POV What do we mean when we talk about Point of View? What are the different types of point of view? Why do you think choosing a point of view is important?

Point of View Activity We will have 3 people act out a short scene. Your job will be to write the scene from YOUR point of view, where you are at your desk. Pay close attention to what happens, because you will need to write it out.

Point of View Activity What was it like viewing this scene from the outside? How would it be different if you wrote it from the perspective of each of the people involved?

Types of POV First Person POV You use the words “I, me, us, we, you” and the narrator is the voice of a character who acts in the story. Often this is the hero (or heroine) but sometimes it is a secondary character close to the narrator. Example: There I was, minding my own beeswax when she came up and kissed me. I nearly passed out.

First Person POV Advantages: It feels natural to most writers because we live in an I world. You have to deal with only one mind: the narrator’s. You can create a distinctive internal voice. You can add an element of craft by creating a narrator who is not entirely reliable.

First Person POV Disadvantages You are limited to writing about what the narrator can see or sense. The narrator must constantly be on stage or observing the stage. You can’t go into the minds of other characters.

Types of POV Second Person POV Example: This is the “you narrator”. This POV is really difficult to pull off, and often feels awkward to both read and write. Example: You’re just standing there. She comes along and kisses you and you nearly faint.

2nd person POV Advantages Disadvantages It is different and original. If you can pull it off WELL, it will be something that is different from what most people are used to. Disadvantages It can feel awkward and quirky. It is REALLY difficult to sustain for longer than a few pages.

Types of POV Third Person Omniscient This is a story told by an outsider (there are no I’s). The reader is able to enter the mind of any character at any time, and can go to any setting. Example: He stood stiff as a fence post, watching her come his way. What did she want? he wondered. She had decided to kiss him, no matter what. So she did. She could see the effect of her kiss at once. He nearly fell over.

3rd Person Omniscient Advantages It can enrich your novel with contrasting view points It can broaden the scope of your novel as you move between settings and from conflicting points of view. You can add suspense by showing what is happening from different points of view, or during parallel time lines.

3rd Person Omniscient Disadvantages You can confuse yourself and your reader unless the breaks between points of view are distinctive You can break up the flow of the story by jumping around too much within a chapter, scene, or paragraph. This is often called “head-hopping” (More on this later) You don’t feel as close to the action as 1st person, since your narration is distanced

3rd Person Limited (tight) Rather than being able to jump into any head, anywhere, at any time, a limited point of view only enters the mind of one, or a few, characters, usually one per chapter or scene. Example: He stood stiff as a fence post, watching her come his way. What did she want? he wondered, as she approached. Then he saw the determination in her face. Good crackers! She was going to kiss him, no matter what. She did, too, and he nearly fell over.

3rd person Limited Advantages Mostly the same as 3rd person omniscient You are concentrated on one or two characters, without necessarily being stuck inside their view points (as with 1st person) You can really develop one or two of the characters by sticking with them so consistently

3rd person Limited Disadvantages The reader doesn’t feel as close to the characters as 1st person You don’t jump around as easily as omniscient narration

Multiple Perspectives As long as you are clear, you can have multiple perspectives using any of these POVs. Ex. You can have multiple first person POVs by labeling sections or chapters by that person’s name. You could do the same thing with 3rd person limited, though you probably wouldn’t need to. What would be the advantages/disadvantages of using multiple perspectives?

Romance Assignment For this unit, you will work with a group of three to write three scenes of a romance story: the meet scene, the bonding scene, and the resolution. Each of these scenes need to work together to tell the same story, but they should all be written in different perspectives.