A POV is, quite simply, a Point of View and every story has one. It is one of the more important parts of your story and you need to decide what it’s going to be before you start writing. For some people, the Point of View will come very naturally; you know just how the story is going to be told and who is telling it. For others, although you have a fantastic cast, you just can't get your head around the POV. If you are struggling, read on and get a few suggestions on how you can choose the best Point of View for your particular story.

First-Person POV – Me, Myself, and I

When you use a first-person POV, your story is being told from an intimate point of view for one character and this character will usually be your main protagonist. The easiest way to tell these stories is to use “I”, showing your readers how the character thinks and what they see, and it provides a distinct tone of voice too. So, if your story is coming from one person, this is the best POV to use.

However, there are limitations with first-person POV; you can only write what that character sees, feels and thinks; the other characters' thoughts and feelings are irrelevant and sometimes this kind of story just doesn’t feel right and it isn’t always reliable. It is, on the other hand, a very powerful way of seeing your main character overcoming threats, fears, obstacles and anything else they stumble across in the story.

Excellent examples of very different first-person POV stories are The Bell Jar, The Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird.

Third-Person Omniscient POV – He, She

When you use a third-person omniscient POV, the sky is your limit. You are narrating the story and you see everything, you feel everything and you hear everything. This the best POV for when you have many different characters, each having a separate plot line, and you need your readers to see every point of view in the story.

The downside is that the story isn’t always emotionally together. Much time is spent jumping from one point of view to another, from one character and their story to the next, and your readers will find it difficult to become involved emotionally. However, if you have a story that is mostly driven by its plot, then this is the best point of view to use.

Les Misérables is one of the very best examples of third-person omniscient POV. The reader can see everything as well as learning a great deal about the changes in French society and politics throughout history. Now think about Anne of Green Gables where we can see everything that goes on with every character and where the story narrator sometimes mocks and is sometimes very affectionate about the characters.

There is one more third-person Point of View and we’ll look at that in part 2 of this topic.