
I’ve written two complete novels. Both of them with 65-75k words each. I’m currently working on my third novel (Tyler Falls) and expect it also to be about the same length.
Each book has been written in First Person Point of View. I’ve heard that writing from this POV is difficult, but honestly, I can’t imagine writing them from any other point of view.
What else is there? I’m glad you asked!
First person – the “I” voice; all narration written as if the narrator were speaking directly to the readers. The narrator is one of the characters, not the author as in omniscient p.o.v.
Example: “I’m not sure how long I sit and stare at Ethan. Silently willing him to move. Just an eyelash flutter. Anything. But nothing happens. Nothing except my tears. I guess it’s okay to cry. I dare anyone to tell me I’m not supposed to cry or that I need to toughen up — I don’t give a damn if people think I’m weak. They can kiss my ass.”
Third person – the “s/he” voice; a mix of the other two, a compromise between first person and omniscient p.o.v.
(Third person multiple means your viewpoint is from more than one character. You’ll need at least one other viewpoint if you include scenes in which your protagonist is not present. But always confine yourself to one point of view per scene. Try not to switch viewpoint unless you’re starting a new scene to avoid confusing the reader.)
Omniscient – a point of view not written from “inside” anyone’s head; unseen narrator (the author) knows what all the characters are thinking.
Here’s an example of omniscient third person :
“Emma wasn’t sure how long she stared at her brother. “Please Ethan, just an eyelash flutter,” she said. Willing him to give her a sign that he was still inside the body on the hospital bed before her. But nothing happened. Nothing except her tears. No matter how hard Ethan tried to squeeze her hand and tell her not to cry, he couldn’t. He was stuck somewhere between heaven and hell. Angry that his botched suicide attempt had left him in this way. Not quite dead, but not really alive either.”
We started out in Emma’s head, left it, and then we’re in Ehan’s.
Now, here’s the same paragraph in limited third person, solely from Emma’s point of view.
“Emma wasn’t sure how long she stared at her brother. “Please Ethan, just an eyelash flutter,” she said. Willing him to give her a sign that he was still inside the body on the hospital bed before her. But nothing happened. Nothing except her tears. Ethan was stuck somewhere between heaven and hell. She knew he had to be pretty pissed off at his botched suicide attempt.”
See the difference? I’m probably not the best person to describe anything other than First Person, since that’s the way I prefer to write. Not sure what POV you should use? Try writing a few paragraphs using different POV’s and see which one flows best for you.
With “Tyler Falls,” I’m writing in First Person POV. Only I’m writing alternating chapters from two different people’s POV. One chapter is Tyler’s POV, the next chapter is Emma’s POV. Alternating between the two. You get to see/hear/feel her thoughts and his — both from their first person POV.
Don’t think it hasn’t been challenging to switch around and get inside their heads along the way. They have two distinctly different voices inside my head when they tell me what to write.
