Point of view. A mix between who tells the story and how it is told. It’s a basic simple thing on the surface, you can’t even start a story without some frame of reference. This is your POV. Everything that is seen, felt, tasted, experienced, or explained is coming from a particular point of view. There are books on it. Many. I’ve read a few. I’ve also read a lot of stories–one of the best ways to get a taste of POV. And important to read from all historical categories–you are missing out if you haven’t read Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, Pride and Prejudice, Canterbury Tales..etc.
So what is POV good for? I look at POV as the tool that adds the most to character development, subtext, and character motivations. POV defines the way these things are imparted to the reader, and at what level of intensity. It can, at times, define just how intense that emotional quality comes across. But it’s not the only tool, and can’t be used alone in effective storycraft.
POV helps to define your characters. If you are writing a story, an action story, an adventure story–character development can be on the light side. Indiana Jones. Stories in the Star Wars Universe. We are there for the heart pounding action. POV doesn’t need to go deep. Nobody feels bad that those characters are paper-thin. We aren’t missing anything–the characters and the emotional intensity of the story–match.
If you are writing about characters that have deep emotional needs and conflicts, a more penetrating POV is needed. Part of the experience of the read comes from going through the emotional struggles and changes with the characters.
Emotional struggle, though a powerful element often brought to us via POV, can’t by itself carry a novel length piece of fiction–it can barely carry a scene. Remember, I’m not talking about short story–I’m talking novel here. Big difference scene vs short story.
There has to be conflict, outer conflict–outer conflict that results in inner conflict. And it has to be the right kind of conflict.
