Be Choosy When Choosing a Point of View

Before you initially begin your story you must first choose a point of view.  Meaning, who would make the best storyteller?   If you only want the reader to get the perspective of a single character than first person point of view should be used.  Readers will have to rely on accounts given by a single character.  Explanations and descriptions that might be marred by the character’s  motivation.  For instance, let’s imagine that a story about a robbery is being told from the first person point of view.  The narrator is the robber.  Throughout the course of the story  the reader would have to question whether or not the robber is being impartial.  A type of question that could never be answered because the reader does not have any other character’s point of view to compare the robber’s account against.  Also when using the first person point of view a beginner writer has to be mindful that the use of I and we could get monotonous.  Try to find other ways for the single narrator to refer to themselves.  Instead of I sat it could be my bulk rested on the torn chair.  

Next we have my favorite, third person point of view.  I like third person point of view because I feel it gives the whole story.  And it makes for a more complex tale.  Lets go back to the robber premise.  Only this time when using the third person point of view we now get to see how it happens from the clerks perspective too.  Instead of using I or we, you will be using she, he or it. 

Lastly you must decide if omniscient, the narrator knows and recounts all actions and feelings of more than one character, or limited omniscient, only knows the feelings of a single character, would work best for your story.