What is Point of View?
When one writes stories, there are many things to consider. There is the obvious plot. There are the characters. There is the dialogue and narrative. And there is the point of view (POV).
What is point of view? What does it have to do with the story? Let’s investigate.
Defining Point of View
What is point of view? According to Webster, POV is “a position or perspective from which something is considered or evaluated”. The point of view a story is written is described which character the perspective is seen.
In the Twilight series the entire story is told from Bella’s point of view. In the Harry Potter books, it is told from Harry’s point of view. We are in their minds. Other people’s thoughts are revealed through their actions and not by letting inside their heads. Murder on the Orient Express is told through the point of view of Hercule Poirot.
Some stories can be told from multiple points of view. I would say that The Lord of the Rings is one such example. As the reader, we can see into Frodo’s mind at times as well as Gandalf’s mind. There is no one person we see the story through. No one person is telling the story.
