4: Writing In Different Points of View
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In this section, you'll learn how to:
- Differentiate the three main types of point of view: first person, second person, and third person.
- Recognize the strengths and weaknesses of each point of view.
- Develop insights into choosing the appropriate point of view for effective storytelling and character development.
Seeing the World in a Different Perspective
One of the greatest benefits of storytelling is the ability to focus on a character’s perspective. In real life, we only have one perspective: our own. However, when reading a story, we can allow ourselves to jump into the mind of another person and experience their thoughts and feelings. This can help us to look at life in a completely different way—expanding our perception of the world and the people that inhabit it. It may challenge us to rethink our own biases and preconceptions. Letting the reader see the world through the eyes of a different character can be a challenging skill to master. Therefore, let’s start by understanding how and why authors use different points of views in their writing.
The perspective that the reader has access to when connecting to particular characters in the story.
There are three types of point of views in writing—first, second, and third—that an author can use to help pick the best perspective.
|
First person |
Second person |
Third person |
|---|---|---|
|
I went to the store |
You went to the store |
They went to the store |
Writing in first, second, or third is more than just using different pronouns. Choosing a perspective drastically alters how the reader will hear and connect with the story. Each point of view has its strengths and weaknesses, and one is not exactly better than another—just different. Authors can choose to only use one point of view throughout the whole story, or they can change it up. In addition, certain authors are just more comfortable writing from one particular point of view over another. Regardless, it’s a good idea to at least know the different points of view and experiment with all three.
First Person
Whenever we talk about ourselves, we often use first person. Using pronouns I/Me (or We/Us if are involving other people), first person represents a personal account that the character has directly experienced.
Written works in which the main character is represented using I/Me pronouns.
This perspective is well suited for memoirs and autobiographies because the main characters in those stories are the authors themselves. Since it is their experiences, they want to provide their own personal accounts. It may look something like this:
I was born in western Pennsylvania during the early 1900s. So many changes were happening in those days. Growing up, there was only one paved road in town, and I knew very few people my own age. However, by the time I finished high school, my hometown grew larger and larger. People from New York and Boston moved their families where the land was vast and cheap. Soon more stores and roads were built, and eventually it no longer resembled the place that I remembered.
The best way to imagine the effectiveness of first person is as though the main character is right in front of you—telling their story as you, the reader, intently listen. The main character can even incorporate you into the narrative and speak to the reader:
I know that you’re thinking that I should take the gentle approach. However, it is way past that. When someone goes into my house and steals things from my closet, it’s personal. You need to understand the beef I have with this woman, and the nerve of her to just take what she thinks is hers. I can’t just let this go. I am so furious right now! She is no longer my friend. She is my enemy, and you will understand in due time.
This person is divulging their story directly to you, and you have the privilege of hearing about their innermost thoughts, feelings, and emotions. While the other perspectives that we’ll discuss can also be personal, first person generally does the best job at this because of this tête-à-tête or direct conversation. If you feel like your main character needs to tell their story directly from their mouth, consider using first person.
First Person Diary
While most first person narration is done like a conversation with the reader, it doesn’t always have to be. Another way to write first person narration is to write as though it was a diary entry. While the difference is subtle, it is a clever way to get some of the benefits of third person narration while still being in first person. For example, instead of talking as though the main character is speaking to a person or an audience, they choose to tell the story to themselves. It may be written as clearly as “Dear Diary,” but it doesn’t have to be. This type of first person tells a story for no one, as though the diary entry has been locked away. However, the reader somehow manages to get access to it, and they are reading material that was not meant for them. This type of writing may feel distant because the main character isn’t trying to connect to the reader. It may also be reflective and contemplative like the main character is sorting out their thoughts. It may read something like this:
I’m having a hard time understanding why no one will approach me. I sit at my desk and greet everyone who passes me by. There’s a pleasant smile on my face, and I am sure to be the first person to comment on someone’s new haircut or dress. Yet, day in and day out, I see the clicks of coworkers hanging out at lunch, chatting in their cubicles. Why won’t they come talk to me? Am I that boring? Sure, I don’t drink that often and usually spend the weekends petting my rabbit, but is that a social death sentence? Maybe I need to be more direct and approach these people beyond my desk. Then there’s the possibility of me trying too hard, which will make everything more awkward. Maybe I should just accept that a job is a job and not a place to make new friends.
While this type of reflection and introspection can still be conveyed in regular first person, this diary style is very useful to experiment with if your character is often talking to themselves or is in deep retrospection.
Third Person
If first person is like reading a conversation that is being spoken directly to you, third person is like overhearing a conversation that you’re not exactly a part of. Using the character’s name, or they/them pronouns, third person is where the reader is more of an observer—watching all the events unfold in the distance.
Written works in which the main character is represented either through they/them pronouns or through their name.
This perspective is like someone else retelling events that occurred to a person. Imagine a person speaking around a campfire—reciting a legend of an ancient hero:
Long ago, there was a blade that was said to slide through the night. If a warrior could wield such a weapon, they could forever banish the darkness that had fallen upon the land. Aregon thought that he would be that person, the one who could hold the blade in his arms and lead his people to glory. However, while Aregon was brave, he was also brash—rushing into battle and situations without planning or thought. If he were to be successful, he must use more cunning, more wit. He would not be able to rely solely on a warrior’s strength. Instead, he must change his way of thinking if he were to succeed.
This “speaker” talking to the reader is not the main character like in first person. Instead, it is someone who probably doesn’t exist. The reader listens as this speaker retells how other characters interact and not their personal experiences. However, this speaker often has a special power to also get into the mind of the main character—being able to understand their thoughts and feelings. If the speaker did not have the ability to get into the mind of the character, the story might miss the character likeability discussed previously. The reader assumes that the speaker knows most of the character’s inner thoughts. For example:
Harry began to sweat. He hadn’t been on a date in over three years and wasn’t sure if he could do it. There was something about this woman that made him want to be perfect. Nothing could go wrong, or he would lose this opportunity forever. But, of course, something would naturally go wrong, so his perfect scenario was never going to happen. Thus, he began to sweat even more. This cycle of anxiety plagued him while he sat nervously at the restaurant. Alone at the back table, he noticed that she was five minutes late. He secretly hoped that she didn’t show up—avoiding Harry’s predicted failure.
Third person still allows the reader to experience the character’s innermost thoughts and feelings. However, there’s a bit of a distance, much like first person diary. It is as though we are watching events unfold without the character knowing. Instead of experiencing the character through their eyes, it is as though we are witnessing it with front-row tickets. This perspective is useful if you want to keep some distance between the main character and the reader. First person is a direct conversation with the reader, while third is more of a passive conversation.
Third Person Open
Another useful benefit about third person is its ability to not focus on just one character. first person is told through one person’s view—thus only their perspective is told throughout. Third person can also do this, focusing entirely on the perspective of just one character, and this is called third person closed.
Using third person to only focus on one character throughout the story.
This closed perspective is generally used in most storytelling, but because the speaker is not “locked” to one perspective, they could technically float around—jumping in and out of different characters like a possessive ghost. Moving from one character to another character is called third person open.
Using third person to move through multiple characters throughout the story.
Open perspective is sometimes called omniscient, meaning that the speaker “knows all.” The speaker’s ability allows them to know what all the characters are thinking:
Marrick and Tom sat across from one another—each waiting for the other person to speak. Marrick refused to be the one to break. After all, he was not the one who got them into detention. The only thing that Marrick wanted to do was play a harmless prank on Miss Brevel. It was Tom who decided to crank up the severity of the issue. Marrick wouldn’t rat out his friend, but he at least wanted an apology. Meanwhile, Tom was waiting for an apology. He couldn’t believe that Marrick didn’t watch Tom’s back when they went into the teacher’s lounge. The plan was perfect, and Tom would have been a legend for exploding the faculty fridge. However, Marrick kept begging Tom to stop and didn’t pay attention to the hallway. Marrick had one job and failed it spectacularly.
In this open perspective, there are two characters present, but the speaker can weave through both of them naturally. This type of perspective is very useful if the story involves multiple characters with innermost thoughts that should be explored. However, writing multiple points of perspectives is challenging, so beginner writers should first focus on having their whole narrative in one perspective first and maybe expand to multiple perspectives after gaining some practice.
Second Person
Second person is perhaps the more unconventional of the perspectives and is the least used in storytelling. Rather than have the main character or a speaker tell the story, it is the reader themselves who are narrating the events:
Written works in which the main character is represented either through you pronouns or through the imperative tone.
This perspective is difficult to explain because it makes little sense logically. Using you as the character, the reader of the novel is the main character. Rather than hearing about the story through the main character or a speaker, the events unfold due to the reader’s actions—even if the reader never experienced them:
You head into the convenience store to grab some money out of the ATM. Apparently, the restaurant that you were previously at does not allow credit cards and only accepts cash. There were no signs explaining this, and who still carries around cash anyway? You had to leave your driver’s license with the waitress while you awkwardly walked across the street to the run-down shop that had a half-melted ATM that charges an additional $3.50 just to use it. The man at the counter greets you, but you ignore him—annoyed at the whole situation.
Most people reading this did not experience the situation above. However, second person perspective assumes that the reader did partake in these events. In a way, second person works very similarly to role-playing games, where the participant imagines they are someone else going on an adventure. Another way to think about this is to assume that you have lost all memory and someone else is explaining what happened previously to you. The key is to not take the perspective literally; you are just another fictional character in the narrative.
This type of perspective is not common, and there are few books that are written entirely in this perspective. Rather, second person is very effective in short bursts—especially when the writer of the main character needs to address the reader directly:
No one should be afraid to seek help. If you feel like the situation is too complicated and overwhelming, it is okay to reach out and find a friend, a loved one, or a professional to talk to. Remember that you do not have to solve every problem on your own, and that there are others who can help with your burdens.
Second Person Imperative
Without going too much into grammar, there is a way to write entirely in second person without ever using you. The method to do this is through imperative tone.
A type of second person perspective in which the reader is given commands with a verb in its infinitive state.
Imperative tone relies on leading with an infinitive state of a verb. An infinitive is the verb in its natural state, without tacking on something like an -ed or -ing to the end of the word.
|
Infinitive Verb |
A Verb With a Suffix |
|---|---|
|
Reach |
Reaching |
|
Jump |
Jumped |
|
Sneeze |
Sneezes |
If you lead your sentence with an infinitive verb, it naturally becomes a command. If we write “Jump into the water,” it is directed at the reader. Technically, the sentence is really conveying “You need to jump into the water.” In this case, writing in the imperative tone hides you in the sentence. The imperative tone is more direct towards the reader and commands them far more aggressively:
Break through the chains that have been shackling your thoughts. Feel the freedom of clarity by focusing the mind. Breathe calmly in through your nose and out through your mouth. Repeat this sensation until your muscles relax. Find peace at this moment.
Each of those sentences were lead with an infinitive verb and created the imperative tone. This alternative way to write second person can be weaved with regular second person:
You are walking on the hot sands of the beach. The sun’s hot rays burn you. However, you must continue to travel. Endure the heat and continue your journey. Ignore the pain and focus on reaching your destination.
Check In: First, Second, or Third?
- 4.1: Reading Exercise - Perspectives
- This short story is a companion piece to the guide Writing in Different Points of View.