Point of View

You’ve got an idea for a story. You’ve collected some characters to be in it. You’ve even thought of some exciting adventures to include. Now what?

Now you need to pick one character to be the STAR of the story, the one who faces challenges and overcomes them. The one the story is all about.

Once you’ve decided on who your main character (star) is, you’ll need to decide from which point of view (POV) to tell this story. Everything that happens must come from that character’s view or experience. What they see, feel, smell, think, decide, dream, and how they react to events in the story. You have to be with that character all the time, either inside their head, looking out their eyes, or right next to them like a shadow.

And be consistent. You can’t jump from inside one character’s head and into another’s. If Mary is your POV character, you can’t switch to what John is thinking. John has to tell Mary what he’s thinking. Now it becomes part of her POV. You can’t write about John’s visit to the haunted house unless Mary went along, or unless John tells her about it through dialogue. Your POV character has to be on the scene in some way or another to keep the point of view consistent.

Some books for older readers may have multiple points of view. They usually do this by alternating chapters. One chapter is from John’s POV and the next is from Mary’s POV. But each chapter holds to the single POV of the character from that chapter. An example of this is Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen. However, younger readers get confused with multiple points of view so it’s best to stick to just one POV.

Point of view can be told either in first person (I, me, we) or in third person (he/she, him/her, character name). First person POV is often used in young adult novels because it gives a more intimate, inner thinking, quality to the story. It’s intense. You must be inside that character’s head all the time. It’s the hardest POV to pull off well.

I fumbled for my blanket, suddenly feeling cold. I had an uneasy feeling that I wasn’t alone. A thin shaft of light filtered through the shuttered window. “Is someone there?” I whispered. A shape leaned forward. It was somehow familiar to me. But still, it sent a shiver up my spine.

Third person POV is much more common in stories for younger readers. You can take a step back and describe the setting and goings-on in general terms. But the focus will still be on one main character and how it’s all part of his or her world.

Haley groaned as she pulled a handful of damp laundry from the washer. Her new red University of Arizona sweatshirt had gotten mixed into the laundry pile. She didn’t really mind that her sheets and towels were now a cool shade of pink. But Dad was going to have a cow when he saw his underwear.

Even though your story is told from third person POV you can still use “I” in dialogue.

Haley gulped when Uncle Jake caught her going through his letters.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“I-I was just dusting your desk.”

Uncle Jake scowled.

“I’m done now,” Haley said, giving the desk a quick swipe with her cloth. Then she hurried off before he guessed the real reason she’d been there.

Picture books are seldom told from first person because a child listener/reader has trouble understanding who the “I” narrator is. Is it the person reading the book? Is it the character? Is it the child listener? So for picture books, use third person POV and continue to focus the action on the main character.

Some stories are told from an omniscient point of view. The voice becomes like a storyteller who sees all, knows all. Folktales and fairy tales are often told this way.

But if you really want your reader to connect with one character, tell the story from that character’s point of view. Pick out a few books and notice who is the POV character. Notice if the story is told in first or third person and learn how to apply this technique to your own stories.