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The Importance of Point of View: Part IV: Third Personpoint of view, pov, third person

The Importance of Point of View: Part IV: Third Person

Published by Janell E. Robisch on January 11, 2016

Welcome back! In this final installment in my series on point of view (POV), I will be discussing the most popular point of view used in fiction: third person. The different points of view and the use of first-person and second-person POVs were covered earlier in this series.

Third person is popular for a reason. It is very flexible. You can choose to show your fictional world from many viewpoints and intimacy levels within one POV.

Third-Person Omniscient: You can show the reader your world from completely outside the characters and setting yet be able to relate—or refuse to relate—the thoughts and actions of each at your own whim or for your own devious intentions (e.g., to drive your reader crazy with suspense).

Third-Person Objective: Again, you can show your reader your world from the outside but, in this case, refrain from getting inside the characters’ heads. Only actions, narrative, and description are used to tell your story. All thoughts and feelings must be learned or inferred by the reader from these elements.

Third-Person Limited: With this POV, you can take a more intimate approach and get up close and personal with one of your characters. This can be a single character in a novel (also referred to as third-person single POV) or multiple characters (also referred to as third-person multiple POV). The latter can be distinguished from third-person objective in that at any one time in the story, only the viewpoint of one character is shown. In this case, any shifts from one character to another must be done carefully, such as through a natural break in the story with a scene shift or new chapter.

As with the previous weeks, I will demonstrate third-person POV (limited in this case) with a short scene from The Magician’s Wife. This same scene was covered in the first-person and second-person POVs in my previous posts.

Excerpt, The Magician’s Wife by Janell E. Robisch

“Sarin, you must be careful.”

“Lew, do not speak that way. There is nothing to worry about. It is just another spell. As soon as Kaleo arrives with the herb, everything will be fine.” Her voice was shaking terribly despite all her efforts to remain calm. After wringing a warm cloth between her trembling hands, she applied the compress to her husband’s cheeks and forehead.

“Sarin, look at me, at my face!” he said, pulling her wrist and the cloth down.

Reluctantly, she brought her eyes to his, blinking back tears. His green eyes were bright, but the flesh around them was pale and drawn. Moving his hand to hers, he squeezed gently. “Sarin, this is the last time. The Guardians are calling me. It’s time to go.”

“No.” She shook her head hard and felt her hair brush the sides of her face. It usually annoyed her, but now it seemed unimportant.

Lew’s eyes focused on her once more. “Listen to me Sarin, you have to be careful with the magic. Do not trust anyone. Do not tell anyone. If I had known . . . . I never should have taught you anything.” She heard no malice in his voice, only fear and regret. “You must promise me to be careful.”

His lips faded to a lighter shade of pink as if all his blood were rushing down to his ailing heart, but Sarin knew the truth. She could feel its beat slowing as surely as if it were her own. Soon, it would stop.

“I promise,” she nodded. “I promise.” The truth of his departure was becoming clear to her as the emerald sparkle of his eyes finally began to fade.

As a warm tear slid down her nose, Sarin made the four-pointed sign of the Guardians over her husband’s chest. “I love you,” she whispered, burying her face in his shoulder, inhaling his scent as if she could hold on to it. She felt his cool, weak hand rest on her neck. “Don’t forget me.”

“Never, my little star. Never.”

The hand slipped ever-so-slowly from her neck, and Sarin broke into sobs, her fists buried in Lew’s tunic, knowing she would never hear his sweet voice again.

Now that you have read all three, which do you prefer for this scene?

Resources

Deep POV—What’s So Deep About It by Beth Hill, The Editor’s Blog

The Power of Point of View: Make Your Story Come To Life by Alicia Rasley

Using Third Person Multiple POV by Mac Hopkins, Scribophile Writing Academy

What Point of View Should You Use in Your Novel? (First Person? Third Person?) by James V. Smith, Jr., Writer’s Digest

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The Importance of Point of View: Part III: Second Personpoint of view, pov, second person

The Importance of Point of View: Part III: Second Person

Published by Janell E. Robisch on January 4, 2016

In the third part of this series, I discuss writing fiction in the second-person point of view. In the first part of the series, I introduced and defined the basic points of view, and in the second part, I discussed the first-person point of view in more detail.  In this part, we’ll be discussing the seldom used second-person point of view.

Second person actually has a special place in my heart and in my origins as a writer. I started thinking of myself as a writer when I was a freshman in high school when an English teacher assigned us to write three pages a day of anything in a journal. Shortly after, I met the girl who would become my best friend. Somehow, during late-night gab sessions, we started a tradition of telling each other stories. These were almost always told in second person. They were told out loud and on pieces of paper passed as notes in class. They were full of adventure, romance, and anything that appealed to us. We met our favorite stars and fell in love.

The second person made that all possible. Writing and telling a story in the second person gave me the power to pull at the heartstrings of my friend, to see her reactions firsthand. It wouldn’t have been the same if the story was about “Kelly” or “Sadie.” It was about her and only her. It was a unique experience as a writer, to be able to share my story directly with my audience and to personalize it as I watched her responses minute by minute. It has been an experience that I’ve often wished for nowadays when I ask myself whether my audience will find a certain passage as exciting as I do.

However, the use of second person, especially in a novel aimed at the general public, is not for the faint of heart.

“If taking a gamble is not your thing, forget about second person point of view and stick to the ‘safe’ choices of first person or third person.”
—Second Person Point of View, Novel Writing Help

It is the least commonly used point of view and can be seen as a cop-out.

“Like the one-sentence paragraph, the second-person point of view can also make us suspect that style is being used as a substitute for content.”
― Francine Prose, Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them

So, one must be careful about using second person. However, when used effectively, as in the Choose Your Own Adventure books, it can be an effective way to pull your reader into the story in a way that is not possible with the other points of view.

As I promised, this week I have rewritten my scene from The Magician’s Wife in second-person point of view. Read it, compare it with last week’s excerpt, and see how it strikes you.

Excerpt, The Magician’s Wife by Janell E. Robisch

“You must be careful.”

“Do not speak that way. There is nothing to worry about. It is just another spell. As soon as Kaleo arrives with the herb, everything will be fine.”

Your voice was shaking terribly, although you were trying desperately to be calm for Lew’s sake. You wrung a warm cloth between your trembling hands and gently applied it to his cheeks and forehead. Oh, my darling husband!

“Look at me, at my face!” he said, pulling your wrist and the cloth away.

You didn’t want to, but you looked at his eyes, your own blinking back tears. His green eyes were bright, but the flesh around them was pale and drawn. You reached out to touch that bit of skin, as if by doing so you could bring the life back into it. You felt his hand touch yours, and he squeezed gently. “This is the last time. The Guardians are calling me. It’s time to go.”

“No.” You shook your head hard and felt your hair brush the sides of your face. It seemed so unimportant.

“Listen to me. You have to be careful with the magic. Do not trust anyone. Do not tell anyone. If I had known . . . . I never should have taught you anything.” His voice was soft. “You must promise me to be careful.”

You touched his lips as they faded to a lighter shade of pink. It was as if all of his blood were rushing down to his ailing heart, but you knew the truth. You could feel its beat slowing as surely as if it were your own. Soon, it would stop. You thought your own would stop with it.

“I promise,” you nodded. “I promise.” The familiar emerald sparkle of his eyes began to fade.

You could feel warm tears sliding down the side of your nose as you made the four-pointed sign of the Guardians over Lew’s chest. “I love you,” you whispered, burying your face in his shoulder. You felt his cool hand rest on your neck with the lightest of touches. “Don’t forget me.”

“Never, my little star. Never.”

His hand slipped slowly from your neck, and you couldn’t help it. A sob burst from your mouth. You grabbed his tunic in both fists, wrecked by the knowledge that you would never hear his voice again.

The Importance of Point of View Part IV: Third Person

Resources

Popular Second Person Books, Goodreads
“Why I Wrote a Novel in Second Person: A debut novelist takes a chance and finds her voice,” by Angelina Mirabella, Publisher’s Weekly

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The Importance of Point of View: Part II: First Personpoint of view, pov, first person

The Importance of Point of View: Part II: First Person

Published by Janell E. Robisch on December 21, 2015

“POV is going to affect every single page of your book. That’s not a decision to be made lightly.”

—K. M. Weiland

In the first part of this series, “The Importance of Point of View: Part 1: The Types of POV,” I briefly introduced the three basic points of view: first person, second person, and third person.

In this installment of the series, I focus on the first person point of view. As Alicia Rasley, in her book The Power Of Point Of View: Make Your Story Come To Life, explains, “First-person POV explores questions of persona and identity: What of myself do I reveal the world? What do I conceal?”

In a novel, writing in first person does not mean that you can present only one character’s point of view. You can choose to switch characters but still remain in first person. As Rasley continues, “Multiple–first person…adds the dimension of contrasting views both of the world and of the self.”

The choice of point of view is more complex than it first appears. First, you must choose the character or characters whom you are using to tell the story. You must choose how reliable they are in telling it. Finally, you must choose how deeply you wish to delve into the point of view that you have chosen.

To illustrate first-person point of view on a fairly intimate level, I have pulled a scene from an unfinished story out of my own writing archive. In future installments, I will use this same scene to illustrate other points of view. This was originally written in third person. I noticed that as I wrote the scene from Sarin’s first-person point of view, I chose to share different details. Some things became irrelevant, and others became more important.

 

Excerpt, The Magician’s Wife by Janell E. Robisch

“Sarin, you must be careful.”

“Do not speak that way. There is nothing to worry about. It is just another spell. As soon as Kaleo arrives with the herb, everything will be fine.” My voice was shaking terribly, although I was trying desperately to be calm for Lew’s sake. I wrung a warm, wet cloth between my trembling hands and gently applied it to his cheeks and forehead. Oh, my darling husband!

“Look at me, at my face!” he said, pulling my wrist and the cloth away.

I didn’t want to, but I looked at his eyes, my own blinking back tears. His green eyes were bright, but the flesh around them was pale and drawn. I reached out to touch that bit of skin, as if by doing so I could bring the life back into it. I felt his hand touch mine, and he squeezed gently. “Sarin, this is the last time. The Guardians are calling me. It’s time to go.”

“No.” I shook my head hard and felt my hair brush the sides of my face. It seemed so unimportant.

“Listen to me. You have to be careful with the magic. Do not trust anyone. Do not tell anyone. If I had known . . . . I never should have taught you anything.” His voice was soft. “You must promise me to be careful.”

I touched his lips as they faded to a lighter shade of pink. It was as if all of his blood were rushing down to his ailing heart, but I knew the truth. I could feel its beat slowing as surely as if it were my own. Soon, it would stop. I thought my own would stop with it.

“I promise,” I nodded. “I promise.” The familiar emerald sparkle of his eyes began to fade.

I could feel warm tears sliding down the side of my nose as I made the four-pointed sign of the Guardians over Lew’s chest. “I love you,” I whispered, burying my face in his shoulder. I felt his cool hand rest on my neck with the lightest of touches. “Don’t forget me.”

“Never, my little star. Never.”

His hand slipped slowly from my neck, and I couldn’t help it. A sob burst from my mouth. I grabbed his tunic in both fists, wrecked by the knowledge that I would never hear his voice again.

 

In future installments, I will use this same scene to illustrate other points of view. As you read each, try to decide which point of view works most effectively for this scene and why. Alternately, is it the intention of the writer that decides which point of view works best?

Please share your thoughts in the comments.

The Importance of Point of View III: Second Person

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The Importance of Point of View: Part I: The Types of POVpoint of view, pov, pov types

The Importance of Point of View: Part I: The Types of POV

Published by Janell E. Robisch on December 14, 2015

Welcome to the beginning of a short series of posts on point of view (POV). Point of view, or the perspective from which a story is told, is so very important, yet so many writers either neglect to choose it carefully or else fail to use it to its full potential. In this series, I will first define various points of view. In upcoming posts, I will focus on each major POV and illustrate each with a short scene written from that perspective. For comparison, I will use the same scene each time and leave it up to you, the reader, to decide which is most effective in this particular case.

 

What are the Different Points of View?

1. First person: I, I, I. First person is all about “me.” This intimate point of view allows you to get inside the mind of one character. A successful example of this is Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series. Butcher puts you into the mind of Harry Dresden, Wizard, and keeps you there for 15 books and counting. This doesn’t mean that the reader knows everything that Harry is thinking, but it does mean that everything the reader knows is colored by Harry’s own thoughts and experiences.

2. Second person: You, you, you. Second person is all about you. The story is directed to you and is about you. Granted, because of its trickiness, this isn’t a popular POV, but it can be effective if your goal is to take the reader on a journey of possibilities. For a list of some popular books written in the second person, take a look at this discussion on Quora.

3. Third person: He, she, they. Third person tells the story from “above.” You may think that this means that the reader sees all and hears all. However, this is the most flexible of the POVs. A writer can choose to use the third person yet show only the thoughts and feelings of the main character in a manner almost as intimate as first person. Alternately, she can travel in the opposite direction and show readers only what happens and distance them from the the inner workings of the characters’ minds. There are many possibilities, and I will explore them later in this series.

Please note that while most good novels find a certain point of view and stick to it, occasionally, a situation calls for switching up POVs throughout your novel. Rules were always meant to be broken but only if you can do it well!

The Importance of Point of View II: First Person

Resource: The Power Of Point Of View: Make Your Story Come To Life by Alicia Rasley

 

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What Is a Beta Reader? (Updated November 2017)beta reader

What Is a Beta Reader? (Updated November 2017)

Published by Janell E. Robisch on December 7, 2015

“What is a beta reader?” As a writer and editor, I am a member of many writing groups, both online and off, and I hear this question with surprising frequency.

For simplicity, you can head over to Wikipedia and get this definition:

“[A] beta reader…is a non-professional reader who reads a written work, generally fiction, with the intent of looking over the material to find and improve elements such as grammar and spelling…[and give] suggestions to improve the story, its characters, or its setting.”

Beta readers usually, but not always, provide this service free of charge.

Why Do I Need a Beta Reader?

In most cases, a novel will require several drafts before it is ready for publishing. Unless you’ve got plenty of money to spare, you might not want to pay for a professional editor at every stage. Optimally, your novel should be read and critiqued by a small group of people in addition to yourself. A small pool of beta readers will give you a variety of opinions on what can be done to improve your novel, from small details, such as spelling and punctuation mistakes, to big issues, such as flaws in plot and characterization.

What Should I Look for in a Beta Reader?

Having beta readers is like having a small focus group for your novel. Look at them like a small sample of your potential audience. With that in mind, look for beta readers that like to read in the genre or niche where your novel falls. Asking a person who reads only business texts to read your suspense novel will probably not get you feedback that will be relevant to your audience. In addition, dependability and attention to detail are also important.

Where Can I Find Beta Readers?

A few resources include:

1. Writers Groups: Your fellow writers may be more than willing to read your work and give you feedback, especially in exchange for the same favor from you. These groups can be in-person or online. For example, there are many fiction writing groups on Facebook, some of which provide a forum for critiques.

2. Friends and Family: The people that you are close to may be chomping at the bit to get a first look at your story, and even if they are not, they will often be willing to do you the favor of giving you a bit of advice on it. Don’t forget to ask your Facebook friends! This is a time when those overly critical relatives might come in handy, as you don’t want your beta readers to ignore flaws in the manuscript in order to save your feelings.

3. Online Forums: There are many online sources for beta readers. These include Wattpad, Goodreads, and many others.

If you have patience and an open mind to accept their feedback, beta readers can be a great boon to your writing process and can help you improve your novel and perhaps even your future writing.

Be sure to click on my Resource Editors for Fiction Writers for more info on finding beta readers and dealing with beta reader feedback.

What is the best thing a beta reader has done for you? Have you had a bad experience with beta readers? Finally, where did you find your beta readers? Help other writers out by leaving a comment below!

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