Many excellent articles have been written on point-of-view (POV). This article won’t reinvent the wheel, but it will describe the wheel in 700 words or less. If you’re looking for a quick breakdown of the three main POVs in fiction (and the #1 most common POV error), keep reading!
Every story is told from a specific perspective, a point-of-view (POV). Some books are written in first person, where the protagonist narrates their own experiences in their own words using “I” pronouns. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan are both first-person narratives. Here’s an example of first-person prose:
I needed an example for my conference workshop. Something as awesome as me. I rubbed my chin in contemplation, hopeful that a nearby muse would shower inspiration on my handsome visage.
As you can see, first person can be quite . . . colorful.
Other books are written from the perspective of an omniscient narrator outside the story, such as The Lord of the Flies by William Golding or The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. Here’s an example:
Tim needed to find a memorable example for his conference workshop—something as grandiose as he perceived himself to be. He stroked his chin and stared into the distance in a desperate attempt to look the part of an inspired artist.
Notice how the narrator both knows things Tim does not and offers a clear opinion on the subject of Tim’s awesomeness. An omniscient narrator knows the future of a story, and though they know each story character’s inner thoughts, they also know things that story characters cannot recognize themselves. Omniscient is a very difficult POV to write, and not recommended for aspiring authors.
The most popular and versatile POV in modern fiction is third-person limited POV, which is a bit more distant than first-person but still shows us the world through the eyes of a character in the story. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson are both third-person limited narratives. Here’s an example:
Tim needed an example for his conference workshop. Something creative. Something engaging! He rubbed his chin contemplatively, willing inspiration to strike.
Notice how the phrasing of the words is a bit less specific to the character (and therefore less obnoxious), but the information is still limited to what the character knows. This is the most popular POV in modern fiction, but many aspiring writers get it confused with omniscient POV and end up writing a hybrid of the two—which does not make editors happy.
The most common POV error editors see in fiction proposals is called head-hopping, and it’s a blazing neon sign telling editors, “This author is a novice!” Head-hopping is when a writer switches their third-person limited POV between characters mid-scene. Here’s an example:
Tim needed an example for his conference workshop. He rubbed his chin contemplatively, willing inspiration to strike.
Dan glanced at his older brother from across the room. He’s doing that stupid chin thing again. Dan rolled his eyes and resumed his work on the cure for cancer.
Tim frowned. Judging by that eye roll, Dan didn’t appreciate his genius.
Notice how we’re stepping inside Tim’s head, then hopping out and into Dan’s head, then hopping back into Tim’s head. Many aspiring authors will do this to try to help readers understand each of their characters, and hopping into Dan’s head certainly does convey information that staying in Tim’s head would not convey.
Many famous authors of the past have committed head-hopping. Dune by Frank Herbert is one example. In modern fiction, though, head-hopping is considered unprofessional. Head-hopping is disorienting to a reader and prevents them from settling into a scene and identifying with a specific character. The benefits aren’t worth the drawbacks. Changing a book’s POV requires rewriting the entire book, so a book that head-hops is a quick and easy rejection for a publisher.
If you’d like to dive deeper into the nuances of POV, I recommend checking out author K.M. Weiland’s detailed article on POV here.
Thanks for reading!
Once upon a time, Tim Pietz thought editors were gray and joyless people who quenched their thirst with authors’ tears. Now, Tim is the managing editor of InkSword Editing, and to his knowledge, he mostly drinks tap water. Tim graduated summa cum laude from Taylor University with a B.S. in Professional Writing and a B.A. in Strategic Communication, and since then, he’s had the privilege of editing for various authors and publishers, including Tyndale House. A teacher and encourager at heart, Tim enjoys collaborating with authors at every stage in their publishing journey.