Understanding various ways a writer creates a point of view will help you both analyze and write stories. Schaefer and Diamond define point of view as "A further consideration beyond character, conflict, setting, and plot for the narrative writer." It is not the writer's attitude or opinion toward the subject; it is a technical device that the writer uses and the voice that he/she uses to tell the story.

You should first decide what you want to convey with your story. Then experiment with different points of view to determine which lets the reader "experience the [main character's] central experience" in the most effective way. This may not happen during the first draft. Good writers often write several drafts in different points of view until they find the one that best fits their story.

Different Points of View

• First Person – the narrator takes on the persona of one of the characters and tells the story as that character. This view uses the terms "I" or "we."
  • This point of view is limited, which means that the writer can only include details of the story that the character would actually know. For example, if you write from the point of view of a teacher, you typically could not write about what happens in the students' homes, because the teacher usually would not know those private details.
  • This point of view is very powerful, because it places the reader directly into the story and actually lets him/her feel the emotions that are written about and experience the events in the story.
  • The narrator does not have to be the main character; it could just be an observer.
• Third Person Limited – the narrator limits the action and information given to the reader to only that which centers on and can be known by only one character in the story.
  • You can change the character that you focus on in each section. The writer listens in on the character's thoughts, but does not present them in first person.
  • It is powerful because the writer can focus intently upon one character's experiences, as in first person, but can choose to use any style or tone that he or she wishes.
• Objective – this is the "fly on the wall" point of view. The writer simply writes what he or she sees and offers to interpretation. The observer is not in the scene and is just watching and listening.
  • This point of view is characterized by descriptions of what the characters look like, say, or do.
  • It is effective because it is uncluttered with anyone's interpretations or opinions of the events that occur. This point of view removes commentary by the narrator.
• Omniscient – the narrator of the story "has and uses access to any information, past and present, stated or silent, enacted or thought, relative to any character in the story he/she tells."
  • It may include details happening at the present moment or details that occurred in the past or will occur in the future.
  • Because "omniscient" means "all-knowing," the writer can share any and all facts about any of the characters.

All information on this handout was adapted from: Candace Schaefer and Rick Diamond. The Creative Writing Guide. New York: Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers, 1998.