Choose which point of view to write your fiction or novel

Deciding which point of view to write your novel can be very confusing. It depends on which you prefer and what type of writing you are doing.

There are three points of view. First, second and third person.

First Person is written: I did something, I said something, I went to the shops. I played football etc

Second Person is written: This is not used very often because the writer speaks directly to the reader. Which would be confusing for a novel.

Third Person point of view: This allows you to understand the feelings and thoughts of all the events and characters in your fiction novel, as you see inside both the characters heads.  Third viewpoint uses the pronouns: his, hers, she, them and they.

You see what is happening all the time; as the writer describes the reactions of the person as the other character moves about in a room. To do this you can use the words he and she:

Example: he went to the pictures; she slumped into her chair, shocked by the news that Harry had told her; she wasn't impressed that he went without her; he knew that she had lied to her lover; he couldn't take her lies anymore.

Third person writing is particularly great for short stories, or most types of fiction. Because you now have a choice of how or whom, says, sees, hears, senses and feels what or where everything is or will happen.

Omniscient Third Person point of view

When writing in the third person omniscient, you tell the story by a narrator that allows us to see what happens through the eyes of all characters.  You can show how everyone feels, touches and sees the other characters.

To improve your writing in the third person, try this: Try reading something written in the first person. Then try to re-write part of that story in the third person, adding all the things we have already spoken of using the same storyline.  Then write it in the Omniscient Third Person point of view.

You will soon learn how it all works and decide which style you enjoy writing in the best. You can then make up stories of your own using all of the above by using the same formulas.

Changing point of view: Beware of making the mistake of changing your point of view during your writing. We can probably all do this without realising it. I know for a fact that I have and don’t even know, until a helpful person draws my attention to it.

Don't give up, keep trying, and write in whichever viewpoint you enjoy the best, no matter how disappointed or how many rejections you receive.

To improve your writing in the third person, try this: Try to read something written in the first person. Then have a go at writing it in the third person, adding all the things we have already spoken of more or less using the same storyline. Then write another in the Omniscient Third Person.

Above all, keep writing whichever one you enjoy best and have fun at the same time.