#pov help

[writeroftheprompts]

Could you help explain the difference/benefits of limited 3rd pov vs 1st? I'm confused because since 3rd limited means you can only know what the character sees and thinks, it seems like the only difference is the pronoun. Like, "The room looked inviting, so she took a step in" could be the same with "I" just replacing "she". I know there must be more to it which is why I'm asking--love your blog and would love any advice as I'm trying to figure out which to use for my story.

This is a really great question! There are some pretty subtle differences between first person and third person limited that mostly have to do with voice and style. Basically, when you are writing in first person its like you are possessing that character and writing everything exactly as they observe and feel it. The narrator is the character and so the narration needs to fit their voice. Any thoughts or opinions belong to the character. This is the closest possible narrator to the character and because of this it’s typically the best for creating an emotional attachment to the character for the reader which lends itself to certain genres. This kind of narration is also good for things like unreliable narrators since the only insight the reader has into this world, the plot, and the rest of the characters is this character’s thoughts through their eyes. 

In third person limited the narrator is not the character, even though the narrator only knows what the POV character knows. This is like a disembodied voice that has no action, effect or part in the story itself but is still very slightly separated from the character. This narrator is technically impartial and can bring in their own voice so it does not have to reflect the POV character’s voice though it does commonly mirror the character’s tone (unless you want to make a statement about the character and their actions like showing them over or under reacting or showing some irony). This narrator also makes it easier if you want to make some moments that are a bit more detached (with discretion of course). However, the downside (or upside depending on what you're doing) is that because of the slight separation between narrator and character there is also more separation between the character and the reader. If the story you are writing is more character focused and relies more on that connection this is something to think about, not that you can't create a really good attachment with this tense, of course. 

I hope this helped! It can be pretty tricky to decide on narratorial voice since it will impact so much of how the story is told and how readers engage with it and these two are very similar. Basically, when it comes down to it you can treat the two as virtually the same with just changing the pronouns but I hope my explanation makes it easier to see how there are subtle aspects of narrations that you can play with depending on what you choose. 

[writeroftheprompts]

Hi! I’m plotting a story where the main cast consists of five characters. What’s the best way to go about this? I know head hopping can be disorienting in a novel, but there are points in the story where everyone gets separated and I really want to get inside their heads when this happens. Any advice is super appreciated!

The reason that “head hopping” can be disorienting is that it isn’t clear whose POV I’m reading. This comes down to two mains things: jumping around too often and not having a clear voice. You can’t switch POV every paragraph, it gives the reader whiplash and it’s not enough time to actually understand their position in the story, where their head is, and what they are doing in the scene. As a general rule of thumb, it’s best to at least get through a scene with one character before moving to the next, though I think most books I’ve read that switch POVs take it chapter by chapter. 

Having a clear voice for the characters also makes it much easier to identify which character we’re dealing with. Within the first couple of sentences I need to know whose perspective I’m seeing. This can come across from the way the character speaks or thinks as well as what topics they are concerned with. Even though all the characters might be working against the same conflict they should different ways of approaching it, different concerns and also some side concerns that might be specific to them. if I know what it is special about each character, as in the reason that you thought it was important to give them their own POV in the story, than it is a lot easier to distinguish the characters and clue in immediately with the narration.

[writeroftheprompts]

Hi! I'm currently trying to write a story about pirates. I can't figure out (pt. 1) if I should have it be in first person or third person. (even though I'm already on like. chapter three) I'm better with third person, but I feel like I wont be able to get the same level of emotion that I could with first person.(I have this one character who's very weird and eccentric. And for humor, I want to include her thoughts or like weird little things she says. Sort of like theatrical asides)

(pt. 2) But again, im better with third person. Because im always worried about how many “I” sentences I have in one paragraph. Could you give me some advice on which point of view I should use? And while im at it, some advice on how to write pirate stories? Or pirates in general? Thanks.

I wrote this post discussing some of the things to keep in mind when choosing first or third person. I should mention that you can still get quite personal with an MC in a third person limited POV where you can get inside their heads. For example: Zoey slammed the door even though nobody else was home. If Danny thought he was going to fix this with plastic roses that smelled of gasoline, she needed to rethink going home with men she met at bars. Or was Danny from the gym? 

If you’re worried about too many “I” sentences, here’s a tip: a lot of writers will include bits like “I thought” and “I felt” instead of just writing it out. For example, in a sentence like I thought that if Danny was really sorry about what he’d done he could at least apologize rather than hand me that sad fauxquet and wiggling his eyebrows. you could easily remove the “I thought” part and it would still make perfect sense. Or I felt my nose sting when I got a whiff of those flowers could be switched to My nose stung when I got a whiff of those flowers. The story is in her perspective, we know that these are Zoey’s thoughts so you don’t need to state it outright. Of course there is a time and a place for these bits (Why I thought this was a good idea, I’ll never know.) but it’s something that can make the story cleaner and smoother. Decide what feels most natural to you and what is going to bring out the most from your characters and the plot. 

As for the pirates…I’m coming up a little dry there.