What is Point of View?
What is point of view (POV)? A simple way to explain it may be to say that POV is
being in a character's mind, knowing their thoughts and feelings. It lets your readers
in too.
Example...
Sue's POV..
Sue stared at John, but didn't say a word. He made her so angry! And worse, he
hurt her with his coldness. She dropped the rake and turned to walk out of the
barn. There were other jobs around.
"You still have work to do," John called after her, his voice as hard and unyielding as
always.
She spun around to face him. "Why? Why should I finish any of it? You'll just
complain about the sorry way I did it. Then you'll redo it yourself."
There was a flash of something in his eyes, but she couldn't read him well enough to
figure it out. That bothered her too. She liked to think that she was a great people
reader.
John's POV..
John hated the way he acting around Sue, but for some reason he didn't seem able
to stop himself. If he were being honest with himself, he'd have to admit that she
tried hard. But she knew so little about farm life. And maybe she reminded him too
much of Pam. Sue had been Pam's best friend. That was the only reason John had
given Sue the job here. His wife had been dead for three years now, and yet her
influence still had him taking in strays.
"Look, never mind. Just do the best you can. Let me know if you need a ride home
when you're done." John grabbed a rope and halter from the nearest stall on his way
out of the barn.
You can use the POV of one, two, or more characters from your story. Most romance
books use at least the hero and heroine's. I prefer to use other important characters'
POV also. Like the villain, or villainess, the sister who is always there helping, the
grandmother who is a natural born match maker, or even the neighbor who butts in
the hero's life from page fifteen to the end of the book.
In other words, any character that holds a important role in the story can share his or
her POV with the reader -- if they have something to share. But remember, if you are
in Sue's pov she can't know for sure what anyone else is thinking, and if John has
talked about Sue to anyone else, unless Sue was in the room, or is told by someone
else, she has no way of knowing about it.
Point of view should not be that of the fly on the wall thing. POV is you in that one
character's mind. Also, while in Sue's POV, she shouldn't be thinking about her
beautiful long blond hair or her sexy-firm body. Though John can think about it all
he wants when you are writing in his POV. In other words, if you are in a character's
pov, you have their ears, their eyes, their memory, and no one else's. Just like in
real life.
By the way, since you are going to try and stick to one POV character at a time, how
do you decide which one is best to use? Look at the scene you are writing. In that
scene, who has the most to lose or gain or share? Which important character's POV
will make that scene the strongest? Once you know the answers to those questions,
you'll know which POV you should write that scene in.
Charlotte Dillon ~ www.charlottedillon.com
being in a character's mind, knowing their thoughts and feelings. It lets your readers
in too.
Example...
Sue's POV..
Sue stared at John, but didn't say a word. He made her so angry! And worse, he
hurt her with his coldness. She dropped the rake and turned to walk out of the
barn. There were other jobs around.
"You still have work to do," John called after her, his voice as hard and unyielding as
always.
She spun around to face him. "Why? Why should I finish any of it? You'll just
complain about the sorry way I did it. Then you'll redo it yourself."
There was a flash of something in his eyes, but she couldn't read him well enough to
figure it out. That bothered her too. She liked to think that she was a great people
reader.
John's POV..
John hated the way he acting around Sue, but for some reason he didn't seem able
to stop himself. If he were being honest with himself, he'd have to admit that she
tried hard. But she knew so little about farm life. And maybe she reminded him too
much of Pam. Sue had been Pam's best friend. That was the only reason John had
given Sue the job here. His wife had been dead for three years now, and yet her
influence still had him taking in strays.
"Look, never mind. Just do the best you can. Let me know if you need a ride home
when you're done." John grabbed a rope and halter from the nearest stall on his way
out of the barn.
You can use the POV of one, two, or more characters from your story. Most romance
books use at least the hero and heroine's. I prefer to use other important characters'
POV also. Like the villain, or villainess, the sister who is always there helping, the
grandmother who is a natural born match maker, or even the neighbor who butts in
the hero's life from page fifteen to the end of the book.
In other words, any character that holds a important role in the story can share his or
her POV with the reader -- if they have something to share. But remember, if you are
in Sue's pov she can't know for sure what anyone else is thinking, and if John has
talked about Sue to anyone else, unless Sue was in the room, or is told by someone
else, she has no way of knowing about it.
Point of view should not be that of the fly on the wall thing. POV is you in that one
character's mind. Also, while in Sue's POV, she shouldn't be thinking about her
beautiful long blond hair or her sexy-firm body. Though John can think about it all
he wants when you are writing in his POV. In other words, if you are in a character's
pov, you have their ears, their eyes, their memory, and no one else's. Just like in
real life.
By the way, since you are going to try and stick to one POV character at a time, how
do you decide which one is best to use? Look at the scene you are writing. In that
scene, who has the most to lose or gain or share? Which important character's POV
will make that scene the strongest? Once you know the answers to those questions,
you'll know which POV you should write that scene in.
Charlotte Dillon ~ www.charlottedillon.com
Copyrighted in 2001 by Charlotte Dillon
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newsletter or on a free website as long as 'my name and a link to my
homepage' is given. You may not include my articles in an e-book
without asking unless it's a free e-book and my name and link are
included. You may not charge in any way for others to read or reach
these articles. They may not be used in any way for profit, like in a
workshop, class, site where people have to pay for a membership, ect...
If you find my articles being used in any way that isn't free and open
and including my name and link, please report the situation to me so it
can be handled. If you are unsure if your use will fall under what is
allowed, please contact me and ask. Thanks!