Questions tagged [pov]
'PoV' stands for 'Point of View'. Use this tag for questions about usage of PoV in novels. Use the 'viewpoint' tag if your question is about the grammatical viewpoints (first, third, etc.), which to use, or how to use them.
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How can I smoothly transition from my main characters to my secondary characters?
I am seeking examples of clean ways to transition from my main characters to my secondary characters. When I review what I have written, it is clunky and unclear that the story is now focusing on the ...
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Third person narrator turns out to be a character
Background:
I'm writing a fan fiction story to a Harry Poter-like novel about a group of 3 close friends. The novel has the simple third person limited narrator, with POV generally following the ...
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Is omniscient observer POV really dead?
I am in the midst of reworking my latest manuscript into a shape that someone might be inclined to publish. To help me along I hired a professional editor and writer, whose comments and suggestions, ...
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How can I write in first person present tense without it being annoying or distracting?
I am currently writing a story in first person and present tense. I've read a lot about what various people think of this perspective and I've heard many people say they enjoy it when it's done well, ...
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Can I write from the point of view of a mentally unstable main character?
The main character of my novel is suffering from depression which resulted in shock and she has attempted suicide twice already. All of this has made her unbalanced mentally. I was wondering if I can ...
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Can other characters than the main character have point of view?
I am writing a story. I actually just started and I am still writing the first chapter. Is it okay to write from a minor character's point of view first?
Simply put, the main character is unconscious ...
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Who is the protagonist in the Hobbit movies?
You might think it is Bilbo (because it's his POV), but doesn't he play a rather minor role in the task to reclaim the mountain?
Isn't Thorin the one who is the causer of effects, who makes decisions, ...
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What are some modern (2000 and beyond) books where the protagonist is not the POV character?
I did find some lists by means of Google, but most titles I found were somewhat dated and I was wondering if more recent authors have a take on this technique.
Also, bonus points if it is in the ...
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When writing in third person limited point of view, can I throw out some quick information about the protagonist omniscience style?
For example, let's say that my protagonist has a special ability that he cannot die, literally, but he has lived a peaceful life and never been in any critical situation so far.
I want to write his ...
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Do dual narratives have to alternate every chapter?
I’m contemplating writing a dual narrative, because after much thought and research, I think it’s the most interesting/effective way to tell my story. All the dual narratives I’ve seen alternate ...
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Writing a memory in a different perspective
When writing in limited third-person, would it pull a reader out of the story too much by having a memory from another character's perspective for a while? (Which I realise would make the story not ...
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How could I format a character that thinks with two voices in her head?
I'm in close third PoV. My character has a specific way of thinking: two voices in her head discuss all the time.
In my paragraphs, I then have three "voices":
The usual, close Narrator ...
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How can I justify a choice that seems too binary?
My universe is a fantastical universe, and the area is a Viking area.
My three characters are :
S, a character who was born female but raised to think they are a man to protect them from their father ...
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How to make zombies be the primary antagonist and humans secondary
In my outbreak story, the main focus is the zombie survival in the quarantined state. These zombies cannot take out the government, but rather weaken them greatly. In my story, there are bad humans ...
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Referring to a main character's father as "his father" vs. "their father" when siblings are in scene
I've got a close third person POV centering on a boy, Ray. When I refer to his father it's usually as "his father" or "Ray's father". I've got one scene in which Ray's brothers ...
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How do I switch between my POV and a character's POV midway a story?
I was recently writing a scene in my story, and wanted to switch between POVs of me and a character Carlie to develop her character, making her more connected to the reader; I began it this way:
&...
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What is this POV called, where most of the story is third person, but the narrator uses their own opinion in first person?
I have read some of C. S. Lewis's books (most notably The Chronicles of Narnia), and in it he uses (in my opinion) a peculiar narrative point of view. In most of the book, it is third person, but ...
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Does third person deep POV inside an epistolary novel detract from the suspense?
My novel is an epistolary à la Bram Stoker's Dracula and there are some scenes that simply have no one around to record. Modern epistolary stories, such as the trend of “found footage” movies like ...
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How to write a protagonist in 1st POV, who is talkative?
My character is very talkative. As the narrator, how is she to balance her talkativeness in dialogue, narration, and description without making it boring, too long, or make it seem like she's dumping ...
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How to Write Like a Little Kid
I'm writing a story with 3 POV's. One of which is a 6 year old girl. The problem is simply this: I'm neither a girl nor in first grade. In fact, I'm quite a bit older. The first problem I've more-or-...
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How do I reveal the character identity from a first person point of view?
I am writing a book, and I'm trying to figure out how to reveal the main character's identity. It is a crime book set in modern day and is a story told in the perspective of a serial killer. I plan ...
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How would something be written in 3rd person omniscient as opposed to 3rd person limited?
I've often been accused of "head-hopping" in my stories and not always being consistent with POV. Also, I got a note from a beta-reader once saying that at some points, it sounded like they ...
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Writing detail from an animal's perspective
My sci-fi story is told from an alien wild animal's perspective. The story is immersive, so the reader directly follows the thoughts and reflexes of the alien. I enjoy writing this way, because the ...
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Is it problematic to transition from "I" to "we" when describing actions that took place as part of a team?
I am writing about my past job experience in a grant proposal. The proposal is in first person so I use "I" for most of it. At some point in the proposal, I describe a collaborative ...
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What to avoid when writing distant and inconsequential POVs?
I'm currently writing a sci-fi novel, where we've got some huge, solar system-spanning stuff going on, with huge stakes. I've got four POVs that are directly involved with this, whose decisions matter ...
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Can I have three main characters, each with their own love interest, in the same book?
I am plotting a book which has three main characters. And I want each one of these characters to have a love interest so the focus won't be on just one of them. So can I do that or is it too much and ...
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Can point of view style change between chapters?
I wrote a novel in "third person omniscient" which worked well because it is a very long novel and certain scenes were better described from multiple characters' biased views along with the ...
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Should I give a character POV scenes just to establish that they are cheating on a main character?
I have a character that is a love interest that cheats on one of the main characters (3rd-person POV). Should I write his POV for the cheating scenes to show the reader what is happening? It is the ...
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Do I need an overall narrator for a collection of 1st person linked stories which may be a novel. If so, who would the narrator be?
I am writing a collection of short stories. Each short story is written in 1st person present tense from that particular protagonist’s POV, telling us his/her own story through their actions and ...
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Can my prologue be written in omniscient third person if the rest of my novel is written in third person limited POV?
I'm writing a novel in third person limited point of view. I want my prologue to feature an event that is referenced later in the novel, but my protagonist is not involved in the event. (e.x the ...
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Character's point of view when using empathic powers
I am writing my first novel in the third person semi-omniscient. I am aware that I ought to still structure passages from a primary character’s point of view, as in, if two or more characters are ...
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Should a third-person limited POV reflect the personality of the POV character? [duplicate]
I´m intending to write a fantasy story utilizing a multiple POVs in third-person limited. More than anything between the two main characters.
And I was wondering whether it's okay to make a clear ...
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Is this sort of POV switch not recommended? [duplicate]
In an story I mentioned previously in past questions (Don't worry, nothing important that won't be explained here), I was going to have the protagonist go through a hero-to-villain arc and the ...
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Two Questions about Point of View
So I'm currently writing a story and I have two questions about it.
Is it possible to emotionally connect with your audience when your writing in third person point of view?
Secondly, I want to write ...
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Is it okay to use a lot of questions to show my characters' thoughts?
First off, I'm sure someone will direct me to this question, and I want to make it clear that my question is different. I find myself using a lot of questions in my writing to express my character's ...
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Is it poor technique to use a different characters POV for only a short scene in a novel length piece of work?
Basically what I'm wondering here is if it's distracting or poor technique to switch the view point character to one of the bad guys just for a few pages or a very short scene in a novel.
I'm working ...
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How to Structure a single-perspective Novel into Chapters?
Now my case is not novel-wide; I have to do this in one part of the novel, but I extended the question to a more generalised one, so that anybody else with the same question will find it useful just ...
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How do I write from a girl's POV? [duplicate]
Ok, I know this question might seem a little bit weird. But I really need to know. How do I write from a girl's POV? I'm a 13 year old boy and I'm trying to become an author. I'm currently working on ...
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Using "now" from a character's POV [duplicate]
The story is written in 3rd person POV, close. But I feel like the very last end feels jarring.
He trailed his hand along the railing as he climbed the stairs so he could catch himself if he fainted ...
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Should I change my point of view?
I am not very familiar with "point of view". From my understanding, (correct if I'm wrong, but I looked it up so I think I'm right) 1st person is from the perspective of "I ate ice ...
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Struggling with using correct tenses, please help! [closed]
I am writing my first book, which I am very passionate about, but there are small details in the art of writing that have me second guessing myself, and then comes the confusion.
I am writing in deep ...
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Should I add in POV's for characters if the plot wasn't designed around them?
I am writing a YA fantasy. There are three main characters, but the plot was entirely designed around Character #1 and his journey. Character #2 and Character #3 are with him for most of said plot. ...
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How to write a scene in third person limited when the POV character is not in it?
I am studying the third person POV for my novel. I read about the third person limited POV. I don't understand how can one write a scene when the POV character is not present in the scene. I have just ...
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What are the advantages and disadvantages of using 'third person POV' for historical fiction? [duplicate]
I am starting to write my second book which is historical fiction. I had written my first book in first person POV. It was a kind of self-help novel and I used first-person POV to let the reader ...
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How often should multiple POV be used?
I'm starting on my second novel, and my two main characters take two paths that give necessary information for the story. I want to begin a chapter using the male's POV, but his POV is unnecessary for ...
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Can you occasionally transition from the close third person to a first person thought?
I'm writing a novel in the close third person POV. I want to shift occasionally into first person thought, as in the example below. Does it seem awkward?
He gave up his rent-controlled Los Angeles ...
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I'm writing a prologue from the POV of a non-English-speaking character. How should I write the dialogue?
Picturing this in movie form would be easy. I would have the character speak their native language in the scene and place subtitles. But I do not have this luxury in writing.
It would be weird to ...
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How can I indicate time passing?
There is a scene in which my main character is hiding from the villain while they are both in the same room. I want this to be a suspenseful and agonizing stretch of time, but I’m not sure how to show ...
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How to write the same event with a different POV?
I am aiming to change POV in the middle of my book, based on my previous question and I have yet to decide where to start the second POV. The first POV and the second meet during one event - a ...
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How to write the thoughts of a character in a drunken POV scene?
One of my POV characters is an overthinker. Partly because she wishes to stop thinking so much, and partly because of peer pressure, she gets super drunk... and ends up doing something that she would ...
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