Viewpoint 101

Viewpoint is how a reader will see the story.  The reader will live the story as the character experiences it.  The reader will think, see, hear, feel and taste what the character does.  The reader will experience nothing that the character doesn’t.  And how does an author establish viewpoint?  As soon as possible.  Preferably on the very first line of the book.  An author writes so that the reader knows that he’s looking at the story through a particular character’s eyes.  The reader will live the story as if he were inside the main character’s skin.

Most novels are written in third person viewpoint, also known as objective viewpoint.  This viewpoint shows what a character is doing and goes into the character’s mindset.  You would say ‘he said’, ‘she said’, when speaking, and during internal dialogue.  Use past tense in third person viewpoint.  In this viewpoint the story can continue if the character shuts down for any reason.

First person viewpoint is also called subjective viewpoint.  This is used in personal experience books and memoirs in non-fiction, and occasionally in fiction.  This viewpoint let’s you become that character but are severely limited in use.  You would say ‘I’ when speaking or using internal dialogue.  This viewpoint is limited because when your character goes to sleep, or shuts down, so does the story.

There is another viewpoint that is only occasionally used, mostly in literary circles and is so boring I can never get past the first few pages of a book when it is used.  Omniscient viewpoint allows the author to play God by being the spokesperson of the story.  Once popular, it is rarely used in mainstream novels today.  This viewpoint is when a character is like an actor on stage, is mute and all the words (voice) come from off stage and describes what is happening on stage.  The characters can’t say or react to anything except by the off page voice.   There is a lot of author intrusion in this viewpoint so maybe that’s why some authors use it as a platform to express their opinions.

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 This viewpoint should not be confused with narration in a story because that is another element all together.

To answer the last part of the question…don’t get to eager with multiple viewpoints, it’s a learned skill.  Used in a lot in romance novels.  Remember this…every time you switch viewpoints the forward progress of the story stops.  That’s why it takes skill to keep the story moving so the reader stays with the plot.

This month concentrate on viewpoints as you read.  Ask which viewpoint is most commonly used in the types of novels you read.  Study how the author has used the viewpoint to lead you through the story line.  Takes notes.  Analyze.

Until next month, keep writing.

Karen