Exploring Writing - Gary Robert Muschla 2011

Point of View
Part 2. Writing the Draft

Point of view (POV) is the way an author tells a story. The two most common points of view are the first person point of view and the third person point of view. Most writers use one of these points of view in their writing.

In the first person POV, the author is a participant in or observer of the action. The author tells the story or writes about an event firsthand. The author refers to herself as “I.” Many students find the first person POV easier to write with because they can use their own voice. It is also easier to write with emotion and feeling in the first person POV. The major disadvantage of this POV is that it limits writing, especially for stories. The author, as participant in and narrator of the story, can write only about what she experiences in the story. For example, while writing in the first person POV, the author cannot describe the thoughts or feelings of another character.

In the third person POV, the author writes from outside the piece. The author is not a part of the action. Characters are referred to as “he” or “she.” The third person POV allows the author broader control of the piece. Most writing is done in the third person POV.

You must write with a consistent POV. Do not start a story in the first person, switch to the third, then switch back to the first, only to switch once again to the third. Unexpected switches between the first and third person POVs confuse readers. Stories and articles that suffer POV switches quickly lose focus. Ideas become unclear and writing loses direction.

To gain an understanding of POV, look for POV in your reading and think about why authors chose the POV they did. As you learn to recognize POV in your reading, you will use POV effectively in your writing. For practice with POV, do Worksheets 2.17 and 2.18 at the end of this section.