Which Point of View Should I Use for My Novel?

Whether you are new to writing or have decided to embark on a journey into a new book, you may get stuck on which point of view you should be writing your novel in.

Here are the differences between the different types of points of view and some ideas to help you choose which is best for you and your novel. 

How many types of points of view are there?

Well, a few:

• First Person: "Me, Myself, and I" 
• Third Person Omniscient: "He, She, They" with an all-seeing narrator 
• Third Person Limited: "He, She, They" but only through the eyes of one character 
• Second Person: "You"

Most novels you read will be in the third person, but that doesn't mean it's the choice you have to make or that it will be most effective for YOUR story.

My upcoming novel Loving Ana is told in first-person point of view because it is a story told in a journalistic format as my main character tells the reader her journey throughout the events of the novel. 

Since my novel is a psychological thriller, I want my reader to feel as if they are the main character and are waiting with bated breath to know if she/they are going to survive till the end.

How to tell which point of view is best for your story.

• First Person

The first-person narrative is most commonly found in novels aimed at young adults and romance as it's the easiest way to get readers to connect with the characters. However, these aren't the only two genres that use it. 

The first-person point of view should be used when you want your reader to develop an intimate relationship with your character. You want them to experience the story through their eyes and understand their thoughts and feelings at the moment. 

Within first-person narration, you will have two types of narrators.

The reliable narrator, who is telling their own story as it happened, and the unreliable narrator, who is telling the story with exaggerations or biases.

There is also the distinction of first-person central in which the character who is telling the story is the main character and then there is first-person peripheral. This means the character telling the story is not the main character. The most common example of this is The Great Gatsby (1925), F. Scott Fitzgerald. The story is about Gatsby, but the reader is told the story through Nick.

• Third Person Omniscient

Telling a story through the point of view of third-person omniscient means your narrator is all-knowing. Pronouns will be he/she/they, but your narrator will know the thoughts and feelings of all characters. Your narration voice is all-seeing and all-knowing. 

For example think of Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen (1813), and Lord of the Flies (1954) by William Golding.

This point of view isn't as common in fiction today, but can still be an effective narration style. 

This point of view is most effective if you want to follow the point of view of multiple characters and know what each one is thinking and feeling.

Instead of your reader hearing your story through the voice of your character they are instead hearing through your voice as a narrator.

• Third Person Limited

This is the most common point of view used across fiction. 

Third-person limited narration is when your narrator keeps its focus on one character, using the pronouns of he/she/they, but they only know what's going on in the head of one character, not all of them. 

This point of view is most effective when you want to keep things from your reader and when you want to have action scenes that move fast in sequence without focusing on the emotions of your character. 

Examples of third-person limited novels include the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, A Storm of Swords (2000) by George R. R Martin, and Clockwork Prince (2011) by Cassandra Clare.

• Second Person

The second person point of view is when the narrator refers to the reader as "you." bringing you into the story as an active participant. This is the least common point of view found in fiction novels as it's hard to bring the reader into the story, this type of narration can be jarring and distracting to the reader. 

This point of view is most popular in "choose your own adventure" novels. A style of books popular with younger readers in which they choose the outcome of the novel by the decisions they make while reading the story. 

Examples of second-person points of view can be found in The Night Circus (2011) by Erin Morgenstern, and Romeo and/or Juliet (2016) by Ryan North.

Consistency is key.

One of the most common things an editor needs to correct in a story is the point of view and story tense. It's common for writers to move things back and forth between being present tense and past tense. 

I made this mistake often enough in my writing classes that my teacher ordered a special stamp with the word TENSE just to help him mark my stories.

There were a lot of red ink splotches by the time he was done reading it.

Both are easy mistakes to make while writing, but keeping aware of it will limit the number of edits you and/or your editor are going to have to make later on. 

Try them on and see what fits

No matter which point of view you choose it's not set in stone. If you're still not sure which point of view is best for your novel write a scene in each of the different points of view and see which one resonates best with the story you are trying to tell.

If you choose one and you think another one would be better suited, you can always change it. 

No matter what, keep writing.

With love, 

B.K. xo

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