Narrative Voice and Point of View

In comments, Darren asks about the point of view in fiction. I deal with this in my online course Write a Novel, specifically in Section 8: Narrative Voice.

Darren also asks which particular POV is best and most popular. I don't have an answer to "best," but "most popular" is probably third-person omniscient, since it frees the author to tell the story from as many points of view as seem necessary.

Comments

[Eliza]

I'm not sure I agree with the most popular POV. True third person omniscient is very old fashioned and has gone out of style for the most part (along with various narrative styles such as 'tell, don't show' more common to classical literature). I think a roving third person limited is much more common in contemporary writing, followed closely by first person and fixed third person limited.

[Tim Western]

I think it wholly depends on the plan for he story. If all you are doing is telling the story from the perspective of a single character or group of characters then maybe you don't need to show the antagonist setting the trap, (just an example). But I know when I was younger I would compose mostly in first person, and it took a while to get myself out of that bad habit. Debating over which form of third person is best seems rather irrelevant to me.

[noreallyawriter]

Well, I'm currently trying to write my first "serious" story... And I've chosen 1st person anyway.

Why I did it despite all those warnings?

First, that implies "fallible" narrator, whose knowledge may or may not be true, and opinions may or may not be those of the author. May be useful further down the road if I would turn it in "futuew history" of sorts. Hey, if real history is full of Rashomonisms, why fictional one shouldn't be?

Second, related to first, 1st person plus premise vaguely reminscent of London's "The Sea-Wolf" makes "Show, not tell" somewhat easier.

Yes, protagonist does stupid things and asks idiotic questions. He has to, he is for all intents and purposes press-ganged into something he wouldn't willingly do for all the riches of the world before.

[One Stop Write Shop, Writer :)]

Thank you for providing the information here. The website is set up nicely!

The narrative voice is the most important element to writing an effective story. Depending on the story, and other devices used, it can make or break the story.

I would suggest experimenting with POV, for example: try the third person limited and then re-write the scene using the third person objective, or other to determine which method works best for the story and for the character.

For some time, I had difficulty writing a true story using the first person point of view. So, after taking a creative writing course and learning more about POV, I decided to tell my tale using the 3rd person point of view. This method helped me to "get the story out" of my mind, and onto the page.

I was able to take myself out of the story so to speak for the purpose of getting it out. Now, I am working on the final revision of my memoir, which is written now in the first person.

Had I not used a different point of view to break the ice with my own fears of telling my story, I may not have reached this point in my manuscript, (the finished kind!)

My suggestions:
Obtain feedback
Read a variety of stories, using different points of view.
Enroll in a writing class
Write every day
Practice using different forms of POV, until you become comfortable with each method. You will learn which POV works better for a story, then another.

Bottom line, have fun with it.

Katina Woodruff is the president of the One Stop Write Shop, and the author of To PERSEVERE Against All odds, a memoir about hope, family, and surviving violence. (Editing now).

http://www.onestopwriteshop.com
July 17, 2008: Writing Contest Deadline $500.00 Grand prize!
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