Picking a POV

You thought you were going to get a post about plot and/or outlines today, didn't you? Well too bad, because I have a topic that's even better, and it's all about finding your Point of View. 

Now, the process for picking a POV is simple: you have to choose who the narrator will be, and then you'll have to decide if they will speak in first, third, or second person. Then you'll decide on the tense in which they speak.

The narrator could be a floating nothing, your protagonist, a side character; even the person you thought was going to be your antagonist could end up being the hero. The narrator could be your protagonist from the past or future, looking forward or back. What I'm basically rambling about is: anyone and anything can narrate your story, so long as they can tell the story in an interesting way. 

A quick word about changing narrators: you can totally do it. Just not in the middle of a scene, chapter, or book. If you want to have multiple POVs over the course of a few scenes, chapters, or books, that's perfectly fine, as long as you don't switch narrators in the middle of a scene. Here's an example that'll hopefully) show you why:

I saw Mary from across the hall. She was opening her locker, placing her backpack inside. I wondered if she was still going out with John. It wouldn't hurt to ask, I thought. I took a deep breath and stepped forward. Mary looked back at him. What a creep, she thought. 

The highlighted sentence, is, of course, a blatant example of what happens when you switch narrators mid-paragraph. 

Now, on to person: third, second, and first. Third person is when the narrator is telling the story objectively. Unless the narrator is a character telling the story to you, there will be no "I" in the narration. Here's an example of third person narration:

 Mary looked back at him. What a creep, she thought.  

Second person is when you are the narrator. This is second person:

 You look back at him. What a creep, you think.

And this is first person:

I looked back at him. What a creep, I thought.

By now you should have enough information to choose your narrator and person. But if you've chosen a third person narrator, you'll need to decide between third person limited and third person omniscient. Third person limited is when the narrator only knows the thoughts and feelings of one character. Third person omniscient is when the narrator knows everything, and can tell you everything. I personally dislike third person omniscient, because it isn't as personal as I would like it to be. But ultimately, it's your call. Pick whatever narrator and person to write in--

Oh, there's one thing I forgot. You'll need to decide whether the events take place in past or present tense. Past tense is this:

I walked to school that morning, since Dad was out of town for a business conference. The wind blew my hair all over the place. I was glad I put a hairbrush in my backpack.

Present tense is in the present, naturally, and goes a little like this. 

I'm walking to school, because Dad is gone for a business conference. The wind is blowing my hair all over the place. I'm glad I brought a hairbrush in my backpack.

So, now that we've got all your options laid out in front of you- narrator, person, and tense-- let's explore some of the combinations.

Here's a third person limited narrator speaking in past tense:

Billy walked to school every day. He had a perfect attendance record. But that day, April 11th, if my memory serves me, he was sick in bed, having been ill the night before.

Here's a second person narrator speaking in present tense:

You've had a perfect attendance record. But today, you're just too sick to go to school. You lie on the sofa watching Power Rangers until your Dad comes home from work.

Here's a first person narrator speaking in present tense:

I've always gotten to school on time, but today I just don't feel good. So I'm laying on the couch, watching Power Rangers until Dad gets home.

You get the idea. Pick a combination of narrator, person, and tense, and get writing. Remember, you can always change it, just as with everything in writing. 

Happy Writing, and sorry for the all-over-the-place post.