Yesterday, we talked about Point of View, and started a discussion over on Voices. Be sure to let us know if you have any POV questions.

To recap, point of view refers to the character “telling” the story. We can only know what he/she sees, hears and feels.

If the story is being told in first person, then the protagonist does most of the talking. 🙂 A story can have more than one POV in first person, but the character voices must be unique.

In third person, the author has more opportunity to open up the story and allow the reader to see the action from different “angles.”

Talking to my Thomas Nelson editors once, I learned they like third person because of the versatility where sometimes first person can become claustrophobic.

I didn’t understand the claustrophobic part until I read a first person book where the story was so close to the protagonist, I felt locked in. I wanted to see beyond her, outside of her world. They way to accomplish this in first person is to 1. Add another pov, or 2. add dialog and scenes with other characters and broaden the landscape.

With multiple POV characters such as in a romance or suspense, how do you know which character should be on stage? Who do we need to hear from? Who will be telling the story?

One explanation I like is “write the scene from the pov of the character who has the most to lose.”

In Love Starts With Elle, I had a scene where a character returns to Elle’s life. Originally, I told the story in her point of view, but on rewrites, I changed to the heroes. Ultimately, he had the most to lose.

In the opening of a story, we need to see a scene or chapter from the point of view of the main players in order to get to know them, see how they might fit into the milieu of the story.

With Elle, I open with her point of view for a chapter, then change over to Heath’s. He enters the story to introduce himself and to set his story journey.

If the story is suspense, the author will introduce the villain’s point of view in limited scene to build drama.

Perhaps the antagonist will have a few scenes. What are they plotting? How does it advance the story?

Chose the point of view character that best moves the action forward. In romance, you want an equal amount of time “on stage” for the hero and heroine, though don’t feel overly bound. Again, who is best to tell the story.

If a scene is dragging or feels flat, change the point of view. Even introduce a new character. I’ve done for my first person books because the protagonist was too introspective. So, I added a town’s person or a friend she could talk to. It opened up the scene.

Writing is about craft, to be sure, but it should also be fun. Learn the rules, then go out and write your Breakout Novel!