Writing Perspectives

Which Perspective Best Suits Your Book? 

(I accidentally early-posted this in my IG feed, so I’m just going to post it here for anyone who missed it)

When you sit down to write a book, one of the essential decisions to make before putting pen to paper is this: which perspective should this be? 

For me, there can be a lot of pressure in choosing the point of view (POV) because I know it significantly impacts the reader’s experience. It changes who you root for, how thoroughly you experience the world/setting, and how much you might connect to the character(s).  

I’m going to walk you through the three basic POVs, pros and cons for each of them, and which genres in which you typically find each perspective. 

First Person: Uses I/me/my 

Pro: Traditionally, first person POV is the closest that the reader can get to the protagonist. Since there is no external narrator, the character’s direct thoughts are broadcast to the reader, so we can access and intimately know that character and their motivations, goals, and opinions.  

Pro: We as readers are able to experience the story through that character, and the more we get to see colored through their personal lens, the more that we root for them and relate to them. It’s a great way to provide that connection to a reader.  

Con: The reader is limited to one character, so everything is colored with that person’s biases. It can lead to disliking one character simply because the protagonist does.  

Con: We can be limited to our information about the world. We only know what the character does, so if they’re in a place where they have been for a long time, they may no longer notice anything new, so neither do we.  

Typical Genres: nonfiction, short stories, contemporary romance, mystery, middle grade/young adult 

Second Person: Uses you/your 

This is the least common POV. It’s difficult to pull off successfully, but when it’s done right it can have significant positive impact on the reader and their experience.  

Pro: Sets the reader on edge. Makes them hyperfocus on what is right in front of them.  

Con: Can be confusing.  

Typical Genres: literary fiction, poetry, alternate forms like the chorus in Greek mythology/plays 

Third Person: Uses they/he/she, them/him/her, theirs/his/hers 

Please note that third person POV is unique in that its distance from the narrator plays a big part in the reading experience. Third person limited POV is very close to one character, while third person omniscient can access the mind of any character—and even non-characters, like the setting and narrator, if the narrator is separate from the cast of characters.  

Pro: Gives the reader access to all available information, whether by setting or by character/experience.  

Pro: Not only can the narrative and the reader hop from character to character, but also to different settings and time periods quite easily.  

Con: The reader may not feel particularly connected to any one character; they may not be invested in and root for who may be considered the protagonist.  

Con: The story itself can get scrambled and confusing. While the reader has access to a lot of information, it’s easy to drown in it.  

Typical Genres: sci-fi/fantasy, speculative and horror, thriller/mystery, paranormal romance 

I hope this breakdown helps you narrow down the perspective that is right for your story.  

Be aware that, while each genre has a typical POV, it doesn’t mean that you must follow this dividing system accordingly. Many of these genres have multiple perspectives that are often used, so it’s up to you to decide what is essential about your book(s) and how that dictates the correct perspective.  

Always read in your genre, as you’ll be more aware of the popular POVs currently trending, as well as other tropes and plot devices that the current audience is searching out (For example, I pay attention to subgenres in romance because contemporary and short romance typically falls in first person, while paranormal romance falls in third person).  

Which of these perspectives is your preferred to write? Which one is your favorite to read? Share your experiences below! 

Shelby (she/her)

Can You Even Write Anything Original Anymore?

Every author wants to write original stories.  

Surely, at some point, there’s been an idea that sparks in your mind and, when you go to jot down what is running through your mind, you realize that it’s really just a low-rent version of Star Wars.  

You throw your pen down on your desk and rub your temples in frustration. Why can’t I just come up with something genuine? Something on my own?  

I hate to break it to you, but that’s impossible.  

While plagiarism is frowned upon, and I will never suggest you take someone else’s words for your own, I recognize the reality around us. It’s been thousands of years—or millions; I’m not hating on anyone’s belief system—so, of course, all of the good stories have been taken by now.  

The tropes that we love reading—found family, hero saves the princess, dystopian futuristic tragedy, enemies to lovers, etc.—have been done. They’ve been dissected down into plot points and archetypes that writers have used for generations.  

When we use those tropes today, that doesn’t mean that we’re plagiarizing early writers. We take the framework of a story, and we build our own perspectives, nuances, characters, and settings around it.  

We make it our own story.  

It doesn’t make it 100% original, but with 500,000-1,000,000 books published each year (and that’s traditionally published. Don’t forget the independently published books that are taking the publishing industry by storm), you’re not going to be able to find a fully original book anywhere.  

We all take inspiration from our favorite books, characters, movies, and even the people around us. There’s no way to avoid taking inspiration from something, and instead coming up with a fully original story.  

It just isn’t going to happen.  

So, what should we all do in a world surrounded by “unoriginal” content?  

Don’t hold back from writing the story you want to write.  

Take your favorite parts of the stories you love and assemble them in your own unique way.  

Put your heart into the story you’re writing—or have wanted to write for years but haven’t found the time—and put yours out there into the 1 million going to be published this year.  

What is your opinion on originality in publishing? We want to know! 

And keep an eye out for another blog post about how to use the stories you love to improve your own writing. Let me know when I should post it! 

Shelby (she/her)

Meet Your Editor

Hi folx! 

I’m really happy and appreciative that you decided to check out my blog and join me on this journey. 

I wanted to take the opportunity to introduce myself, and I hope you’ll do the same and let me know a bit about you, too. What I want to do here is establish a community.  

My name is Shelby, and I’m an editor of indie fiction.  

My favorite books to read are stories with LGBTQ+ representation, because I am proudly queer! It’s really comforting to read stories about other people in my community, and I’m loving how queer stories are making their way into the indie market.  

Character-driven stories are my favorite. I love action and adventure as much as the next person, but I personally love reading and writing character-driven stories. You get to dig into their emotions and connect with the character on a deeper level. 

In my opinion, every great story needs a great protagonist (not necessarily a “good” protagonist, where they’re the high-morals type, but an impactful and authentic protagonist).  

Romance and magic (paranormal romance, fantasy, magical realism, mythology retellings, etc.)  are my personal favorites genres. I also enjoy a good mystery. I have less experience with genres like historical, horror, and sci-fi, but there are exceptions to every rule.  

I’m 26 when I’m writing this, and I have my BA in English and my MA in Publishing, Editorial. 

I’ve orchestrated, edited, and indie published an LGBTQ+ Alaskan fiction anthology called Finding Your Aurora. That was such a fun process, and I’m hands-down doing more anthologies in the future, so please let me know if you’d be interested in submitting or what themes might be fun (I’m thinking queer, magical, shifters, mythology and fairytales flipped on their head—topics like that).  

I think that’s a good enough start for my introduction. Ask me questions and tell me about you in the comments area (We can learn how this works together).  

Let’s get to know each other, and let’s grow our community!  

Best wishes and happy summer! 

Shelby (she/her)