Point of View, Part Two

I hope you're getting a nugget or two of things to think about when it comes to point of view. At the very least, just being more conscious of the different types and what it means for your writing can be just another tool for you to use if things aren't going well.

Second Person POV: I grew up reading those Choose Your Own Adventure books. Loved them. With these books YOU become the protagonist. Rare these days, but still fun.

Third Person Limited POV: I personally write most of my stuff in this POV. I feel it gives my reader a chance to still get cozy with my main character without limiting them to just one protagonist. I write stories with subplots and such, and I like using the episodic (multiple) version of 3rd Person Limited. Some authors will change the viewpoint (not the POV) with each chapter. Other times, if an author is changing viewpoints, they might denote that with a hard break of some sort. I use # # # #, for example.

Third Person Limited Pros:
1)With this POV, the author gets to show you the viewpoint from multiple characters, which can also give the story and characters more development and dimension. You can get into the mind of the villain and/or secondary characters. This POV is great for bigger stories with multiple story arcs.

2) It allows for a lot of dramatic irony - the reader might know something the protagonist doesn't know.

3) You get the best of both worlds: you can still create that closeness between your reader and your protagonist(s), like First Person POV, but you can also give us the thoughts of other characters, similar to 3rd Person Omniscient.

Third Person Limited Cons:
1) I don't recommend this POV for beginning writers. It is very difficult to maintain the limited nature of this POV at times. I'm constantly having to go back and edit things. For example:

Tom smiled. (If you're writing in 3rd person limited, and we're seeing things from Tom's perspective, this doesn't make sense).

So we have to change it to: Tom felt a smile creep across his face.

2) You have to keep track of so much stuff (if writing in 3rd Person Episodic/Multiple). Since you're entering the viewpoint of multiple characters one at a time, you're giving the reader multiple perspectives...think about that. You not only have to keep plot straight, but each character's thoughts and perceptions straight as well.

3) It's a lot of work to make each characters' voice distinct. If you're using multiple viewpoints, it will take a lot of skill to make sure each voice is different from each other. Not as easy as it sounds.

Third Person Omniscient POV: Still very popular, where the narrator is an unknown all-knowing being. Here, we get the perspectives of any and all characters in any given scene. There's two main types of Omniscient: Subjective and Objective. The easiest way to distinguish between the two is to think of Objective as a "fly on a wall." Just an outside observer that doesn't delve into any of the characters' minds. I'm going to focus on 3rd Person Subjective, since it's much more common these days.

Third Person Omnicient Pros:
1) It's one of the oldest forms of storytelling, so the reader is already very familiar with this mode of POV

2) The reader gets to know multiple characters at the same time. From a writer's standpoint, it's very liberating to not be so confined.

3) If you're writing a gigantic, epic story, this is the POV you should really use. If your story spans years, worlds, and tons of characters, this is the way to go.

Third Person Omniscient Cons:
1) Since you're entering multiple characters even within one scene, it's easy to confuse the reader. Hopping from one person's thoughts to another can make for a mess.

2) Sometimes, your story will lack that intimacy they might have with their protagonist. Since you're giving us everyone's thoughts, the reader might feel that distance.

3) Since your narrator is all-knowing, the reader can be left in the dark with some things to build suspense, but it can be tricky in this POV, as we've all read stories with surprises and twists and we felt manipulated by the narrator. So the risk of being gimmicky is always there with 3rd Person Omniscient (think M. Night Shamalanalannadingdong).

Point of View, Part One

I just finished Mockingjay, the third book in the Hunger Games. Overall, I'd give it a solid B. The first three-fourths were a good B+ or even A-, but that final quarter of the book was where it kinda dropped off. It bothered me for a little while, wondering where did Suzanne Collins go wrong.

After contemplating the third book and comparing it to Hunger Games and Catching Fire, I figured out what irked me about her final installment - it was the point of view (POV) she employed. It worked just fine for the first two books, but in book three, it doesn't.  Without giving away the plot, just know that the story needed to be told from a perspective of someone that was ACTUALLY involved in the plot, since Collins wrote all three of her books from the first person POV.

Having worked with young aspiring writers, point of view seems to be a pretty easy concept to grasp. But when you sit down to write, it's one of those things that can either make or break your story. And then you get to over-thinking things. So I'd like to just talk about point of view, the strengths and weaknesses of each, and why you might use one POV over the other.

First Person POV: The entire story is told through the eyes of your main character. Easiest way to identify this POV is when you see the narrator using the pronouns I, me, us, we.

Some people might argue with me, and I don't mean to diss First Person at all. But it is the EASIEST POV for a beginning writer to write in. Think about it - we experience the world through First Person, so writing in that voice comes more naturally. Just because it is easier doesn't make it easy, however. But it is the least complex from a juggling-all-of-your-literally-elements standpoint.

First Person Pros:
1) The reader connects to your protagonist easier. First person is super intimate, making it easier for your reader to really get caught up in your narrator and your story.

2) Your main character's personality is allowed to develop more deeply. Since you're telling the story from your protagonist's POV, it's very liberating for a writer in working to make that character more three-dimensional.

3) You get to build suspense. Since this POV is limited to one person, you're able to conceal clues much easier. This is a helpful device when you want to surprise, shock, or get your reader to throw your book across the room.

4) If you write Young Adult, your readers will love it. Most teens are naturally self-centered and First Person satisfies that innate mode of thinking. If you disagree, you haven't been around teenagers enough. I taught 9th and 10th graders...oh man. Seeing things from multiple perspectives takes a certain amount of maturity. First Person is just easier for them to settle into.

First Person Cons:
1) Because you are limited to your main character, other characters might not feel as well developed. So your reader is relying on your protagonist's single perspective.

2) If your protagonist is unlikable. Maybe your main character is a jackass. Many readers might get turned off if they're repulsed by your protagonist's thoughts, feelings, and words. I personally enjoy reading a book with a main character I don't necessarily like - it shows just how strong the writer is. First Person makes that kind of dynamic almost impossible (i.e. Bella in Twilight. She was so boring and stupid, which is why I hated the books).

3) No subplots. With the limitation of First Person, you're really not able to develop subplots. I've seen writers try to get around this by changing the viewpoint to another character (split point of view). I will say that 95% of these efforts usually fail, as it's really tough to pull off.

4) It's easier for you to do more telling instead of showing. Because you're stuck in that one person's mind, it's all too natural to keep doing all of this introspective writing and have nothing going on. Sometimes, when I'm reading a book in First Person, and the writer has gone through four or five pages of the protagonist's innermost thoughts, I get bored. I want stuff to happen.

All in all, First Person is a growing POV and more books are using it. Young Adult, mainstream fiction, mysteries, thrillers...these are genres that generally are First Person friendly.

For more complex plots with multiple layers (i.e. epic fantasy or science fiction operas), I'd stay away from First Person POV.

11 Semi-Random Questions

My new blogging buddy and fellow Campaigner from the Science Fiction Gang has tagged me to answer her eleven semi-random questions. Check out Elizabeth Twist's blog if you don't know her yet and give her a shout. She is fantastical.

What are you reading?
I am reading the third book of the Hunger Games Trilogy, Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins. I enjoyed the first book, the second book was a little slow but got better midway through, and with being 75% of the way through Mockingjay, I will say there are great parts and parts that drag. But overall, it's been a really good series and can't wait to see the movie.

What is your favorite creative activity that is not writing?
Two things - painting murals in children's rooms and karaoke. Art was my real first love growing up, and I thought for the longest time that I was going to be an artist. But reading and writing took over in high school and I got that English degree instead. And all Filipinos do karaoke. It's a stereotype, but one that is backed up with empirical data.

Where or how do you get your best ideas?
I draw a lot from all kinds of mythology: Greek, British, Asian, and even American folktales. But getting those little tidbits of inspiration usually come to me when I'm doing something monotonous like waiting in line at the DMV or going for long walks outside. It seems I get struck by my muse when I empty out my brain.

If you could magically and painlessly change one thing about your mind or body, what would it be?
That's easy. I'd like my heart repaired. I had a close call about 10 years ago with a virus that attacked my heart muscle. I got very lucky, as most people in that situation need a heart transplant right away. My heart remodled itself and found a way to work with the damaged muscle. Doctors are a little baffled. If anyone you know has any kind of heart issue at all, tell them to take Coenzyme Q10. Ubiquinol is the best form absorbed by the body.

What is the scariest movie, story, novel, or scene you can recall?
I think I was 10 or 11 when I secretly watched The Exorcist. It's a miracle I didn't soil my pants! As an adult, the story freaks me out even more since the real-life events that inspired the movie happened right here in St. Louis. The house where half of the exorcisms took place is home to a lot of paranormal activity.

What is the weirdest thing you believe?
I believe in reincarnation. With my old blog, I also did podcasts about the paranormal. I underwent past lives regression hypnosis and recorded the whole thing for my podcast. Oh. my. Gawd. I was able to recall three past lives of mine. Maybe I'll post the podcast up on my new blog for all of you to listen to!

Super strength or super intelligence?
Super intelligence. Then I could maybe help cure deadly diseases and figure out how to pay down our national debt.

You're granted the ability to become invisible. Where do you go and what do you do?
Robert Cormier's Fade is an awesome YA horror/sci-fi book that deals with this question. But I don't think I'm sick or twisted. So I think I would make my way to the Nevada desert near Groom Lake and check out Area 51 for myself. I wanna see some UFOs and alien bodies!

What one change do you think would have the most positive impact on the world as a whole?
Damn, that's a profound question. I'll keep it simple: thinking of others too with every thing you do every day. Imagine if everyone became thoughtful and helpful to each other. I think many of the problems our world faces today would disappear.

What is the crappiest advice you've given?
I once told someone, "What harm could it do?" Big mistake.

What is your favorite song right now?
My oldest son has me hooked on Skillerex right now, and it's one ear worm after another. Can't get the song "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites" out of my head.

Origins Blogfest - Where It All Began

For this blogfest participants were asked to post your own origin story.  Tell us all where your writing dreams began.


I was six years old and just learning how to read when I was able to enjoy a book that I had owned since I was four. It was titled Ma Liang and the Magic Paintbrush. There have been hundreds of incarnations of this ancient Chinese folktale done over the years, as the story is not only enduring, but universal.

Ma Liang is a very poor young boy that loves painting, but cannot afford a paintbrush of his own. An old man gave him a magic paintbrush and tells him to help the poor, as whatever he paints would materialize and come to life. And that's what he does - he paints oxen to help with the fields and a river so his people could get clean water.


But a corrupt and greedy official hears of Ma Liang and his power, so he imprisons the boy and steals the paintbrush - which wouldn't work for him. So he forces the boy to paint a mountain of gold, but Ma Liang draws a sea surrounding it. The official orders him to paint a ship so he could get to the gold, which the boy does. And when the official and his soldiers climb on board the ship filled with riches, Ma Liang paints a massive tempest, which destroys the ship. And Ma Liang returns to his village where he continues to paint things to help those who need it.

I think it was the combination of the gorgeous artwork and the story of being bullied and the power of creativity and art. From that moment on, I was hooked on creating stories about similar struggles. Growing up, I was drawn to myths like The Iliad, The Golden Fleece, and everything King Arthur. I would make up stories and draw the illustrations, and then staple all the pages together to make my own books. And I've been writing stories ever since - and anyone who reads them can see what a strong influence mythology has had on my writing.


And yes, I still do own that old book. And I bought another (newer) version for my own kids. And now they're writing stories too.