What’s the POV and Why? Who decides? Point of view is vital, it is how the author establishes the perspective of the story through the narrator, and how it is presented to the reader. So many choices: 1st person, 2nd person, 3rd person limited, 3rd person omniscient and 4th person. Each with merits. Three Paper Lantern Writers share what POV they write in and how they decide which narrator’s POV to use.

From Mari Christie:

I had a professor once who said, “It doesn’t matter what POV you use, as long as you try them all.” (This was a man who once changed an entire book from past to present tense at second draft.) Whether I use a first-, second, or third-person POV really depends on the book I am writing. For example, in Blind Tribute, the entire narrative portion of the book is in deep third-person, from Harry Wentworth’s POV, but the epistolary letters and news articles are generally in second-person, writing directly to the reader. The characters’ eyes through which I tell the story also change based on the book and the scene. For my romance novels, I typically alternate the POV of the two protagonists (in most cases, the hero and heroine), and sometimes I throw in some of the villain’s POV as well. Generally, I use the POV of the person who has the most to lose in any given moment, because the stakes are higher for them, so that portion of the story has more impact.

From Rebecca D’Harlingue:

In my first novel, The Lines Between Us, a dual timeline work, the historical part is in third person. I found this more conducive to providing the necessary background for my story. There are also the inherently first-person diary entries and letters from historical characters. I used first person for the contemporary character, as I felt this would enable the reader to more immediately identify with her. It is this narrator who, in turn, connects the reader to the historical papers and diaries that she finds.

All of my second novel, The Map Colorist, is “deep third person,” in which the reader sees the story from the perspective of that character. Most modern fiction uses this, rather than an omniscient narrator. One thing you do have to watch out for is to not “head hop,” that is, change from one character’s perspective to another’s without a scene change. This could disorient (and annoy!) the reader.

From Jonathan Posner:

I write action-adventure stories set in Tudor England and have two different series. I use first person for one and third for the other. But here’s the fun part; I’m a guy, while my protagonists are mainly women! Tudor England was a deeply patriarchal society, so how much more interesting to see it from the perspective of strong women who challenge male dominance? My first-person protagonist is Mary Fox, a rebellious adventuress who dresses as a man and takes them on at their own game. It’s been great fun imagining myself into her head; thinking how she would react to the men in her world – and particularly those trying to change her into their ideal woman (spoiler – she’s not happy). My third person protagonist is Lady Mary de Beauvais – and it’s a little easier to get in her head, because she’s actually a time-traveller from 2015! So, I am able to give a more modern angle to her actions.

They say, ‘write what you know’. But I’m much more interested in challenging myself, stepping outside what I know, and using my books to explore different lives.