Fiction Writing - More on POV

Used well, point of view helps the writer draw a full picture of the point of view character. Because, not only does a POV character act and speak as do non-pov characters, the POV character--unlike the other characters--thinks and feels.

This alone allows the reader to make an emotional connection to the point of view character.

And that fact means the point of view character is the dominant character in the book if you are writing single point of view or one of the dominant characters if you are using multiple point of view characters. One thing to remember is, in most cases, when you write the thoughts and feelings of any character you elevate their importance in the reader's mind.

In romance fiction, if the writer uses two point of view characters--the protagonist and the love interest--the reader learns the internal thinking and the impact of words and actions on both characters. And in romance, when a reader falls in love with and roots for both the protagonist (male or female) and the love interest (male or female) character , it spices up the romance part of the story.

I have been writing first person single point of view lately. Why? I have no idea. It is more of a challenge. But I do write short--no 100,000 word manuscripts yet--and less word count makes it easier.

Fiction Writing - Point of View

Point of view (POV) may not be the most important element of writing great fiction, but learning what it is and being mindful of it when creating a story is necessary to avoid confusing the reader. If the reader gets confused they may put down your book, never finish reading it, and never recommend it to others.

So what is POV? The character who sees, hears, feels, detects smells, tastes AND who reacts to these senses is the POV character. When you put the POV character at a certain place--say inside a house--they cannot see what is going on two blocks away. They may hear sirens two blocks away or smell something burning that isn't visible, but they can't hear another character humming inside a house three doors down.

If a story is written with one character POV, that character must be in every scene. If Sally is the POV character and she isn't there it didn't happen unless someone tells her about it. If Sally (the POV character) is facing John you cannot say Harry crept up behind Sally. John might see Harry, but Sally cannot see Harry and if you say John sees Harry you are now in his POV. However, Sally might see John's eyes widen, spin around, and see Harry.

Romance fiction is most often written with two POV characters--the protagonist and the love interest.

A skilled writer can write multiple character POV and not bog down the story or lose the reader.