How to Choose Point of View in Storytelling

Learn about first person point of view. With first person point of view, the narrator uses the pronouns "I" and "we" when telling the story. The narrator can have various levels of intimacy with the story, depending on who he is, but he is always a character in the story in one way or another.

• The narrator may be the main character of the story, in which case he will be telling his own story from his own perspective, with no outside opinions. For example, the narrator may say, "I was five years old when I first met Sally. We walked to school together every day until high school..."
• The narrator may be a secondary character, in which case he is likely describing something that he witnessed, adding his own interpretations and biases to the story. For example, the narrator might say, "I have been concerned about my brother for some time now. He has been becoming more and more reclusive every day."
• The narrator may be retelling a story that he did not witness at all, in which case he is recalling something he heard, and likely adding his own interpretation to the events as he retells them. For example, the narrator might say, "I remember hearing that this house was haunted. They say the woman who lived here 100 years ago still walks the halls."

Learn about second person point of view. Second person point of view is the least common in story telling because it requires the narrator to address someone (either the reader or another character) as "you" throughout the narration. It is most often used in shorter narratives as an experimental style.^[1]

• When narrators speak in the second person, they are often addressing their younger selves. For example, the narrator might say, "You were so foolish back then, thinking that you would become rich and famous."
• A narrator may also be addressing the reader directly, although this is difficult to sustain in longer narratives.

Learn about third person point of view. Third person point of view is the most popular point of view for story telling because it offers writers the most flexibility. The narrator is not a character in the story, and talks about the characters by using the pronouns "he," "she," and "they." The narrator may be entirely objective, or may have a close connection to one specific character.

• With a third person objective point of view, the narrator tells only the objective and observable facts of the story, without elaborating on the thoughts and feelings of the characters or interjecting with any personal observations. For example, the narrator might say, "Jim had a serious look on his face as he spoke to his wife. She was crying and speaking incoherently."
• With a third person limited point of view, the narrator has access to the thoughts and feelings of one specific character, most typically the main character. This point of view allows the writer to describe the main character from a distance, while also giving voice to his inner thoughts. Depending on the intent of the author, the narrator may be very close to the main character, to the point that it almost becomes difficult to distinguish the narrator from the character, or the narrator may maintain more of a distance. For example, the narrator might say, "Jim had a serious look on his face as he talked to his wife. He hated to see her cry because it made him feel like a monster, but he felt that he had no choice but to continue."

Understand third person omniscient point of view. Third person omniscient point of view is similar to other third person points of view in that the narrator uses the pronouns "he," "she," and "they" to talk about the characters. It is different, however, in that the narrator has complete access to the thoughts and feelings of all of the characters/ This point of view is sometimes referred to as "the voice of God" because the narrator knows much more than any of the characters. For example, the narrator might say, "Jim had a serious look on his face as he talked to his wife. He hated to see her cry because it made him feel like a monster, but he felt that he had no choice but to continue. His wife was feeling more angry than hurt, but she didn't want Jim to know that."