How to Write POV Like a Pro
January 28, 2025 | Anna Hawkins
Point of view (POV) is an extremely important element of any story. It is a story’s frame of reference, the lens through which the story is told, the bridge that connects readers to the story and characters. Unfortunately, this means there are many potential point-of-view pitfalls that can leave readers less than invested in your story. In this article, we’ll discuss some of these common pitfalls (and how to avoid them), but first, we need to look at the (many) different points of view that authors can use.
Point of view is a spectrum.
Authors have a lot of options when it comes to choosing who is telling the story to whom. Usually, a story’s point of view centers a specific character (or characters) who the author wants readers to connect with, but this isn’t always the case.
Point of view is best described in terms of “distance from the reader.” This is something of an abstract concept, but basically it means “where the narration places the reader in relation to the characters and events of the story.” This “closeness” is measured on two sliding scales that I have just now given clever names: the telepathy scale and the pronoun scale.
Telepathy Scale
This scale has to do with whose inner thoughts the reader has access to. On this scale, limited POVs, where the reader only has access to the thoughts of one character at a time, are closest to the reader. The reader, in getting to know one character very well, develops a close connection to that character and is (ideally) invested in their part in the story’s events. Omniscient POVs, where the narration includes the inner thoughts of multiple characters at once (i.e., in the same scene), are naturally further from the reader. The connection the reader develops with each character is shallower, but the reader also gets an understanding of each character’s thought process and actions, rather than just one as in limited POVs. One major pitfall of omniscient POVs, though, is “head hopping”, where the mess of internal thoughts from many different characters becomes overwhelming to the reader. For this reason, omniscient POVs aren’t currently very popular in genre fiction. Objective POVs are farthest from the reader on the telepathy scale. In these POVs, the reader has access to none of the character’s inner thoughts, and therefore, no understanding of any character’s decision-making processes. These POVs aren’t very popular in genre fiction, because readers generally like to connect with at least one character, and a story that merely reports plot events often reads as very dry.
Pronoun Scale
This scale refers to the pronouns used in the narration, which can be first person (I/me/etc.), second person (you/your/etc.), or third person (she/her/he/him/they/them/etc.). On this scale, second person is actually closest to the reader, because in second-person POVs, the reader is a character in the story. This POV is fairly rare in genre fiction because it’s difficult to do well and it can be off-putting to many readers. When writing in second person, the “you” character’s decisions become the reader’s own, and as the author, you have to make the reader believe they would do and say whatever their character is doing and saying on the page. (Note: Second-person POVs are more common in fanfiction than original fiction. “Reader insert” is a very popular fanfiction genre that uses this POV.) Next closest to the reader on the pronoun scale is first person, where the narration uses “I” pronouns. In this POV, the narrator, not the reader, is a character in the story, and everything is filtered through the lens of this character’s experiences, feelings, and opinions. First-person POVs run the risk of becoming too focused on the character’s internal thoughts, but if the right balance is struck, readers tend to develop close connections with these POVs. Third-person POVs are farthest from the reader on the pronoun scale. These are the most common POVs in genre fiction, with the narration written as if the reader is looking over the POV character’s shoulder. Building reader empathy with POV characters is a little harder in third person, but third-person POVs have a lot more options in terms of just how close they are to the reader and are seen as more “traditional” in fiction. On the pronoun scale, third-person POVs are the most common.
What about multi-POV stories?
Multi-POV, where the story centers multiple characters in the narration, is not the same as an omniscient POV. Omniscient POVs center multiple characters at the same time, whereas multi-POVs center multiple characters separately, with POVs often separated by scene or chapter breaks. If you’re writing a multi-POV story, congratulations! You have options and room to play around with the type of POV you use for each character. One book that uses multi-POV well is The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemison. The three POV characters each fall in a different place on the pronoun scale, with one even using second-person pronouns to great effect.
Choosing a POV
So, with all the options at hand, how do you choose which POV is right for your story? Below, I’ve outlined three factors to consider while deciding on POV:
First, and most important, what is the purpose of your narrator? Considering the narrator’s purpose will help you narrow down what POV to use. For example, if you want your reader to identify strongly with a particular character, a limited first or third-person POV might be good for you. Limited POVs are also great for building suspense or tension, especially if your narrator is unreliable and telling the reader a skewed version of events. If you’re going for dramatic irony instead, try an omniscient POV that allows the reader to know more about the story than the characters themselves do.
Second, consider any worldbuilding and backstory that your reader needs to know to understand the story. If you’re writing a genre like high fantasy or space opera and have a lot of worldbuilding the reader needs to understand, you can use POV to do some of the heavy lifting for you. Third-person POVs lend themselves well to this. The world isn’t filtered through the lens of a third-person POV’s opinions as much as in first person, so you can get worldbuilding on the page with more objectivity.
Third, decide whether you want your reader to become a character in the story. If you want the reader to be a character, then second-person is the right POV for you! Just be sure to approach this POV with the understanding that it will turn some readers away, as some people find it off-putting.
Common POV mistakes
Even after choosing a POV carefully, it’s still possible to make mistakes in execution. Below I’ve outlined five mistakes I commonly see with POV and provide some tips for how to avoid them.
Head hopping and POV changes. It’s easy for POV changes on the telepathy scale, especially if they happen in the middle of a scene, to become overwhelming to readers. If you want to change POVs throughout your story, you can avoid accusations of head hopping by waiting for a scene or chapter break to change which character’s internal thoughts you’re following.
Choosing the wrong character for a scene/the entire story. This is one of the most common POV pitfalls I see (and I’ve fallen into myself!). Sometimes, a character’s POV just isn’t that interesting in terms of the plot, even if you/your readers really like them as a character. If your scenes feel uninteresting or irrelevant to the plot, try rewriting them from the POV of a different character who may have more connection to plot events.
POV is too internal. Sometimes, especially with first-person POVs, readers will complain about being “too in a character’s head” or about the POV character being “annoying.” This is a signal that your POV is too internal, too focused on your character’s inner monologue at the expense of the external plot. You can avoid this pitfall by shifting the focus away from what’s going on inside your character’s head to what’s going on outside it. Try avoiding inner thoughts at all, to start. You can always add some inner thoughts back in later while keeping the plot as the focus.
Not considering what the POV character can actually see/feel/hear. Your POV character’s own senses are very important to making your POV feel believable and not hokey to your readers. For example, I can’t see the way the sun lights up the green of my eyes, but I can describe the way her soft hair cascades over her shoulders in waves of deepest black. This also applies to setting. Consider the setting elements that your POV character would notice based on their personality and you can make your POV feel much more real and unique.
Too many POVs. This can become a problem in multi-POV works. Sometimes less is more and spreading the story across too many POVs can make it feel disjointed or even confusing for the reader. Readers can also get frustrated if their favorite POV isn’t featured enough because there are ten other POV characters who each get their own chapters. Avoid this pitfall by focusing on the POVs that are actually important to the story you’re telling – which characters are moving the plot forward? – and considering cutting the rest.
Whichever POV(s) you use, know that it will affect readers’ interpretation and enjoyment of your story. But also remember that you are your own ideal reader! Play around with POV until you feel you’ve gotten it right, then ask for feedback from trusted readers.
Struggling with nailing down the right POV for your story? The Tomeworks editors can help! We provide verbal consultations and full manuscript evaluations depending on how much help you’d like. Contact us today!