point of view for writers awc

Point of Viewfor Writers

A Guide to Choosing the Right Point of View for Your Work

Avondale Writers' Conference Nov. 3, 2012

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POV• Fourth planet from

star Sima-Centauri• Atmosphere: Oxygen-

Nitrogen• Mass: 1.4 Earth• Orbit: 2.3 Solar years

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Point Of View (POV)Conduit from the page to readers' mind.

I let out a long howl and bared my fangs. We circled each other. With a push from my hind legs, I charged her head on and then leapt away from Tzagne's blade.

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Point Of View (POV)Things to Remember

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• No wrong choices• Some POVs will enhance narrative• Experiment to find best• Pick one and stick to it

Point Of View (POV)Three Elements to POV

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Person

Camera Tense

Point Of View (POV)Element 1: Person

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First Person – I•Very intimate•All interaction information involves POV character •Easy to maintain•Not good for multi story lines

Point Of View (POV)First Person:

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I let out a long howl and bared my fangs. We circled each other.With a push from my hind legs, I charged her head on and thenleapt away from Tzgane’s blade. I slipped past her on the right andswept her legs out from under her. She landed hard on her back.Before I could come around again she sprung into a hand stand andflipped herself over, returning to her feet. I jumped, trying to go forher left shoulder. Her blade connected with my side. The sting of ittook the remaining breath from my lungs. I landed, rolled over andchanged into my human form. Blood poured from the four inchgash under my left arm. “What the Hell? Are you trying to killme?”

Point Of View (POV)Person

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Second Person – You•Reader is in the narrative•Hard to use can be hard to read•Works better in present tense•Not good for multi story lines

Point Of View (POV)Second Person:

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You let out a long howl and bare your fangs. The two of you circleeach other. With a push from your hind legs, you charge her headon and then leap away from Tzgane’s blade. Slipping past her onthe right, you sweep her legs out from under her. She lands hard onher back. Before you can come around again, she springs into ahand stand and flips herself over, returning to her feet. You jump,trying to go for her left shoulder. Her blade connects with yourside. The sting of it takes the remaining breath from your lungs.You land, roll over and change into your human form. Blood poursfrom the four inch gash under your left arm. “What the Hell? Areyou trying to kill me?”

Point Of View (POV)Person

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Third Person – He, She, It•Very common•Easy to violate•Lets your characters speak for themselves•Good for multi story lines

Point Of View (POV)Third Person:

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Larry let out a long howl and bared his fangs. He and Tzganecircled each other. With a push from his hind legs, Larrycharged her head on and then leapt away from Tzgane’s blade.He slipped past her on the right and swept her legs out fromunder her. She landed hard on her back. Before Larry couldcome around again, Tzgane sprung into a hand stand andflipped herself over, returning to her feet. Larry jumped, tryingto go for her left shoulder. Her blade connected with his side.The sting of it took the remaining breath from Larry’s lungs.He landed, rolled over and changed into his human form. Bloodpoured from the four inch gash under Larry’s left arm. “Whatthe Hell? Are you trying to kill me?”

Point Of View (POV)Element 2: Camera

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Balance Intimacy and Perspective

Influences Readers' connections to characters

Point Of View (POV)Person Choice Influences Camera

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1st & 2nd Person Typically Single Camera

3rd Person Most optionsRoom for error

Point Of View (POV)3rd Person Camera Choices

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• Omniscient / Omniscient Limited• Character• Single

Point Of View (POV)3rd Person Omniscient Limited

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Larry let out a long howl and bared his fangs, more for effect than for warning. He circled Tzgane. She knew he would come at her, so she waited. With a push from his hind legs, Larry charged her head on and then leapt away from Tzgane’s blade. So the wolf was no fool. He had learned to use his speed. Larry slipped past her on the right and swept her legs out from under her. She landed hard on her back. Before Larry could come around again, Tzgane sprung into a hand stand and flipped over, returning to her feet. The moved surprised Larry as he jumped, trying to go for her left shoulder. Her blade connected with his side. Was she trying to kill him? The sting of it took the remaining breath from Larry’s lungs. He landed, rolled over and changed into his human form. Blood poured from the four inch gash under Larry’s left arm. “What the Hell? Are you trying to kill me?”

Point Of View (POV)3rd Person Omniscient Limited

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Larry let out a long howl and bared his fangs, more for effect than for warning. He circled Tzgane. She knew he would come at her, so she waited. With a push from his hind legs, Larry charged her head on and then leapt away from Tzgane’s blade. So the wolf was no fool. He had learned to use his speed. Larry slipped past her on the right and swept her legs out from under her. She landed hard on her back. Before Larry could come around again, Tzgane sprung into a hand stand and flipped over, returning to her feet. The moved surprised Larry as he jumped, trying to go for her left shoulder. Her blade connected with his side. Was she trying to kill him? The sting of it took the remaining breath from Larry’s lungs. He landed, rolled over and changed into his human form. Blood poured from the four inch gash under Larry’s left arm. “What the Hell? Are you trying to kill me?”

Point Of View (POV)3rd Person Character

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From the window, Uma could see the whole practice. Larry let out a long howl and bared his fangs. Please be careful, she thought to herself as the two circled each other. With a push from his hind legs, Larry charged Tzagne head on and then leapt away from her blade. He slipped past her on the right and swept her legs out from under her. She landed hard on her back. Before Larry could come around again, Tzgane sprung into a hand stand and flipped over, returning to her feet. Larry jumped; trying to go for Tzagne’s left shoulder. Her blade connected with his side. Larry landed, rolled over and changed into his human form. Uma clutched at the worn and weathered wood of the window sill. Blood poured from the four inch gash under Larry’s left arm. “What the Hell? Are you trying to kill me?” His words flew from his mouth to Uma’s ears as the pain went right to her heart.

Point Of View (POV)Element 3: Tenses

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Often left out of POV discussion but can have a major impact on how the reader connects with the story.

Point Of View (POV)Tenses

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Tenses

FuturePastPresent

will walkwalkedwalk, walks

Point Of View (POV)Tenses

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Tenses – Variations (Perfect)

FuturePastPresent

will havewalked

had walkedhave walked

Point Of View (POV)Past Tense

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Larry let out a long howl and bared his fangs. He and Tzgane circled each other. With a push from his hind legs, Larry charged her head on and then leapt away from Tzgane’s blade. He slipped past her on the right and swept her legs out from under her. She landed hard on her back. Before Larry could come around again, Tzgane sprung into a hand stand and flipped herself over, returning to her feet. Larry jumped, trying to go for her left shoulder. Her blade connected with his side. The sting of it took the remaining breath from Larry’s lungs. He landed, rolled over and changed into his human form. Blood poured from the four inch gash under Larry’s left arm. “What the Hell? Are you trying to kill me?”

Point Of View (POV)Present Tense

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Larry lets out a long howl and bares his fangs. He and Tzgane circle each other. With a push from his hind legs, Larry charges her. He has to leap away from Tzgane’s blade. He slips past her on the right and sweeps her legs out from under her. She lands hard on her back. Before Larry can come around again, Tzgane springs into a hand stand and flips. She is back on her feet. Larry jumps for her left shoulder. Her blade connects with his side. The sting takes the remaining breath from Larry’s lungs. He lands in a roll and changes into his human form. Blood pours from the four inch gash under Larry’s left arm. “What the Hell? Are you trying to kill me?”

Point Of View (POV)Future Perfect Tense

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I will have let out a long howl and bared my fangs as I circled Tzagne. With a push from my hind legs, I will have begun my charge. Facing her head on, I must leap away from Tzgane’s blade. I will have slipped past her on the right before I can sweep her legs out from under her. She will have landed hard on her back but before I can come around again she will have sprung into a hand stand and flipped herself over, returning to her feet. I will have jumped, trying to go for her left shoulder. Her blade must have connected with my side. The sting of it will have taken the remaining breath from my lungs as I landed, rolled over and changed into my human form. Blood pours from the four inch gash under my left arm. “What the Hell? Are you trying to kill me?”

Point Of View (POV)Wrap Up

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Person – who is telling the storyCamera – how reader connects to storyTense – when is the story occuring

Point Of View (POV)Read This

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http://www.ironquill.net/point-of-view-for-writers-part-i/ Point of View for Writers.

http://www.sfwriter.com/ow07.htm Two Heads Aren’t Always Better than One.

http://www.fiction-writers-mentor.com/point-of-view-in-fiction.html Point of View in Fiction

http://www.writersdigest.com/writing-articles/by-writing-goal/write-first-chapter-get-started/fiction-point-of-view Fiction: Point of View

http://www.novel-writing-help.com/past-tense.html Past Tense vs Present Tense in Writing

http://www.writersrelief.com/blog/2009/01/present-or-past-verb-tense-what-to-choose-for-your-fiction-writing/ Present or Past Tense What to Choose for Your Fiction Writing

http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verb-tenses_future-perfect.htm How to Use the Future Perfect Tense

http://www.englishtenses.com/tenses/future_perfect The Future Perfect Tense