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)