Defining Point of View: Intro

I have a problem. I’ll be the first to admit that, when I write fiction, I tend to switch point of views (POV) unintentionally, or too often between characters.  This is a novice mistake that I imagine even the best writers still run into on occasion. I am, however, getting better at this and hopefully won’t run into it as often.

In my determination to become a better writer, I decided a little while ago to refresh my knowledge on the subject. Along the way, I realized that it would be good material for a post (or three) on my blog.

Over the next few days, I will be discussing the main points of view (first person, second person, third person) as well as delving into the finer variants of each one. Why not just put it all into one post you ask? To be honest, I thought it would be too long of a post to take in at one sitting. I mean, it’s not the most exciting of subjects mind you. Breaking it up into sections should make it a little more manageable (and yes, I do have it all written out! I just decided to do it this way at the last minute.)

Stop by tomorrow for the first of three entries in this series. We’ll be dealing with, of course, first person point of view.

Comments

[1ConfusedWriter]

That is interesting. I've tried writing in first person POV plenty of times, but find that I'm not really good at it. At least that's what I think. Third person POV, however, is my favorite, especially third person omniscience. I feel it gives me so much freedom to write what I need to, when I need to, to make it a good read. Good points Arabella, thanks for commenting.

[Jude's Wench]

I understand POV issues -- my demon is not necessarily switching POV, but the ability to really only write well in first person POV. I've taken a couple of stories that are first person and converted them to third person, workshopped them, and invariably, the comments I get are of the nature of "This is much more powerful as First Person. Why did you change it?" Probably I just need to practice writing out of First Person, but when what I write in FP is so much more compelling and powerful, it's hard to practice making that switch.

I'll be interested to see what you write.