In this part of our story analysis, we don’t just identify which kind of point of view we’re using. We’re also checking who our viewpoint character is and whether this is the right choice for our story. In other words, who the narrator is.
Before this, we've identified what fiction or nonfiction genre we've written, and whether we've hit all the reader expectations are within that genre effectively.
Understanding the effect of your viewpoint is crucial. It determines how you tell the story and how the reader will experience it. It highlights what kind of information the reader has access to while reading the story, affecting how they’ll interpret the events.
Consider your favorite novel for a moment. What would it have been like if it had been written from another viewpoint? A vastly different experience, right?
In the article below, we’ll talk about the different POV, how to decide if it’s the right one, and then ask some questions to help you determine who your narrator is and if these are the right perspectives for your story.
You can also watch the video below for some basics on POV.
What’s the POV?
If you like some more in-depth information on point of view, you can have a look at my article explaining them here.
To recap, the different points of view are:
1st person: the narrator is the character, sharing their own experiences. You can identify this through the use of “I.”
2nd person: the reader is the POV character, while the narrator is an outside observer watching the reader. You can identify this through the use of “you.”
3rd person omniscient: an omniscient narrator knows everything that’s going on in the story, so they’re able to give information that’s not known to the main characters.
3rd person limited: the narrator is close to the viewpoint character, only knowing the thoughts and feelings of that viewpoint character. This adds the closeness of 1st person while still keeping a more objective distance.
First, identify the POV you use. It’s possible you’ve used more than one. For instance, some writers switch between 3rd person limited and 1st person (some chapters in 3rd and some in 1st, depending on the viewpoint character). However, this is uncommon.
You’ll likely have no trouble distinguishing between 1st, 2nd, and 3rd POV, but knowing whether it’s limited or omniscient can be a bit more tricky.
Ask yourself whether the narrator is focused solely on the experience of one character at a time (the viewpoint can still switch between chapters or scenes). Then you’ve likely written in 3rd person limited.
Or does your narrator often state things your viewpoint character would not know? Then it’s likely you’ve picked an omniscient viewpoint.
Is it the right POV?
Hopefully, when you picked the POV before writing, you took into account what’s common in your genre. Also note that these things might change.
For instance, epic fantasy has commonly used 3rd person omniscient, but there’s a shift now where many books use 3rd person limited and opt for switching viewpoint characters between chapters.
YA books often are in 1st person. And romance seems to have a shift from 3rd person limited (with dual POV) to 1st person (with dual POV).
Nonfiction often uses 2nd person to address the reader, while some sections will likely be written in 1st person when sharing a personal story or 3rd person limited when sharing a vignette or a client's story. It's okay to have more variety here.
So, if you’re unsure what’s common in your genre, open up the books you’ve researched and check their POV and whether or not they use multiple POVs.
Do check that the books are fairly recent.
How well does your chosen viewpoint fit with the books in your genre? If, for instance, you’ve written in 1st person when 3rd person limited is more common, you might want to consider changing the POV to adhere to the reader’s expectations.
Who is the narrator?
In a story, the main character isn’t always the one telling the story. So, it’s important we understand who our narrator is, even if it’s an outside observer, and who they’re using to tell the story (whose viewpoint).
For instance, in A Game of Thrones, the narrator is an outside observer who describes the experiences of the viewpoint characters as objectively and closely to their personal experience as possible. They do this through a limited 3rd person view of several characters.
This way, the reader has more information than any one character while still feeling close to each individual viewpoint character.
Gone Girl uses the unreliable narrator really well by using a dual first-person perspective, showing us two sides of the very toxic marriage. And the closeness we feel from Amy’s diary excerpts increases the emotional effect when we discover Amy is alive.
In nonfiction, you as the author are often the narrator. This is a logical choice as you are the one with the expertise on the topic.
So: who is your narrator? And who are they using to tell the story? Is it one character? Multiple?
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Identify whether it’s the right viewpoint for your story
Whether or not it’s the right viewpoint is ultimately up to you. I can understand that you might not want to change how the story is told, as this might require a very large edit.
And luckily, usually the protagonist is the right choice as the viewpoint character (as the story hinges on their experiences).
However, there are a few questions you can ask to determine whether it’s the right choice for the story.
If you're writing nonfiction, use these questions to determine whether the examples you use (for instance from vignettes, clients, or personal stories) are the right perspectives to add to your manuscript.
What does the reader know because of the perspective(s)?
This question relates to the information the reader gains from this particular perspective or these perspectives.
For instance, Dune uses 3rd person omniscient to let the reader know about the planned destruction of house Artreides. This completely changes how we read the story.
Without this information, we would see the Atreides try to build their home on Arrakis while sensing there’s a plot against them. We would be wondering about who is moving against them and why.
Instead, we already know the who and the why. So, as readers, we are experiencing the tension of the when and whether they’ll survive. You want them to figure it out.
It leads to different questions and different emotions.
So ask yourself: what pieces of information does the reader receive when using this perspective? How does that affect their reading experience? What would happen if they had different pieces of information?
How does the chosen perspective(s) fit with the theme/topic?
The theme of your story is what you want the reader to take away after they’ve finished. For instance:
Justice will prevail.
We all have the power within us to destroy evil.
The world is a complex and diverse place.
Love can be ours if we’re willing to reflect on ourselves.
You want your chosen viewpoint(s) to reflect this theme. You can do this, for instance, by having multiple characters with vastly different believes who in the end find common ground. Or characters going through the same experience, but being affected by this very differently.
For example, in How to Kill a Mockingbird, Scout’s viewpoint fits perfectly with the theme of prejudice and racism: are people good or bad? Because she’s still young, she approaches the events with a level of innocence that an adult could never muster. She’s growing up and learning that the world is a complex place where bad things do happen by people to other people. This doesn't always mean that the people are inherently bad. And as readers, we see how it affects her differently than her brother.
If the book would’ve had a more adult perspective, the story wouldn’t be the same. Adults often already have their minds made up about things and view events through a different lens.
So: what is the theme of your story and how does your chosen viewpoint support it? Are there other characters whose arc would fit better with the theme? Or should perhaps the theme be something different?
How would the story change if the perspective was different?
Consider your cast of characters. While it’s common for the protagonist to be the viewpoint character, this doesn’t have to be the case.
The Great Gatsby, for instance, is not told from Gatsby’s perspective but from that of his close friend. This gives the reader a different experience as we can view what happened to him from a more objective distance.
If you would switch out one character for another, how would the story change? How would it affect the reader’s experience?
How does the chosen perspective(s) affect the reader’s experience?
Finally, consider all the information together to understand how your chosen viewpoint affects the reader’s experience of your story. Consider whether this is indeed the experience you want the reader to have.
If not, think about the character(s) you could use instead to create the experience you do want.
A note on multiple POVs
If you have more than one viewpoint character, it’s important you consider carefully how it affects the reader’s experience.
Does the addition of certain information heighten the stakes? Does it create more intrigue and mystery?
Or does it repeat a lot of information the reader already knows? Does it deflate the stakes and give the reader answers too soon?
When adding another viewpoint, you should always make sure it enhances the experience. This is especially true in an omniscient viewpoint, where you can add any piece of information at any given time.
Just because you can, doesn’t always mean you should.
Additional resources
Below you can find some additional resources on point of view.
Point of view by Leslie Watts: a deeper explanation of POV and the importance of this choice by viewing several examples.
Blog article on point of view by the Story Grid: It explains their narrative path concept and how POV is part of a larger whole. It is a bit technical, though.
Blog article on 3rd person POV by the Story Grid: a more in-depth explanation of the different kinds of 3rd person POVs. They also add objective as a third option.
Blog article on 1st person POV by the Story Grid: a more in-depth explanation of 1st person POV with its pros and cons, as well as tips to improve your writing in this POV.
Podcast video on POV by the Story Grid: a video of their podcast episode detailing the different types of POV, tense choices, and much more.
Blog article on the Write Practice on 2nd person POV: some short tips on using 2nd person POV
Conclusion and next steps
After you’ve analyzed your chosen POV, narrator, and viewpoint character(s), jot down any notes you have on the matter. Are there things you want to change? Keep them in a document with your other planned edits.
As I said before, I prefer to analyze the story fully before starting edits. However, if you want to make a major POV shift or change the viewpoint character, it might make sense to edit your story first before moving on.
Next, we’ll analyze the development of your main characters.
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