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Who's telling your story and how?
This month, we’re dissecting two story elements that often get confused with each other: point of view and perspective.
It’s easy to confuse point of view (POV) and perspective, especially when these terms are so frequently misused in popular culture. There’s a whole POV meme that actually describes perspective—yikes. With these two terms so thoroughly intertwined, it’s no wonder writers have a hard time separating POV with the Core Concept of perspective.
In the simplest terms:
Point of View — How the story is conveyed (usually first or third person but there are other main- and sub-options)
Perspective — The character's opinion
Switching these terms around creates a lot of stress and makes the creative process even harder. This month, we’ll help you organize the chaos so you can get back to what you love: writing.
A piece of writing is both what you say (the story) and how you say it (the narrative strategy—not to be confused with a strategic narrative). For both POV and perspective, you might consider:
Who is your narrator?
What do they believe?
How much do they know?
How close can the reader get to them?
Answers to these questions influence other important story aspects like pacing (April's topic!), tone, and your target readership. But if point of view and perspective are so important as separate things, why is it so easy to mix them up?
What’s the difference?
POV involves more technical reader decisions like whether the reader should be in a character’s head (first person), addressed directly (second or fourth person), or a casual bystander as the story unfolds (third person). Some readers prefer stories from first person, others prefer third. If you’re not sure how best to convey your story, consider whether your narrator is in the action, an observant bystander, or an omniscient presence. Each POV option shows a different perspective of your story.
Unlike POV’s reader focus, perspective is your narrator’s opinion. Even third person omniscient POV, where the reader knows more than the characters, provides little clues as to what the narrator thinks and feels about what’s happening. This POV is often considered the author’s opinion—or, perspective—because it shows their personal biases and moral leanings regarding the characters through the details they choose to include... or omit.
Picking a POV
For many of us, it’s not always clear how to tell the story. While many genres have established common POV structures, and this may help you get started with your writing process, your story might be stronger with a structure outside the genre’s norms.
A large cast of characters, all with a valid claim to show your reader the story in first or third person POV, may help you decide. Maybe you start writing in first person as one character, then realize a side character is more vocal in third person, but both characters offer unique perspectives. Try on different characters’ voices to discover what works for the characters and the story; it’s all part of the process.
You don’t have to limit yourself to one point of view, either. Multi-POV stories, told from multiple characters' perspectives, widen your imagined world and create a rich, dynamic reader experience.
If you feel like you’ve tried everything and you’re still stuck, consider the distance: how close should the reader be to these events? Stories with deep emotion are frequently more successful with one single narrator in first person point of view, where the reader has full access to the narrative character’s thoughts and feelings, and limited or no access to other characters. This hypes the drama because the narrative character (and the reader) is constantly questioning what other characters think and how their actions affect those around them. Alternatively, third person creates distance between the reader and the narrator.
Point of view affects what your narrator is able to tell the reader, too.
Third-person limited is limited to one character’s POV, so the reader can only know what they know. Third-person omniscient, on the other hand, allows the narrator to float through the minds of multiple characters, giving the reader access to more than one perspective on the story.
While point of view might seem like merely a functional choice, there are many opportunities to play with it. This is especially true of second-person.
I’m a recent convert to second-person. I used to think that it was only meant for choose-your-own-adventure novels but it can actually be a compelling way to play with distance. The narrator is able to distance themselves from the story but also put the reader in their shoes by using the pronoun “you” instead of I/we for first- or he/she/they for third-person.
If you’re struggling to get your story started, give second-person a spin and see how it feels. You never know—it might uncover something you didn’t know about your narrator or the story itself.
Unlocking your story’s perspective
Every story has a unique perspective— even stories with omniscient (POV) narrators.
Omniscient narrators are objective but they still have a persona… of sorts. Diction, tone, and the other storytelling nuances all breathe life into your narrator, no matter how distant they may be from the reader or the story itself. It can be fun to write (and read about) an omniscient narrator who has a lot of opinions about the characters and their actions (Death from The Book Thief).
Unlocking your story’s perspective involves important character work. Who your narrator is will influence their view. Things like:
Age
Gender
Race/ethnicity
Occupation
Environment
Moral beliefs
...and much more will all give your narrator a unique perspective for storytelling. What words do they use? How do they describe people and events? What kinds of details do they remember or forget? Your job is to discover what this unique storytelling style is—that’s your perspective.
Just like with finding your story’s point of view, finding its perspective can take some experimentation. Most importantly, don’t lock yourself into a narrative strategy that isn’t working. Try looking at it from a different point of view; a new perspective.
About the authors:
Lindsey has a BA in English and creative writing from Brandeis University and recently completed the Columbia Publishing Course, nicknamed the "West Point of publishing." She loves writing short stories and has more recently taken an interest in writing poetry. For three years she was an Editor-in-Chief for her school literary magazine, Laurel Moon. You can usually find her reading, crocheting, or bothering her cat, Sister. She hopes to be a writer and an editor in the future to continue to help others improve their work.
Theresa Green is a co-founder of The Writer's Workout, a crime fiction writer, and a freelance developmental editor (Premier Literary Services). Her work is published in various literary magazines and journals under a pseudonym.