Point of View for Writers AWC

Point of View
for Writers
A Guide to Choosing the Right
Point of View for Your Work

Avondale Writers' Conference
Nov. 3, 2012
http://vaalascia.com

POV
•
Fourth planet from
star Sima-Centauri
•
Atmosphere: Oxygen-
Nitrogen
•
Mass: 1.4 Earth
•
Orbit: 2.3 Solar years


Point Of View (POV)
Conduit from the page to readers' mind.

I let out a long howl and
bared my fangs. We
circled each other. With
a push from my hind
legs, I charged her head
on and then leapt away
from Tzagne's blade.


Point Of View (POV)
Things to Remember
• No wrong choices
• Some POVs will enhance narrative
• Experiment to find best
• Pick one and stick to it


Point Of View (POV)
Three Elements to POV

Person

Camera Tense


Point Of View (POV)
Element 1: Person
First Person – I
•Very intimate
•All interaction information involves
POV character
•Easy to maintain
•Not good for multi story lines

Point Of View (POV)
First Person:
I let out a long howl and bared my fangs. We circled each other.
With a push from my hind legs, I charged her head on and then
leapt away from Tzgane’s blade. I slipped past her on the right and
swept her legs out from under her. She landed hard on her back.
Before I could come around again she sprung into a hand stand and
flipped herself over, returning to her feet. I jumped, trying to go for
her left shoulder. Her blade connected with my side. The sting of it
took the remaining breath from my lungs. I landed, rolled over and
changed into my human form. Blood poured from the four inch
gash under my left arm. “What the Hell? Are you trying to kill
me?”


Point Of View (POV)
Person
Second Person – You
•Reader is in the narrative
•Hard to use can be hard to read
•Works better in present tense
•Not good for multi story lines


Point Of View (POV)
Second Person:
You let out a long howl and bare your fangs. The two of you circle
each other. With a push from your hind legs, you charge her head
on and then leap away from Tzgane’s blade. Slipping past her on
the right, you sweep her legs out from under her. She lands hard on
her back. Before you can come around again, she springs into a
hand stand and flips herself over, returning to her feet. You jump,
trying to go for her left shoulder. Her blade connects with your
side. The sting of it takes the remaining breath from your lungs.
You land, roll over and change into your human form. Blood pours
from the four inch gash under your left arm. “What the Hell? Are
you trying to kill me?”


Point Of View (POV)
Person
Third Person – He, She, It
•Very common
•Easy to violate
•Lets your characters speak for
themselves
•Good for multi story lines

Point Of View (POV)
Third Person:
Larry let out a long howl and bared his fangs. He and Tzgane
circled each other. With a push from his hind legs, Larry
charged her head on and then leapt away from Tzgane’s blade.
He slipped past her on the right and swept her legs out from
under her. She landed hard on her back. Before Larry could
come around again, Tzgane sprung into a hand stand and
flipped herself over, returning to her feet. Larry jumped, trying
to go for her left shoulder. Her blade connected with his side.
The sting of it took the remaining breath from Larry’s lungs.
He landed, rolled over and changed into his human form. Blood
poured from the four inch gash under Larry’s left arm. “What
the Hell? Are you trying to kill me?”

Point Of View (POV)
Element 2: Camera
Balance Intimacy and
Perspective

Influences Readers' connections to
characters


Point Of View (POV)
Person Choice Influences Camera
1st & 2nd Person
Typically Single Camera

3rd Person
Most options
Room for error

Point Of View (POV)
3rd Person Camera Choices
• Omniscient / Omniscient Limited
• Character
• Single


Point Of View (POV)
3rd Person Omniscient Limited
Larry let out a long howl and bared his fangs, more for effect than for
warning. He circled Tzgane. She knew he would come at her, so she
waited. With a push from his hind legs, Larry charged her head on and
then leapt away from Tzgane’s blade. So the wolf was no fool. He had
learned to use his speed. Larry slipped past her on the right and swept her
legs out from under her. She landed hard on her back. Before Larry could
come around again, Tzgane sprung into a hand stand and flipped over,
returning to her feet. The moved surprised Larry as he jumped, trying to
go for her left shoulder. Her blade connected with his side. Was she trying
to kill him? The sting of it took the remaining breath from Larry’s lungs.
He landed, rolled over and changed into his human form. Blood poured
from the four inch gash under Larry’s left arm. “What the Hell? Are you
trying to kill me?”

Point Of View (POV)
3rd Person Omniscient Limited
Larry let out a long howl and bared his fangs, more for effect than for
warning. He circled Tzgane. She knew he would come at her, so she
waited. With a push from his hind legs, Larry charged her head on and
then leapt away from Tzgane’s blade. So the wolf was no fool. He had
learned to use his speed. Larry slipped past her on the right and swept her
legs out from under her. She landed hard on her back. Before Larry could
come around again, Tzgane sprung into a hand stand and flipped over,
returning to her feet. The moved surprised Larry as he jumped, trying to
go for her left shoulder. Her blade connected with his side. Was she
trying to kill him? The sting of it took the remaining breath from Larry’s
lungs. He landed, rolled over and changed into his human form. Blood
poured from the four inch gash under Larry’s left arm. “What the Hell?
Are you trying to kill me?”

Point Of View (POV)
3rd Person Character
From the window, Uma could see the whole practice. Larry let out a long
howl and bared his fangs. Please be careful, she thought to herself as the
two circled each other. With a push from his hind legs, Larry charged
Tzagne head on and then leapt away from her blade. He slipped past her
on the right and swept her legs out from under her. She landed hard on her
back. Before Larry could come around again, Tzgane sprung into a hand
stand and flipped over, returning to her feet. Larry jumped; trying to go
for Tzagne’s left shoulder. Her blade connected with his side. Larry
landed, rolled over and changed into his human form. Uma clutched at the
worn and weathered wood of the window sill. Blood poured from the four
inch gash under Larry’s left arm. “What the Hell? Are you trying to kill
me?” His words flew from his mouth to Uma’s ears as the pain went right
to her heart.

Point Of View (POV)
Element 3: Tenses
Often left out of POV discussion but
can have a major impact on how the
reader connects with the story.


Point Of View (POV)
Tenses

Present Past Future
walk, walks walked will walk


Point Of View (POV)
Tenses – Variations (Perfect)

Present Past Future
have walked had walked will have
walked


Point Of View (POV)
Past Tense
Larry let out a long howl and bared his fangs. He and Tzgane circled each
other. With a push from his hind legs, Larry charged her head on and then
leapt away from Tzgane’s blade. He slipped past her on the right and
swept her legs out from under her. She landed hard on her back. Before
Larry could come around again, Tzgane sprung into a hand stand and
flipped herself over, returning to her feet. Larry jumped, trying to go for
her left shoulder. Her blade connected with his side. The sting of it took
the remaining breath from Larry’s lungs. He landed, rolled over and
changed into his human form. Blood poured from the four inch gash under
Larry’s left arm. “What the Hell? Are you trying to kill me?”


Point Of View (POV)
Present Tense
Larry lets out a long howl and bares his fangs. He and Tzgane circle each
other. With a push from his hind legs, Larry charges her. He has to leap
away from Tzgane’s blade. He slips past her on the right and sweeps her
legs out from under her. She lands hard on her back. Before Larry can
come around again, Tzgane springs into a hand stand and flips. She is
back on her feet. Larry jumps for her left shoulder. Her blade connects
with his side. The sting takes the remaining breath from Larry’s lungs. He
lands in a roll and changes into his human form. Blood pours from the
four inch gash under Larry’s left arm. “What the Hell? Are you trying to
kill me?”


Point Of View (POV)
Future Perfect Tense
I will have let out a long howl and bared my fangs as I circled Tzagne.
With a push from my hind legs, I will have begun my charge. Facing her
head on, I must leap away from Tzgane’s blade. I will have slipped past
her on the right before I can sweep her legs out from under her. She will
have landed hard on her back but before I can come around again she will
have sprung into a hand stand and flipped herself over, returning to her
feet. I will have jumped, trying to go for her left shoulder. Her blade must
have connected with my side. The sting of it will have taken the remaining
breath from my lungs as I landed, rolled over and changed into my human
form. Blood pours from the four inch gash under my left arm. “What the
Hell? Are you trying to kill me?”


Point Of View (POV)
Wrap Up

Person – who is telling the story
Camera – how reader connects to story
Tense – when is the story occuring


Point Of View (POV)
Read This
http://www.ironquill.net/point-of-view-for-writers-part-i/ Point of View for Writers.

http://www.sfwriter.com/ow07.htm Two Heads Aren’t Always Better than One.

http://www.fiction-writers-mentor.com/point-of-view-in-fiction.html Point of View in Fiction

http://www.writersdigest.com/writing-articles/by-writing-goal/write-first-chapter-get-started/fiction-
point-of-view Fiction: Point of View

http://www.novel-writing-help.com/past-tense.html Past Tense vs Present Tense in Writing

http://www.writersrelief.com/blog/2009/01/present-or-past-verb-tense-what-to-choose-for-your-
fiction-writing/ Present or Past Tense What to Choose for Your Fiction Writing

http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verb-tenses_future-perfect.htm How to Use the Future Perfect
Tense

http://www.englishtenses.com/tenses/future_perfect The Future Perfect Tense


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