Mastering Point Of View In Writing

Viewpoint, or point of view, is the lens through which a story is told. In this post, we explain what point of view is, how it works, and how effective it is in a story.

What is viewpoint (point of view)?

Viewpoint, or point of view, is the position from which the story is observed. In most books, we tell the story through the viewpoints of the main characters: the protagonists, antagonists, and sometimes the friends and love interests. It dictates who is narrating the story, whose thoughts and feelings readers can access, and how much information readers receive. Choosing the right viewpoint determines how the story feels and what kind of experience readers will have.

Which viewpoint (point of view) should you use?

As a writer, you can choose to tell your story from first person, second person, or third person. (See below.)

The choice of viewpoint affects the mood created by the author in a story. First person is intimate, second person is alienating, and third person is more comfortable.

The choice of tense also affects the mood. Present tense is immediate and shows us what is happening in the moment – we live the story with the characters. Past tense tells us what happened – it allows readers who are more comfortable with the format to experience the story in a nuanced, thoughtful way.

Different viewpoints suit different stories in different genres. Different tenses suit different types of stories. I have included a few here.

1. Memoirs, for example, are almost always written in first person present tense. Memoirs are intimate so it makes sense to use first person. You are writing  is a kind of confession and using ‘I’ works.
2. Crime fiction, especially in the police procedural genre, is almost always written in third person past tense. Past tense gives the genre a feeling of a case being reconstructed step by step, while third person provides enough distance to move between scenes, clues, suspects, and detectives efficiently.
3. Genre romance is almost always written in third person past tense. Traditional category and historical romances use third person past tense because it allows writers to move easily between the emotional perspectives of both protagonists.
4. Young adult is often told in first person present tense to make the story more immersive. This allows readers to experience events with the protagonist in real time. It gives an intensity, uncertainty, and emotional slant to the stories.
5. Thrillers are mostly told in third person past tense. Third person past tense gives writers the ability to widen the story’s scope while keeping suspense and tension high.
6. Science fiction most commonly uses first person present tense for absorbing survival or emotional stories and multiple past tense POVs for epic narratives. Epic narratives involve many characters, worlds, timelines, and political conflicts, which are easier to pen in third person.
7. Fantasy uses third person past tense for epic or traditional stories, and first person present tense for YA fantasy and romantasy.
8. Horror fiction is written mostly in first person and third person limited. Most horror is written in past tense, but present tense is sometimes used to heighten urgency and tension.
9. Children’s fiction is mostly written in third person past tense – this allows some distance from the story. Children feel more comfortable when reading (or hearing) it.
10. Slipstream fiction mainly uses past tense, but present tense is popular in experimental slipstream stories. Past tense gives these stories a reflective or surreal quality. Present tense makes the story immediate and disorienting, which suits the genre’s uncanny nature.

There are no absolute rules for choosing a viewpoint for your story. You can even choose to tell the story from multiple viewpoints, although we suggest you have no more than three per novel.  Once you’ve chosen, there is one rule you should observe with viewpoint. Never head-hop; never change the point of view in a scene. It confuses readers who like to be in one character’s head at a time.

Mastering Point Of View In Writing

First Person – The character tells the story, using the pronoun ‘I’.

Example: I walk into the room. I know he’s there in the darkness. I smile as I smell the sunshine and wind in his hair.

This viewpoint is subjective or limited in nature. We only see the story through the eyes of the viewpoint character. Readers experience events directly through their thoughts, emotions, and perceptions as they happen. Be careful to avoid author intrusion here, especially when using first person.

Six Viewpoint Structures in First Person

1. Simple – One character tells the story. It is one of the most popular points of view because it creates a strong connection between the reader and the protagonist. Examples: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
2. Simple Unreliable Narrator – One character tells the story. A simple unreliable first-person narrator tells the story directly using ‘I’, but readers gradually realise the narrator cannot be fully trusted. Readers constantly question what is true, which keeps them engaged. Example: Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
3. Rashomon Effect – This means multiple characters tell their version of the same events in the story in first person. Each version is shaped by personal bias, memory, emotion, or self-interest. Example: As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
4. Separate Multiple Viewpoints – Multiple characters tell the story using first person perspectives. This builds suspense through information gaps and different interpretations of events. These narrators can also be unreliable. Example: blueeyed boy by Joanne Harris, Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
5. Sequential Multiple Viewpoints – Different characters tell the story from their perspective in a timeline or sequence. You may have Jane narrating events in January, Debbie narrating events from February to June, and Sarah in July. Examples: The Help by Kathryn Stockett, the family sagas written by Susan Howatch, Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Reid Jenkins, The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
6. First Person Omniscient – The narrator is a character in the story, but also knows the thoughts and feelings of all the other characters. Readers get the emotional closeness of first person while still accessing a wider understanding of the story world. Examples: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Second Person – The character tells the story using the pronoun ‘You’.

Example: You walk into the room. You know he’s there in the darkness. You smile as you smell the sunshine and wind in his hair.

One Viewpoint Structure in Second Person

Second person can create immediacy and immersion, make readers feel complicit, produce intimacy or discomfort, and create an experimental or dreamlike tone. Because it is difficult to sustain over long works, many novels use second person only in selected chapters or sections rather than throughout the entire book.

This is the least common of all viewpoints used by authors. It is used to make the reader feel uncomfortable. The character is often alienated or in an altered state. The reader feels as if they are being compelled to listen. (Note: Children do not like second person.) Examples: Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney, Half Asleep In Frog Pajamas by Tom Robbins, If on a winter’s night a traveler by Italo Calvino

Third Person – The narrator/author tells the story using the pronouns ‘He’ ‘She’ ‘They’.

Example: She walks into the room. She knows he’s there in the darkness. She smiles as she smells the sunshine and wind in his hair.

Seven Viewpoint Structures in Third Person

1. Subjective – This means the author focuses on one character and their thoughts and feelings. It combines intimacy with the smoother storytelling flow of third person. Sometimes this is referred to as a limited viewpoint. It is similar to simple first person but the author uses ‘he or she or they’ instead of ‘I’. Examples: The Harry Bosch novels by Michael Connelly, The Old Man And The Sea by Ernest Hemingway, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
2. Rashomon Effect – This means multiple characters tell their version of the same events in the story from subjective third person perspectives. The narration usually shifts between close third-person perspectives, revealing how differently people experience reality. Examples: Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
3. Multiple Viewpoints – Different characters tell the story using subjective third person perspectives. Writers can show events happening in different places, societies, or timelines. Different characters bring different personalities, emotions, and conflicts to the story. Examples: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin, The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
4. Unreliable Narrators In Subjective Third Person – Unreliability can come through limited perspective, bias, misunderstanding, memory, or psychological instability in subjective or close third person. Readers experience the character’s distorted worldview from the inside without the narrator openly admitting unreliability. Examples: We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver, The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, The Secret History by Donna Tartt
5. Sequential Multiple Third Person Viewpoint – Each viewpoint appears one after another in a structured sequence. Different storylines can gradually converge toward major events. Readers may understand connections or dangers that individual characters do not. Examples: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon, Anxious People by Frederik Backman, There There by Tommy Orange
6. Omniscient – This means the author gives readers a broad view of the story. An omniscient narrator knows everything about the story world, including characters’ thoughts, past and future events, and can move freely between perspectives while commenting on the story and its themes. The thoughts and feelings of many, or all, the characters are shown. Examples: Jane Austen’s novels, Tom Clancy’s novels, Charles Dickens’ novels, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
7. Objective – This tells the story according to the actions of the characters. Readers have no idea what is going on inside the heads of the main characters. The narrator reports only what can be seen, heard, and observed — almost like a camera recording events. Meaning often emerges through what characters say — or avoid saying. The narration feels observational and unbiased, like watching real events unfold. Examples: Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway and The Mallory Novels by Carol O Connell, The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett, The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

Tip: If you don’t know which viewpoint to choose, write a scene in two or three different viewpoints. Read the scenes out loud and you will hear which one works best for your story.

The Last Word

Choosing a viewpoint is about finding the best way to serve your story. Whether you write in first, second, or third person, the secret is to match your point of view and tense to your genre, tone, and characters. You can experiment and even use multiple viewpoints, but keep them controlled and consistent. Above all, avoid head-hopping. Stay in one viewpoint per scene so your reader remains grounded in the story.

If you enjoyed this article, you will love:

1. The 9 Types of Unreliable Narrator
2. 6 Simple Ways To Handle Viewpoint Changes
3. Viewpoint Miniseries
4. 4 Viewpoint Choices For Writers
5. The 4 Main Characters As Literary Devices

TOP TIP: Using viewpoint is a complicated skill to master. If you have the money, I would highly recommend you buy the Viewpoint Workbook – a comprehensive 100-page guide to all things viewpoint. You won’t regret it.

If you enjoyed this blogger’s writing, read:

1. 7 Essential Elements Every Writer Must Master
2. 12 Setting Secrets Every Storyteller Needs To Know
3. 17 Ways To Think Like A Writer Every Day
4. Why The Silence Of The Lambs Is A Masterclass For Thriller Writers
5. Write A Page-Turning Book Blurb In Just 5 Steps
6. How To Write A Play – For Beginners
7. What Is Metafiction & How Do I Write It?
8. Fabulous Resources For Crime Writers
9. What Is A Character Flaw? 123 Ideas For Character Flaws
10. All About Betrayal In Fiction

Top Tip: Sign up for our free daily writing links.