Last week I discussed the importance of the main character in your story. This week I will talk about POV(Point of View) and how to choose the right one for your story. Many apprentice writers don’t give POV the importance it deserves. They think the narrative voice is irrelevant as long as the writer is being consistent with the POV he chooses to write his story. David Jauss says; “Point of View is arguably the most important element of fiction writing, for it is inextricably linked to characterization, style, and theme, yet it is perhaps the least understood of all aspect of fiction.”
My early short stories were all written using the third person POV. One of my favorite writers is Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Almost all of his stories are written using a third person POV. Back then he was the only writer I thought was worth reading and emulating. Fortunately, I realized the importance and the relevance of POV when rereading these same early stories of mine, I noticed that many of them lacked narrative strength. I rewrote them all. Some of them became better stories when I changed the POV. Others were just as bad no matter how many times I played with the POV. Since then, I submit all my stories to the POV test. How to determine what POV to use for your story? There is one principle that I always use to determine which is the best POV for my story.
In choosing a POV, between 1st, 2nd, or 3rd POV you must determine on what POV your story would have a stronger impact on the reader. So, say you have a story that just doesn’t feel right, feels weak on its narrative voice, rewrite the most important passages of your story using a different POV.
Check the POV on these two novels by two great writers: Italo Calvino, "If on a winter's night a traveler." italo-calvino.com
William Faulkner,"As I lay Dying" williamfaulkner.com
Watch Evelyn Lau, author of "Living Under Plastic," talk about POV
I like this post a lot Felipe. Point of view really is important in fiction, and I actually never thought much about it until reading As I Lay Dying. It's so interesting how multiple 1st person can change the way you think about the characters.
ReplyDeleteI think you're definitely right: POV is really important. The book I'm reading now, Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon,uses mainly 3rd person POV, but it frequently switches those POVs between different characters. And because the book has over 400 characters, it can get a little difficult to understand which one's thinking what. But the POV changes definitely work well in his story.
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