POVs
After having a hell of a good time in a writing course, I thought I'd share some of it with you. For those who don't know what POV is, let me explain quickly.
POV is short for Point of View. It refers to the way a story is told. Using LX, the main character in my series The Legacy, I'll show you three different ones.
I'll start with the third person omniscient POV, which means that the point of view doesn't follow anyone in particular. It's a little bit like if someone could see the whole world and describe what he or she sees. Although there are many different third person POV, I only did one, but you'll get the idea anyway.
3rd person POV, past tense:
The man, tied up in a straitjacket, paced back and forth in the dark, empty room. An infrared camera near the ceiling followed his every move while on the other side of the wall a group of selected men studied his behavior. The air surrounding them was redolent with the smell of sweat. They were afraid of him, afraid of what he could do, afraid of what he might do. The wind he had summoned with a twitch of his fingers had brought forth questions about his origin. No one on Earth could do such a thing. They gasped as the alien stopped his mindless walk to stare directly at them via the camera. After he sniffed the air, he smiled, and returned to his corner, seemingly tired. At once, they all grabbed pens and pads, and hurried to scrawl notes.
Now, here's the same little story told in first POV from LX's eyes.
First person POV, past tense:
They had put me in a straitjacket. Although it felt awkward, it was still comfortable—at least, I could walk. The darkness that surrounded me did not hinder my sight. Light or no light made no difference to me, but there was nothing of interest to investigate. The room was empty as well as its walls aside from that device with the flashing red light near the ceiling. It grated every time I moved. Someone must be using it to observe me. I stopped my mindless pacing and stared at it. A strong scent of sweat came in from the ventilation next to it. I smiled to myself. Whoever held me prisoner was nervous, with reasons. Summoning air to my aid in front of humans might have been a mistake, but now that they dreaded my power, it could give me an edge. They would have to take me out of this cage, and I planned to make good use of this unique opportunity. I walked back into my corner and let myself down. With my eyes closed, I forged plans for an escape.
The last one, the second person POV is one that is rarely seen but still quite interesting.
Second person POV, present tense:
You watch the man in a straitjacket as the infrared camera follows him. He's pacing back and forth in the other room. It hadn't been easy to convince the others. They had taken you for a fool and hadn't believed a single word you had told them, arguing that no man on Earth could do what you said he had done. Well, you proved them wrong with that video tape, didn't you? Oh and what a proof it had been! Tricking the alien to summon the wind while you were hiding had required wits and great skills. Now, you can relax. He won't endanger anyone anymore, and he will never get out of this place alive—at least, not if you have a say in it. The alien stops walking and looks directly at you via the camera. Sweat trickles down your back. A disturbing idea crosses your mind, what if the alien can scan your brain. As if to answer your question, he smiles and walks away. With trembling hands, you take your pen and scribble notes.
Which POV do you prefer? Out of curiosity, could you see yourself reading an entire novel in the second POV?
Thanks for reading!
-GG
POV is short for Point of View. It refers to the way a story is told. Using LX, the main character in my series The Legacy, I'll show you three different ones.
I'll start with the third person omniscient POV, which means that the point of view doesn't follow anyone in particular. It's a little bit like if someone could see the whole world and describe what he or she sees. Although there are many different third person POV, I only did one, but you'll get the idea anyway.
3rd person POV, past tense:
The man, tied up in a straitjacket, paced back and forth in the dark, empty room. An infrared camera near the ceiling followed his every move while on the other side of the wall a group of selected men studied his behavior. The air surrounding them was redolent with the smell of sweat. They were afraid of him, afraid of what he could do, afraid of what he might do. The wind he had summoned with a twitch of his fingers had brought forth questions about his origin. No one on Earth could do such a thing. They gasped as the alien stopped his mindless walk to stare directly at them via the camera. After he sniffed the air, he smiled, and returned to his corner, seemingly tired. At once, they all grabbed pens and pads, and hurried to scrawl notes.
Now, here's the same little story told in first POV from LX's eyes.
First person POV, past tense:
They had put me in a straitjacket. Although it felt awkward, it was still comfortable—at least, I could walk. The darkness that surrounded me did not hinder my sight. Light or no light made no difference to me, but there was nothing of interest to investigate. The room was empty as well as its walls aside from that device with the flashing red light near the ceiling. It grated every time I moved. Someone must be using it to observe me. I stopped my mindless pacing and stared at it. A strong scent of sweat came in from the ventilation next to it. I smiled to myself. Whoever held me prisoner was nervous, with reasons. Summoning air to my aid in front of humans might have been a mistake, but now that they dreaded my power, it could give me an edge. They would have to take me out of this cage, and I planned to make good use of this unique opportunity. I walked back into my corner and let myself down. With my eyes closed, I forged plans for an escape.
The last one, the second person POV is one that is rarely seen but still quite interesting.
Second person POV, present tense:
You watch the man in a straitjacket as the infrared camera follows him. He's pacing back and forth in the other room. It hadn't been easy to convince the others. They had taken you for a fool and hadn't believed a single word you had told them, arguing that no man on Earth could do what you said he had done. Well, you proved them wrong with that video tape, didn't you? Oh and what a proof it had been! Tricking the alien to summon the wind while you were hiding had required wits and great skills. Now, you can relax. He won't endanger anyone anymore, and he will never get out of this place alive—at least, not if you have a say in it. The alien stops walking and looks directly at you via the camera. Sweat trickles down your back. A disturbing idea crosses your mind, what if the alien can scan your brain. As if to answer your question, he smiles and walks away. With trembling hands, you take your pen and scribble notes.
Which POV do you prefer? Out of curiosity, could you see yourself reading an entire novel in the second POV?
Thanks for reading!
-GG
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Victoria
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Mar 25, 2014 07:27AM
I much prefer first person, but I think it depends on the book. After all, I've written books that could only be written in third. I'm not sure about reading a book in 2nd. I'm not sure if I ever have.
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Hey Victoria :)Second POV was used in old video games, where they made you choose where you went and what you would do. Or for more recent ones, I think Leisure Larry when it first came out was like that too, but don't quote me on that.
It's also still used in some books where you choose your ending (and how to get there). For example you would read things like this: If you decide to kill the thief go to page 65, if not go to page 33. I'd say those books require a lot of planning.
Oh yes, I remember those from childhood.
Hey D.R., Thank you for the comment.
I do prefer a first person POV myself for the same reasons you mentioned. Although you can have a similar result with a limited third person POV where you follow only one character. It's almost like the first, but it gives the story a little leeway because if you don't relate to the character, at least, it doesn't feel as if you're him or her. In my first example I used omniscient third POV, which is somewhat distant from it all.
I also agree with your other statement. Not being able to relate to a character (especially in first person POV) can ruin a book for me.
Don't sell yourself short. The prologues in your first books are good. I'll be checking the rest soon. :) The course to I refer here is called F2K
Link: https://www.f2k3.com/index.php/join-e...
It only cost $10 for a life time membership. That's for two courses a year, the next one begins in January (last one was in August). They last about six weeks. You can pay more to have a mentor give you personal feedback but usually, the classmates are very good at it and they do it for free. :P
