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Point of View

Some folks identify over two dozen points of view, but we'll stick with the basics:

First person - the "I" voice; all narration written as if the narrator were speaking directly to the readers. The narrator is one of the characters, not the author as in omniscient p.o.v.

Third person - the "s/he" voice; a mix of the other two, a compromise between first person and omniscient p.o.v.

Confused? You'll find that a great deal of modern fiction is written in *limited* third person (limited to one person). It's probably the best bet for beginning writers, too. Here, the narration refers to all the characters by third-person pronouns (he, she, it), each self-contained scene follows the viewpoint of one specific character.

"Third person multiple," means your viewpoint is limited to more than one character. You'll need at least one other viewpoint if you include scenes in which you protagonist is not present. But always confine yourself to one point of view per scene. Don't switch viewpoint unless you're starting a new scene.

Omniscient - a point of view not written from "inside" anyone's head; unseen narrator knows what all the characters are thinking. Janet Burroughway describes, in WRITING FICTION, the total omniscient author as "God.

Here's an example of *omniscient third person* :

"Janet, don't you remember me? I'm Joe Smith." He realized time had changed everything -- his looks, his voice, even his manner toward her. Janet thought she recognized him, but could not quite place him.

We started out in Joe's head, left it, and then were in Janet's.

Now, here's the same paragraph in *limited third person*, solely from Joe's point of view.

"Janet, don't you remember me? I'm Joe Smith." He realized that time had changed everything -- his looks, his voice, even his manner toward her. Janet gazed at him for a moment and Joe thought he saw a flicker of recognition in her eyes.

We stayed inside Joe's head. We only knew Janet's thought because Joe recognized an outward sign ("a flicker of recognition on her face") that he interpreted.

You can freely switch viewpoint characters when you change scenes, but it's a little tricky to switch in a short story. You have to make sure you are not confusing the reader. Using a blank line helps. In novels you can shift at the end of a chapter, or with a blank line within a chapter.

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