From whose perspective?

Point of view is the perspective from which the story is being told. Writers have the option of telling their story from various points of view – all of which affect the story in multiple ways. The three main types of point of view are: First-person point of view Second-person point of view Third-person point of view WHAT IS POINT OF VIEW?

In the first person point of view, the narrator participates in the action of the story. The narrator is a character who tells the story based on what they see, hear or feel. Usually it is the main character. Uses I, me, we, us pronouns: Example: During the summer I like to go to the beach. The hot sun and salty air make me feel at peace with myself. There is a certain freedom that fills my soul when I splash through the waves with sand trailing between my toes. Of course, it helps that there are numerous tanned and toned beach bodies and one of these summers I hope to start a grand romance with one of them. FIRST PERSON POINT OF VIEW

Second person point of view is generally the least used point of view by writers. It uses the pronoun “you.” Example: During the summer you like to go to the beach. The hot sun and salty air make you feel at peace with yourself.. There is a certain freedom that fills your soul when you splash through the waves with sand trailing between your toes. Of course, it helps that there are numerous tanned and toned beach bodies and one of these summers you hope to start a grand romance with one of them. SECOND PERSON POINT OF VIEW

Third person point of view has several possibilities and breaks down into the following categories: a. Third person omniscient b. Third person limited It uses the pronouns he, she, they, him, them The narrator does not participate in the action of the story. Think of them as someone outside the narrative watching it and relaying the events to the reader. THIRD PERSON POINT OF VIEW

In third person omniscient the narrator is someone who knows everything about all the characters (all-knowing, or omniscient.) The reader knows about the thoughts and feelings of all the characters in the story. Think of it as a fly on the wall, all-seeing and all-knowing. Example: Marina liked to go to the beach because it made her feel free. Luke liked to go to look at all the girls in their tiny bikinis. When they finally arrived, she took a deep breathe and inhaled. “Can you smell that salty air?” She wanted to live here forever with him. “Yes. It smells terrible.” Luke was already thinking about the blonde nearby. He glanced quickly to capture a better view. THIRD PERSON OMNISCIENT

A third person narrator (limited) can tell you what they would “see”. Sometimes they will not tell the reader the thoughts and feeling of any of the characters. Although sometimes they will reveal the thoughts of ONE of the characters, whereas the remaining characters’ thoughts and feelings are hidden from the reader. Example: Marina liked to go to the beach because she said it made her feel free. When Marina and Luke finally arrived, she took a deep breathe and inhaled. “Can you smell that salty air?” She wanted to live here forever with him. “Yes. It smells terrible.” Luke glanced away quickly. Marina pretended not to notice him staring at the blonde nearby, but her stomach felt queasy. She knew they were over. THIRD PERSON LIMITED

Do you see the difference between the two examples? ** In the third person omniscient example, the reader can see what both Marina and Luke are feeling and thinking. ** In the third person limited example, the reader can see only what Marina is thinking. Keep in mind if the reader wasn’t able to tell what either one of them were thinking or feeling, that would still be third person limited. THE DIFFERENCE

You get to choose the point of view in which you want to tell your story. This is not an easy task. Point of view restricts what thoughts and feelings you reveal to your readers. Think about what you want to reveal and whose heads and hearts you want the reader to get inside of. We will be practicing reading and writing several points of view over the next few weeks, but first I want to make sure you clearly understand it. Again, here are point of view options: a.First Person b.Second Person c.Third person omniscient d.Third person limited AS A WRITER...

Try to determine which point of view is being used in the following examples: A.Today is not a good day. Ms. Winters is making the class write a story. Julia gets nervous when she has to write. She thinks her handwriting is ugly, and the right words never come to her mind. Ashley smiles, knowing she is going to ace this assignment. B. Today is not a good day. Ms. Winters is making us write a story. I do not like to write. I think my handwriting is awful, and the rights words never come to my mind. PRACTICE

A: Third person omniscient B: First Person ANSWERS