How to Choose Point of View in Storytelling

One of the most important components of a story is its point of view (POV). In both fiction and nonfiction, the POV narrator has a great impact on the reader. It’s the major “voice” the reader hears. The POV will influence how the reader thinks about all characters and action within the story. A writer should carefully consider the correct point of view for any story she is going to write.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Just start writing. Sometimes you’ll choose the right POV naturally. You can always go back later and change the point of view if it’s not benefiting the story.
2. Ask yourself what your story’s about while you’re preparing to write or after you’ve started writing. Think about the plot, issues and themes.
3. Choose your POV character. The character who narrates can be the protagonist or a more minor character. The character who narrates will have certain biases and a particular aspect on life. He will have certain attitudes and beliefs about other characters and situations characters find themselves in. When choosing the POV character, think about how you want to influence your reader’s perspective in regards to the story’s characters. You can also choose to tell the story from several characters’ perspectives.
4. Think about how challenging you want the reading experience to be. The narrator can be very straightforward and objective (third-limited objective or omniscient) or extremely biased (first person, third-person limited). A biased narrator can present the reader with the challenge of distinguishing what really is going on; the reader has to decide what is “true” and what is colored by the narrator’s biases.
5. Choose a limited or objective point of view.
6. Make sure your POV is consistent. For example, if you’re telling the story from only one character’s limited point of view, you cannot jump into the head of another character. When revising a story, look for these types of problems.
7. Be flexible. You can always revise a story and change the POV. If you don’t think the point of view is working, you can write another version of the story with a different point of view. Compare the two (or more) versions and see which works best.

Tips & Warnings

• Choosing point of view is also important in nonfiction, especially memoir in creative nonfiction. An autobiographical piece can be told in first person or third-person limited. The third-person limited POV can suggest an emotional distance to what you experienced and your reflection upon certain events.
• If there is more than one person involved in the nonfiction piece you’re writing, you can choose to tell the story from the perspective of one or multiple persons involved.

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