Mastering point of view - writing tips and techniques
Getting the right point of view (POV) in a novel is one of the
hardest thing for a writer to grasp. You need to ask yourself whose
story is it? You might think it fairly obvious that it is the
protagonist’s story but is it his (or hers) alone? Or do you need to
switch to telling the story from another character’s point of view i.e.
is it single point of view or multiple point of view? Is it male or
female, or a mixture of both? Beware the latter though and having too
many points of view because that will not only muddle the story and slow
it down but it will also confuse you, and more importantly the reader.
The
purpose of the crime or thriller novel is to excite and intrigue,
sometimes also to scare, therefore having too many points of view, i.e.
switching to different characters every so many pages or chapters can
bog it down.
First person or third person?
Then there is the question of whether it will be written in the first person or the third person? How do you make that decision?
Sometimes it is a matter of trial and
error or rather experimentation. When I wrote IN COLD DAYLIGHT, a crime
thriller, I originally wrote it in the third person. It was only when I
had finished the novel that I knew it didn’t feel right. It didn’t have
enough tension, so I decided to re-write it switching to first person
and it worked much better. I also found the same with another thriller
that of IN FOR THE KILL.
Thrillers are frequently written in the first person to give them a faster-pace. Using first person point of view (POV) though does have its drawbacks in that everything must be seen through this one character’s eyes.
Singular third person point of view
Third person multiple point of view
Writing
from third person multiple point of view opens up more possibilities.
You can switch to telling the story through other characters’ eyes,
showing their thoughts and emotions. However, care must be taken not to
have too many characters telling the story and switching too frequently
from one character to another because this will result in losing the
emotional intensity of the story and irritating the reader. Just when
they’ve got inside one character’s head they’re pulled away to another.
Are you writing from the male or female point of view?
Finding the right point of view (POV) and your voice takes time and practice.
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