Writing Stack Exchange
Writing Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [viewpoint]

Questions about grammatical persons (first person, third person, etc.) and how to use them.

133 questions
13
votes
4 answers

Handling a small detail the POV character would not notice

I have a scene in which two characters, Boy and Girl, meet for the first time. Girl is the POV character in this section. They are about to have lunch, when Girl is called away on an emergency. She mutters that she's sorry, asks if they could meet…
Eric J.
  • 631
  • 5
  • 15
9
votes
5 answers

When the second person *view* is not an uninvited guest?

It is very strange to read the narrative from second person, but there are examples! Maybe there are a number of situations which are good for using second-person view?
Dan Ganiev
  • 1,981
  • 15
  • 26
6
votes
1 answer

Different Points of View

What are the different points of view one can write from? I understand the basic first person (I) and third person (he/she), but I hear the term "limited" and "omniscient" a lot in point of view discussions, and I don't really understand what that…
Jessica
  • 113
  • 5
6
votes
2 answers

Third person POV

Can writing in the third-person limited omniscient POV include internal monologue and character thoughts?
user1724
6
votes
6 answers

How to express character thoughts in the third person without using dialogue?

I am writing a third person story that focuses on a main character. Sometimes I want to express the internal thoughts of the character, but I don't want to use internal dialogue in italics. What's the best way of doing that? This is what I have so…
big_smile
  • 183
  • 1
  • 2
  • 5
3
votes
3 answers

Writing a first-person novel where the MC gets temporarily taken out of commission?

I've decided that this novel would work best as a first person POV, and I generally wouldn't like to give that up. However, toward the end of the book, there's a series of scenes where the main character is helpless and unable to trust his own…
KayleeTam
  • 31
  • 1
2
votes
1 answer

How firmly must I remain in my characters POV?

Is it legitimate (acceptable) to use a 3rd person POV approach with the narration intentionally being a bit wobbly? I'm using an alternating 3rd person POV structure. One character (Let's call her Jane) refers to her mother (Aliana) as Mama. But…
SFWriter
  • 23,802
  • 3
  • 47
  • 119
2
votes
1 answer

Two first-person narrators in one story

​I am currently writing a short story, and I am considering using two different first-person narrators in two different timelines. The two timelines will be clearly marked by headings stating the date and locations of the scenes in question.…
manyaceist
  • 364
  • 1
  • 6
2
votes
1 answer

Author intervention in fiction

How important is staying away from author intervention in fiction? I don't do it much, but for things like creating the setting/scenery I do. I kind of go from third person omniscient/author intervention to third person limited. I don't give away…
writersam
  • 719
  • 5
  • 13
2
votes
3 answers

Do you need to end a story with the same perspective you start with?

This may seem like an odd question, and perhaps I am over analyzing this a bit too much, as I usually do when it comes to my writing, but here is my concern. The novel I'm writing is in its last chapter, I know exactly what's going to happen, how…
RE Lavender
  • 1,185
  • 1
  • 9
  • 23
1
vote
1 answer

Is it okay to switch between third-person and first-person perspective?

I realised as I was writing my story, I changed my pronoun. In the beginning of my story, I used 'I' but as i continued I started using 'him', 'his'. I was thinking of continuing the story until the point where i would reach the present and use 'I'.…
Powerkour
  • 11
  • 2
1
vote
4 answers

Transfer from first person to third person

I'm in the process of editing my novel, and realized that it would be much better when narrated in third person. i was a much better person when it comes to writing in third person. Is there a good way to transfer from third to first person? Should…
user22598
  • 11
  • 1
  • 2
1
vote
4 answers

Subplot with no established POV character present

I'm writing a novel with several POV characters, one of which is the director of an intelligence agency. So far, the entire story is told in third person subjective. Each scene is told from the perspective of one of the POV characters. I realized…
Eric J.
  • 631
  • 5
  • 15
1
vote
2 answers

Changing points of view with geographical shifts as well as character changes between scenes

My current project is historical fiction, fifteenth century. The conflict, if you will, principally involves three nations. There's a few others, but one has to stop somewhere in terms of the storytelling. I've given each of the three nations a…
Stu W
  • 4,166
  • 2
  • 15
  • 20
0
votes
3 answers

Is it okay to switch narration styles towards the end of a story?

I'm writing most of my book in third person omniscient, but I think it would be better if I put the last few chapters in first person, that way the readers can better understand what's happening at that moment. Would it be okay to do this, or should…
StygianInk
  • 1
  • 2
1
2