More distance means more can happen outside protagonist’s presence, allowing a broader scope for the story.
• It can be less confusing for readers, especially with POV switches
• It’s easy to show multiple characters’ thoughts and feelings.
• Easy to show more (and tell less) in general.

Limitations:

• It feels more emotionally distant and can keep readers from feeling as deep of an emotional connection to the main character.
• It’s easy to info dump, ie, have too much exposition.
• The main character’s emotions and thoughts are harder to convey.
• Knowing everything can weaken the tension in the plot.

Ask yourself these three questions: