Point of View (POV) and Tenses

First person POV

·      The viewpoint character is “I.” Nothing can be heard, seen, or experienced except through the senses of the character relating the story

Third person

·      Most commonly used for storytelling

·      Viewpoint character is “he” or “she” (or “it”)

Third person, single POV

·      Remain inside one character throughout the story (like first person POV)

·      Pros: Allow readers to identify with the character and drawn into the story without switching to another character

·      Cons: Limited to what can be shown “on stage.” Outside events must be told to the character or discovered some other way.

Third person, multiple POV

·      The writer puts the reader into the heads of more than one character through the story. E.g., romances (man and woman), thrillers (hero, villain)

·      Maintain a single POV in each scene; do not head-hop

Third person, omniscient POV

·      Viewpoint character is an omniscient narrator who tells the story about a cast of characters

·      Occasionally used in epics with many characters (e.g., Lord of the Rings)

TENSES:

·      Past = He went to the store

·      Present = He is going to the store

·      Future = He will go to the store

·      Most novels are written in past tense, though some use present tense

QUESTIONS

1.    Can you mix POVs in a single novel? (e.g., first and third, mixing omniscient with other POVs)

2.    What tense—past, present, or future—are you using to tell the story? Why have you selected this tense?

3.    What person are you using to tell the story? Why did you select this person?

4.    If you have chosen more than one person, does the mixture best serve the story? Why or why not?