By DiAnn Mills @diannmills

Plotting is unique to each writer’s personality and method of structuring a novel. Some writers are married to their outlines. Some are seat-of-the-pants writers, and some are a mix of both. Organic writing allows the character to lead the way in the story with a heavy emphasis on wants, needs, desires, flaws, and internal issues.

Point of view—POV—plays a critical role in every story. A scene is experienced through the eyes of the character who has the most to lose. Discovering that uniqueness takes the writer back to Mastering Plot I—developing characters.

A writer asks herself, “Which character has the most to lose?”

The POV character takes center stage. Every word of the scene is filtered through the character’s sensory perception.

Most novels are either first-person or third-person point of view. A writer uses only one character’s viewpoint per scene so the reader stays engaged.

First Person

Everything is told from the narrator’s viewpoint of “I.” The advantage is intimacy. It’s easy to believe what the character says, thinks, does, and experiences—like a friend telling you about an event. Or reading someone else’s diary.

First-person POV is frequently used in literary and mainstream novels but all genres employ the technique. To the reader, first person takes on a dual role of character and author, thus increasing emotion right from the beginning. The reader cares.

The disadvantage of first person comes from interjecting the writer’s thoughts and feelings instead of using the character’s traits. Another challenge is describing the character without sounding self-centered. A third problem is lack of an accurate perspective. The first-person narrator may have unreliable information. Will the reader feel cheated or deceived when her treasured character is proven wrong?

A writer can use a single first-person POV or multiples. If using multiples, identify the viewpoint character’s name before the scene or chapter begins.

Third Person

In third-person, use “he,” “she,” or the character’s name.

Third-person is the most prevalent among writers. Multiple third-person POVs gives the writer a variety of perspectives from which to show the story. Be aware that each time a writer changes POV, the writer is asking the reader to make a mental adjustment to the new character’s traits. Too many changes and the reader becomes disinterested.

When using multiples, identify the character in the first sentence of each new scene or chapter.

Omniscient

Omniscient point of view means the writer can inhabit several characters’ heads at the same time. But this makes it difficult for the reader to form a bond with a single character. The story may appear distant and confusing, and the reader may not understand why. Today’s readers prefer to be part of the adventure by experiencing a single character, one scene at a time.

Varying degrees of POV allows the writer to set the amount of psychic distance between the reader and the character. According to the goal of the scene and the character’s traits and role in the story, a writer can choose third-person to write distant, close, or deep POV. Powerful scenes emerge from deep POV, but I’ve also read terrifying scenes from a distant viewpoint.

Deep POV allows the reader to easily step into the viewpoint character’s shoes, experiencing every action and reaction through the character’s senses. The reader wants to be that character. She has stepped into the character’s closet (head) and dressed in the character’s traits and emerged as the POV character. What appeals to you more: a movie on TV or a 3-D movie experience? Like the reader is experiencing things in 3-D. This is what deep POV accomplishes. Agreed, not every movie is best viewed in 3-D so examine your story and characters to see if they’re a candidate for a deep point of view.

To master this technique, search for areas in the manuscript where the character sees, hears, tastes, smells, or touches—and rewrite the passage so the character experiences the action. Key words to avoid are realized, wondered, scanned. Often telling prepositional phrases can toss the reader out of the character’s head.

Deep point of view helps the writer to show rather than tell, but the technique is more about creating a close bond between the character and reader. The internal dialogue, emotions, and body language must come from the character’s heart and mind, providing the reader with an intimate experience.

In Mastering Plot – Part IV, I’ll share an overall picture of the beginning, middle, and ending of a novel.

What questions do you have about point of view?

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests. Firewall, the first book in her Houston: FBI series, was listed by Library Journal as one of the best Christian Fiction books of 2014.

DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Suspense Sister, and International Thriller Writers. She is co-director of The Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference with social media specialist Edie Melson. She teaches writing workshops around the country. DiAnn is active online and would love to connect with readers on any of the social media platforms listed at http://www.diannmills.com