Make the Story You Write Read Like A Film With First Person Cinematic POV

by PeggySue Wells @PeggySueWells

A writer’s most important job is to elicit emotion in the reader.

Beyond being the single issue most often fixed by editors, Point of View is possibly the most powerful tool used by a storyteller to evoke emotion in the reader.

First Person Cinematic is one of the nine forms of POV at a writer’s disposal. As the name implies, the Cinematic perspective narrates the story in manner that simulates the experience of a viewer watching a film. The author writes with the focus trained on the characters, reporting what they say and do. 

A codicil is the Cinematic POV does not report on what a character thinks. The reader is left to imagine how a character thinks and feels based on their words and actions, a working example of show, don’t tell. Additionally, the reader imagines how they might feel in the same situation. 

The Hunger Games novel is presented in First Person Cinematic. Readers see the story unfold in present tense through the eyes of Katniss Everdeen. The story opens with this first line. 

"When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold. My fingers stretch out, seeking Prim's warmth but finding only the rough canvas of the mattress. She must have had bad dreams and climbed in with our mother. Of course, she did. This is the day of the reaping."

Also written in First Person Cinematic are

• Divergent by Veronica Roth 

There is one mirror in my house. It is behind a sliding panel in the hallway upstairs. Our faction allows me to stand in front of it on the second day of every third month, the day my mother cuts my hair.

• The Knife of Never Letting Go from the Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness 

The first thing you find out when yer dog learns to talk is that dogs don't got nothing much to say.

First Person POV is characterized by the words I, Me, My, Mine, We, and Us. First Person Cinematic POV uses

• First-person perspective. Readers see the story unfold through the eyes of the protagonist.
• Present tense narration. Readers feel the immediacy of the moment as the action happens.
• High-stakes. Readers are immersed in intense situations with the protagonist.

My favorite time to employ the Cinematic POV is during a flashback. The different tone separates the look-back from the rest of the narration of the story.

This is a scene from Chasing Sunrise in First Person Cinematic POV.

Instinctively, he reached to grab his fellow soldier and pull him back. The words were already forming in his mouth.

We can do this. Stay with me.

“Let him go.” Like a striking snake, his instructor knocked back Michael’s hand.

“You hear me, Mister? You let him go. Get your head back where it belongs. You’ve got a job to do. You got me?”

The fierce man stood between Michael and his retreating battle buddy. One glance at those determined eyes, and Michael knew this was a defining moment. He turned his attention forward once more.

When the best way to elicit emotion in the reader is to bring them beside the protagonist as the hero or heroine faces impossible odds, First Person Cinematic POV may be the tool for the story.

TWEETABLE

Make the Story You Write Read Like A Film With First Person Cinematic POV @PeggySueWells on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

PeggySue Wells is the bestselling author of 40 books and collaborator of many more. Action and adventure, romantic suspense, military romance, and cozy mystery are the page-turning novels by P.S. Wells, including Homeless for the Holidays, Chasing Sunrise, The Patent, and Unnatural Cause. How to live better, easier, and simpler is the focus of her nonfiction including The Ten Best Decisions A Single Mom Can Make. Founder of SingleMomCircle.com, PeggySue coaches writing and speaks at events and conferences. When not writing, she parasails, skydives, snorkels, scuba dives, rides horses, and has taken (but not passed) pilot training. Connect with her at www.PeggySueWells.com, on Facebook at PeggySue Wells, and LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/peggysuewells