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How Point of View Makes Characters Come to Life

by Carol Umberger

 

Point of view (POV) isn’t just a technique for telling a story. It isn’t simply a matter of deciding who will narrate a particular book, chapter, or scene. POV done well adds meaning, subtext and suspense and it is essential in the development of character and plot. POV is the foundation for creating an intimate relationship between the reader and the book’s focal characters. That intimacy is what makes characters come to life on the page and keeps the reader’s interest.

The terms point of view and perception are pretty much interchangeable. Perception is defined as an awareness of the environment through physical sensation. That physical sensation is then interpreted in light of one’s experience. In other words, reality is what someone perceives it to be, based on experience. You may have heard the story of the three blind men describing an elephant. One man ran his hands on the leg and said, “This is a tree.” The second man explored the trunk and said, “No, this is a snake.” The third man grasped the tail and said, “No. You are all wrong. This is a rope.”  Each man “saw” the elephant in a different way, based upon his experience with it. This is called perspective, which is what point of view is all about.

Each of us is unique in our experience of the world and our viewpoint. And so are the characters we create. Using all the power of point of view unleashes that uniqueness on the written page much as an actor imbues a role with his own idiosyncrasies and worldview.

Another consideration in understanding viewpoint is this: why do people read fiction? To be entertained. To escape into another world. To experience another time or place vicariously. However, one can read a non-fiction history book or a book on oceanography or a travel diary if all one wants is to experience a different time and place through a factual recital.

What makes fiction different is that the reading experience is an emotional one—the place they visit becomes real because they experience it through the emotions of the characters. The reader identifies with the character, in essence, becomes the character. The reader experiences an event through the perspective of another person, thus broadening their worldview. But readers can’t know what to think or how to feel about an event unless the viewpoint character shows them.

In his book, “The Techniques of the Selling Writer,” Dwight Swain says that feeling is the place every story starts. Feelings spring from the human heart and as a writer it is your job to bring this heartfelt feeling to your reader. This search for feeling is one of the main reasons people read fiction. The technique used to relay those emotions is point of view.

You as the writer must decide whose story you are telling—whose viewpoint and perspective, whose feelings and emotions– will provide the focus for the action in the book or in a particular scene. Perhaps you will decide that the entire book will be written from one character’s POV. Perhaps you want both the protagonist/hero and the antagonist/villain. Maybe three POVs are needed if you want to give the heroine’s POV as well.

Deciding on who tells the story affects the way your reader experiences the story.

Many people think first person is the most intimate POV because the reader can know everything the character thinks and feels. Such a character must be extremely unique and interesting in order to keep the reader’s interest. But unless the POV is expertly done this intimacy is gained at the risk of losing the ability to identify with a character.

The least intimate POV is omniscient. Many beginning writers write in omniscient, or some hybrid between omniscient and 3^rd person. This allows them to let the reader know what each character is thinking as each event unfolds. The problem with this “head hopping” from one character to another is a lack of focus. This creates distance between the reader and the character and leads to a great deal of telling of a story rather than dramatizing through character reactions. It is much, much easier to tell a story than it is to show it though the characters actions and dialogue. Don’t take the easy way out—learn to stay focused in one character’s head for an entire scene or chapter.

The best course for the new writer is third person. You can limit the POV to one character throughout the book or as is most common, have 2 or 3 POV characters. The key is to stick with one character’s viewpoint for an entire scene. I recommend use of third person for beginning writers until they understand the mechanics of both POV and scene structure.

Movies and stage productions have an advantage over books in that they are visual. We can see facial expression, body language and the surroundings. We can hear the cadences of voices and the musical background. We can literally see characters reactions to one another and to events.

How do you do that on the written page? You center your scene on a character who stands to win or lose, so your readers can feel for him or against him. To be effective, each scene must possess a focal character or viewpoint character through whose eyes we see the story unfold.  In effect, we get inside that character’s skin, inside his head.

By staying in one character’s skin, one POV for an entire scene, you allow your reader to bond with that character. Staying in one character’s point of view, showing how he sees the world through his reactions, allows your reader to get to know the character and to identify with them. To see that they have emotions and interests in common with the character.

If you think of POV as being a movie camera, visualize a hand-held, amateur video where the camera never stays put long enough to really see what’s happening. This is exactly what happens to your reader when you switch POV constantly. You yank them away from one character and take them into another one’s head. But you don’t stay with either of them long enough for the reader to identify with them or care about them.

Taking this movie analogy further, you the author are the book’s director: you know the story and the characters. You call the shots and place the camera in position. But the reader can only know what the camera records from its perspective, ie the point of view that you have chosen. As the author you must get out of your point of view, the perspective from which you view the scene, and be able to see what you write as the reader sees it. All that counts for the reader is what you have written down, not what you think you have written down.

A story concerns itself with someone’s reaction to what happens–feelings, emotions, impulses, dreams, ambition, motivations and inner conflicts. Your character must clue the reader into those feelings and emotions.

The first sentences of every scene must set the stage and anchor the reader to time and place. As quickly as possible, make it clear which character is telling this part of the story. Use the telling details of time and space and character reactions to what they see, touch, hear, smell, or taste. In other words, use the five senses to anchor the reader. After all, our senses are how we experience real life. Give those same clues to your reader so that they can experience what the character is experiencing.

Let’s look at a scene from my first book, Circle of Honor, (The Scottish Crown Series, Integrity Publishers) which is set in 14^th century Scotland.

 

“Wake up, lass,” a woman’s voice crooned. “Come, ‘tis only a bad dream. Ye are safe.”

As the nightmare and its terror faded, Gwenyth fearfully opened her eyes to see a woman sitting by her bed. Gwenyth touched the covers, to see if they were real and not straw, to know the dream was truly over. The reality of the warm, soft bed and the sweet-smelling chamber sank in and her sobs quieted.

 

The POV character is Gwenyth and we know this because her emotional reaction is fear. She sees a woman, she touches the bedding, she smells something pleasant. These sensory details reassure her—and the reader– that the dream and its terror are gone. The fact that we live seven centuries after this woman hasn’t changed what it feels like to awaken from a bad dream and your reader immediately identifies with the character.

Once you have clearly established the POV character, continue the scene using that character’s reactions, emotions, and sensory details to remain firmly in her head. The reader can only know what this character experiences.

Let’s create a scene where a husband is waiting for his wife in a restaurant. He is drinking coffee, reading the paper and wondering if his wife will be late as usual. We are in his POV. He hears the bell over the door and looks up. She comes in, face flushed red from running. Wait, how does he know she was running? Did he see it? Not unless we tell the reader that he saw her through the window.

So he saw her through the window and says, “You know, if you left a little earlier you wouldn’t have to run.”

She just stands there, doesn’t remove her coat. Her face is not only red but he can see from her expression that something has upset her.

He knows he has only seconds to make amends before she turns and leaves. Before he can say anything she bursts into tears.

She hasn’t said a word and we only know her through the eyes of the POV character. But we know, as he does, that something upsetting has happened to make her late. What is it? This is the tension an author can build with POV to make the reader want to turn the page. Here we see that POV helps to create suspense by conveying information that only one character knows.

In a few paragraphs we have created characters that seem perfectly real because we have clued the reader through sensory details and emotional reactions. We watched this little story unfold through the perspective of one character and yet got to know them both.

Point of view is the single-most powerful tool in a writer’s toolbox. It is the foundation for creating the intimate experience that makes characters seem real and keeps the reader turning the pages. Many books on writing touch upon the subject of POV, but for an in-depth study of the subject I recommend “The Power of Point of View” by Alicia Rasley. By mastering this technique you will truly bring your characters, and your stories, to life.

 

 

Top Ten Mistakes of Beginning Writers

By

Carol Umberger

I often judge contests for unpublished writers and I find certain mistakes are pretty common. I remember making quite a few of them myself once upon a time. Here they are in no particular order.

#1. Back story. Background information is necessary–for the author. But let your reader get to know the characters the same way they get to know people in real life–gradually.

#2. Shifting Viewpoint. Tell each scene through the eyes of one character. POV must be clear and consistent so your reader will feel the way you want him to feel. One POV per scene.

#3. Conflict. What stands in the way of the hero reaching his goal? It better be something big, if he is to perform in a truly heroic way to reach his goal.

#4. Telling. Don’t tell the story through an omniscient narrator. Show the story unfolding in scenes that dramatize events.

#5. Character Motivation. Why does your character want to reach his goal? Why is it important to him? What’s at stake if he doesn’t reach it?

#6. Cause and effect. Things happen for a reason, not for the convenience of the author. Fiction is make believe but it has to be more logical than real life.

#7. Scene structure. Proper scene structure heightens the tension and keeps the pages turning. Make sure your characters respond to the actions and words of other characters.

#8. Lack of emotional response. If the house is burning, don’t make me wonder how the character feels. Is he scared but calm? Totally panicked? Show me through his words and actions.

#9.Balance narration and dialogue. Don’t dump information in large blocks of narration. Don’t allow your character to lecture. Learn how to use dialogue tags and beats to make dialogue flow smoothly.

#10. Use proper manuscript format. Yes, if the writing is brilliant the editor may overlook your pink paper and fancy font but why take a chance? Follow the publisher’s guidelines and make your work look professional. And don’t rely on spellchecker to proofread your manuscript.

If you can master these 10 things you will be well on your way to seeing your work in print. In my soon to be launched blog I will go iinto greater detail on several of these items. Stay tuned.