POV/POINT OF VIEW

In this entry I'm going to discuss POV.

No, this POV doesn't stand for the POWER OF VETO, like on the CBS show, BIG BROTHER. The POV I'm referring to is the POINT OF VIEW.

In writing there are three different POV's a writer can use to tell a story. The first and third person point of view is most common in a novel, so I will explore these two techniques first.

The first person point of view is when a character tells how they feel about something from a personal observation. "I" and "we" are used. Even though this type of narration can bring the reader closer to the character in question, it limits them from knowing what other characters in the story are thinking or feeling.

Example: I hurried to the door, and pulled it open. We hadn't seen each other in years. But when I saw him standing before me, so handsome in his black leather jacket and jeans, it seemed as though time stood still. In his hands he held a bouquet of flowers. My favorite, lilacs. And suddenly I could feel my heart pounding in my ears, as I motioned him to enter.

The third person point of view is a form of storytelling whereby action is related using third person pronouns, such as "he" or "she".

Example: She took the flowers he handed her, and inhaled their scent. The heady fragrance made her flush . . . or was it the way he was looking at her that warmed her cheeks?

In second person point of view, the narrator tells the story to another character through the addressee's point of view. Pronouns such as "you" and "yours" are used. Second person is the least commonly used POV in fiction, and used more in writing step-by-step instructions.

Example: You move to the kitchen and take out a vase from the cupboard, fill it with water, and place the flowers just so. Then you turn to him and give him a little nervous smile.

Be careful NOT to HEAD-HOP. Though there are novels that do this, sometimes it can become confusing. When a writer HEAD-HOPS, they are jumping from one character's POV to another within a paragraph.

Example: He could sense her nervousness by the way she smiled, her lips curving tight acrossed her teeth. He had stayed away too long this time, but he'd make it up to her. Slowly he took a step, closing the distance between them.
Faster her heart raced as he approached. She could smell his after-shave . . . a clean mix of citrus and musk.
Reaching out, he gently stroked her cheek.
His touch sent a wave of excitement through every fiber of her being.

To keep the reader from becoming confused as to whose POV they're reading, it might be helpful to add a "page-break" to separate one character's thoughts from the other. When I write I donate a chapter to one character's POV, and then use another chapter for the next character....and so on and so forth. I feel my story flows best using this style. It also entices the reader to go further into the novel, as they want to know how the other character feels and reacts. And holding a reader's interest is paramount in having a best-seller.

HAPPY WRITING!

Roberta C.M. DeCaprio
www.robertadecaprio.com