Writing Point of View - Part 1

This post begins a series on Point of View. The series will cover the basics as well as a number of advanced concepts.

Point of view (POV) is how you show your story to the reader. What perspective does the reader have as he or she takes in the story's narrative? Do you tell the story as if you are an all-knowing narrator (omniscient POV)? Do you tell the story from the perspective of one or more characters (third person POV)? Do you allow the character to tell the story (first person POV)?

In order to illustrate the differences, let's say that you are going to the zoo. A guide takes you from exhibit to exhibit and describes the characteristics of each animal. The guide tells you about the animal’s habits, native environment, and facts about the species that even the animal doesn’t know. Your experience would be similar to reading a story about the animals written from an omniscient POV.

Now let's say that the guide strapped a mind-reading camera helmet on a gorilla and recorded everything the gorilla said, heard, and thought over the years. When you come to the zoo, the guide describes the sights, sounds, and thoughts that the recording device replays and nothing else. If the camera didn't record it, then the guide doesn't report it. The guide provides no commentary based on his own perspective. For you, this experience would be similar to reading a third-person (limited) POV story. (I will discuss nuances in this POV choice in a later post.)

Suppose you are sitting in an amphitheater at the zoo, and the gorilla himself walks onto the stage. He tells you his story himself, including his own commentary and reflections. This would be similar to reading a first-person POV story, that is, if you can get over the shock of hearing a talking gorilla.

Omniscient Point of View

Omniscient point of view is sometimes called the "narrator" point of view. When writing a scene in this perspective, you are like an all-knowing narrator who is able to tell readers about any aspect of the story, the back story, or what will happen in the future. The perspective doesn't depend on any character's input, that is, even if the characters are not aware of something, you can still tell the readers about it. For example, "Julie went to bed and slept peacefully, unaware that Tom would call in the morning to invite her to the park for a rousing round of hopscotch. If she had known that, she would likely have dreaded the call and tossed and turned all night." (Yes, it's bad, I know. :-) )

This POV has some advantages. It's a good choice for a story that covers a long period of time. You can offer a panoramic sweep of scenes and events that are not narrowed to a particular character's perspective. For example, you can tell a story about several generations in a family. In so doing, you can remind readers of past incidents characters might not know about. You can even mention that a current event will have significant ramifications with regard to another event that will crop up in the future.