From Edie: Learn how to master point of view in your writing. Fix common POV mistakes, strengthen emotion, and craft compelling stories that keep readers hooked.
Mastering Point of View: How to Fix Common POV Mistakes and Write More Compelling Stories
by PeggySue Wells @PeggySueWells
How important is point of view to create compelling, page-turning, suspenseful projects? Take this pop quiz and see.
What is the issue most fixed by editors?
Point of view is the issue most fixed by editors. POV is complex and even skilled writers can occasionally shift in or out of POV without realizing it. Writers benefit from having a small circle of smart and loyal prereaders who can catch POV issues before the manuscript goes to the editor.
A common mistake editors report is when a writer includes a description the character would not naturally reference about themselves.
- She combed her long black tresses.
- He ran a hand through his nut-brown hair.
- His aquamarine eyes sparkled.
Combing or running a hand through hair is common, but reflecting on the color is outside the character's POV. Similarly, a character would not note the color of his own eyes nor be able to see them sparkle. Proper POV would be:
- She thought about their conversation as she ran a brush through her hair.
- He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
- Leave out the line about his aquamarine eyes. Show his excitement through his action.
Another common issue is describing the thoughts and feelings of another character which is outside the scene's POV.
- We were so excited when our child was born.
- We had never been happier than we were on our honeymoon.
- We felt excited to begin the adventure.
A character can describe their feelings around a pregnancy, honeymoon, or adventure. However, a character cannot speak for another because there is no way to truly know what the other person is thinking or feeling. When describing another character is necessary, talk about the actions that indicate another's response.
- He was speechless when he heard the news.
- I had never seen him as relaxed as he was on our honeymoon.
- When I arrived, she was already packed and ready to go.
Shifting from one character's point to view to another's within a scene or chapter is another common issue editors often fix.
In the stillness of the early morning, as he listened to the rise and fall of Sherry’s breathing, Ben realized he had not been this happy for a long time. Their wedding night had been a year in the making, but it had gone a long way toward healing the deep heartaches from his past. Ben pulled her into his arms. Sherry laid her head upon his chest and listened to his steady heartbeat and his baritone voice rumbling in his chest.
The last sentence in this scene shifts from Ben's POV to Sherry's. Remove the final sentence. If seeing the same scene from Sherry's point of view is necessary to the story, move the last sentence into another chapter that features Sherry's perspective.
How many types of POV are in the literary circle?
With the subcategories included, there are nine POVs.
- First Person
- Epistolary
- Flashback
- Cinematic
- Plural
- Second person
- Third person
- Limited
- Objective
- Omniscient
- Fourth person
Perhaps the Unreliable Narrator is a tenth POV.
What is the best POV to use?
When writing your story, whose view do you use? The best POV for the project and the best POV for each individual chapter is the POV that makes the story the most compelling.
When I wrote The Slave Across the Street, the riveting true story of an upscale teen trafficked for two years, the POV made the story a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller.
Told from the POV of the area police officer who worked to track and shut down the crime ring would have made the book into a police procedural. Interesting but not compelling.
Giving the details from the trafficker's POV raised the stakes since discovery by the police would carry consequences.
However, sharing the story from the POV of the underaged girl who was trafficked caused readers to feel shocked by the heinous crime and fearful for the life of the innocent teen. As they experienced events through the girl's POV, readers reported one of two responses to the book. Some couldn't put down the story until the resolution at the end. They read The Slave Across the Street in 24 hours.
A second group of readers were overwhelmed by the unspeakable cruelty and depravity. They had to put the book down for a day or two to recover emotionally before finishing the story in the next sitting.
POV to elicit emotion
John Grisham masterfully used POV to bring about a satisfying conclusion to his novel, A Time To Kill. When the jury was unable to agree on a verdict, one jury member challenged the jurors to see the crime with a single change—what if the victim was a young white girl instead of a young black girl.
Point of view is the writer's most powerful tool to elicit emotion in the reader. POV can make the difference between a character appearing as a killer or a king. POV determines whether a reader is compelled to turn pages until reaching the end.
As you read, consider the point of view the author used to tell the story. As you write, consider which POV will make the story memorable for your reader.
TWEETABLE
Action and adventure, romantic suspense, military romance, and cozy mystery are the page-turning novels by P.S. Wells including Chasing Sunrise, Homeless for the Holidays, and The Patent. How to live better, easier, and simpler is the focus of her nonfiction including The Ten Best Decisions A Single Mom Can Make.
PeggySue is a frequent guest with media including Focus On The Family, Family Life Today, and Christian Product Expo. She regularly teaches at conferences including Write To Publish, Taylor University Writers Conference, Kentucky Christian Writers Conference, and the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association. Collaborator on multiple titles including books with Dr. Benjamin Hardy, Shemane Nugent, Pat Palau, and Pam Farrel, PeggySue is a writing coach. When not writing, she parasails, skydives, snorkels, scuba dives, rides horses, and has taken (but not passed) pilot training. Founder of SingleMomCircle.com, connect with PS Wells at WWW.PEGGYSUEWELLS.COM, on Facebook at PeggySue Wells, and LinkedIn at LINKEDIN.COM/IN/PEGGYSUEWELLS
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