Blog 68: Dos and don’ts with your POV

This particular part of writing can trip quite a few people up, and they don’t even realise. They get so absorbed in telling the story that they forget to do so through the eyes of the perspective they are writing from. We sometimes add information that the narrator couldn’t possibly know. Or maybe we become a little clinical and forget to incorporate their emotion or personality, so it comes across as a news report rather than a lived event.

The most important thing to do when writing your POV is to visualise that character and (excuse the Silence of the Lambs vibes here) jump into their skin, and experience everything through their eyes, with their senses and for all intents and purposes, become that person in order to realistically tell their tale. Many authors do this so well that they feel the emotions along with their narrator. They get tearful when someone dies, they get scared when the stakes go up, and they get a little ‘hot’ when the scene gets steamy. You want to convince your reader that this could be real?  You gotta get in there! But don't be wandering off.

I once read a story from a third-person perspective that focused on the main character, but we were told about something that dripped inside a shoe located in the basement. The problem with that was our main character was on the ground floor (or first floor if you are from the US) and couldn’t possibly know where it ended up. If your main character can’t see it and you want to create a landscape picture POV, then you are writing from an omniscient point of view, where the narrator is God-like, knows and sees all. If you are not writing from that POV, and it is a more challenging perspective to tackle, then think like Velcro and stick to your narrator’s character, what they see and how they experience the world. So, grab a key and lock yourself in there; this is your ride too.

If you are anything like me, you want to see the hurdle before it appears, so you can prep for it. With that in mind, I thought it would be helpful to get down some dos and don’ts. Whether you are writing in first, second, or third person, here are a few guidelines to keep you true to your chosen perspective: -

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• DO lock in your narrator/character: Filter everything through your character's specific personality, background, and worldview. Whether it is first or third person, we need to see what the main character sees, tap into who they are and how they feel, so that we can truly connect with the story and care about what happens.

  
  

• DO give every POV character their own voice: Their thoughts, as well as slang, sentence structure, and vocabulary, should stand apart from each other. Think about their backgrounds, personalities, stress levels, and beliefs. What do they want, love, need, dislike, and hate with an absolute passion? Scoop it out and slop that stuff on the page for all to see. We are in their heads, let out the flaws of judgment, vulnerability, manipulation, and selfish views.

  
  

• DO be consistent: Establish your POV within the first paragraph or chapter and adhere to that perspective for the duration of the scene. Remember, the narrator can only presume what another character is thinking by what they say, their body language and behaviour. Be careful not to put thoughts into characters' minds that your narrator has no link to, unless of course they are a mind reader or have been told.

  
  

• DO format with care for multiple POVs: If you have more than one point of view, such as two or more characters whose perspective you are writing from, make sure it is written clearly. Many authors have a fresh chapter for a different POV or at least a clear break to allow the reader to step out of one character’s mind and reset into another one, without getting confused.

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• DON'T head-hop: Never switch the perspective of who is thinking and feeling in the middle of a scene without a clear break. This would be okay in an omniscient POV; however, I will write a separate blog on that one, as it takes practice to be able to do this without causing the reader to scratch their head and get frustrated.

  
  

• DON'T use filter words: Words like "I thought," "I felt," or "I saw" water down the experience and prolong the sentence. Instead, show the experience directly.  Get in there and bang in their thoughts in italics. Instead of saying “I felt hot”, say, “I was so hot, my hands were clammy.” And instead of writing, “I saw her standing there with blood running down her face, and heard her scream,” it becomes, “She stood there, blood running down her face, and mouth wide as she screamed.”

  
  

• DON'T give characters impossible knowledge: A first or third POV narrator will not be aware of what they have not directly experienced. So don’t tell us what is happening in another location, or in someone else’s head. Unless you are writing with future knowledge as a theme: for example, she found out later that it was the cat that ate the last flapjack and not her husband, as she thought at the time. Otherwise, as far as the character is concerned, her husband is a dirty rotten liar and purposely pinched that last bit of sugary goodness in the house. (Yes, this happened, and I was pregnant and desperately craving that flapjack and was not having any of it when my other half blamed ‘the cat’. Until I saw the furry thief helping himself to one at a later date. Anyway, I digress.

  
  

• DON'T play reruns: This is a good piece of advice. I have read a story that seemed to repeat the same thing over and over; it was exhausting. It slows down the story; the reader feels like they are stuck in a rut or listening to a broken record. Keep the momentum going and let the reader know what is happening, then proceed by showing how a different character reacts to the event or the latest information given. We don’t want to be told something we already know; we just want to know what happens next!

There you have it, just a few pointers to think about as you write your narrative. Happy writing and editing. And, don't forget, if there is a particular topic you would like to read about, please do let me know.

Catch you next time.