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Question: I'm not sure on which point of view I should use!?
The story I'm writing is about these four friends, Sylvia, Fiona, Cass and Zoe!.

I started off writing first person point of view (Zoe)!. But now I'm having doubts!.
First person point of view uses "I" and "My" a lot, and it gets sort of repetitive, depending on the story!.

What are your thoughts on choosing point of views!? When you start to write a story, how do you choose!?
Thanks!.Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
well i write alot of books right now i'm writing three

two of mine are in third person using she and he which is alot easier if when your writing you like to switch points of veiws

one of mine is in first person which is good if your doing one persons view throughout the whole book!. i agree sometimes when i write in first person i feel as if i'm using i and my too much but that's just what first person is

my advise would be if you don't like first person or are having doughts then you should try re writng what you have already written and see which one is easier for you or which one you think sounds better with you story

hope i've been some help and good luck with your bookWww@QuestionHome@Com

It depends on the kind of story you want to tell!. For example, I'm writing a noir murder mystery and first person is really key for that style!.

The thing you have to remember when writing first person is that your narrator should not represent everything exactly as-is, fairly, or completely accurate!. She/he should be unreliable; after all, do you represent everything completely accurately when you tell a story to another person!? A key to making the story believable and richly written is to not make your narrator simply the observer and the voice of the story, but to make sure that your narrator is a compelling character!. You do that by showing, not telling; give examples of your character being wrong, or lying, or not being reliable - and you'll have a more interactive story on your hands!.

I shy away from first person in general just because it is incredibly difficult to write, especially when your character is a great deal different from you, like my middle-aged killer detective is from me!. :)

What easiest for me is third person personal, which is how the Harry Potter series is written!. It's written from Harry's perspective, but in the third person!. For example, "Harry wondered" and "Harry realized" -- that's not in the first person, of course, but it's still from a particular character's perspective and it allows your as the writer to deviate a bit from Harry's thoughts and segue into description or exposition, if you like!.

Anyway, hope this helps!. Ultimately, the right POV for your story depends on the kind of story you want to tell and the way you want to represent the story to the reader!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I like reading 1st person stories because a character is telling the story so it seems more personal!. You can see inside their head and hear their thoughts and get a better understanding of the character!.

3rd person is all 'he', 'she', 'they', etc!. it can sometimes seem detached!. of course you can see everything that happens as it happens ( there is no guessing to events that happens because it can almost be told as facts)!. You don't get to see inside of the characters heads because they aren't telling the story!.

But you could use both POV to show what happens and how people feel about it!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Third Person Omniscient/ Third Person Subjective gives you kind of an "all seeing" power, allowing you, the author, to know everything about everything in your story!. But First Person gives you a chance to identify more with the narrator(s)!. But both has its disadvantages!.

Edit: While the general rule is for novels to adopt a single approach to point of view throughout, there are exceptions!. Epistolary novels, very common in the early years of the novel, generally consist of a series of letters written by different characters, and necessarily switching when the writer changes; the classic book Dracula by Bram Stoker takes this approach!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I don't mind reading good books in the 1st person, but I absolutely detest writing stuff in the first person for the exact reasons that make you stumble If you want to read an author who uses multiple POV, all in first person, read Barbara Kingsolver's the Poisonwood Bible!. She does a really, really good job at it!.

I hate writing in first person, so I'm biased =)Www@QuestionHome@Com

I like third person omniscient!. That way you can view from a distance, but still get a small look inside heads!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I would go with third person!. It allows for more subplots and complexity but really it's just more of a personal preference for me!.Www@QuestionHome@Com