Understanding Point of View

One common mistake among beginning writers is the failure to really understand point of view (POV). Novels published earlier than the eighties often confused point of view and we were used to it.

Current trend though, insists that authors stay true to the viewpoint character and not switch back and forth at random. Point of view is most easily illustrated by thinking of your keyboard (or pen or whatever you write with) as a movie camera. Picture looking through the viewfinder. Whatever you can see and know from there is your point of view.

For example, you may see that Jim is wearing a bloodred turtleneck and his face is downcast. You cannot, however, see what Jim is thinking, know why he picked that turtleneck unless he told you, or what he plans to do later. If your viewpoint character walks into a room, "see" that room through his eyes. Stop short of explaining things which cannot be known by the viewpoint character at that moment.

Is is entirely permissible and often desirable to switch points of view throughout your novel, adding texture and depth by looking at the situations from other viewpoints. However, there should be a clean break--a chapter break, leaving a double line of space, etc.--so that the reader knows you have switched characters. You cannot tell what Marla thinks and what John thinks in the same paragraph.

Yes, I know you've seen it done. So have I. Occasionally it works or is willfully overlooked when done by the masters. But neither you nor I are masters yet, so don't try it!

Camy Tang is the author of several romance books as well as a very informative blog for writers called The Story Sensei. She does a fantastic job of explaining Deep POV, which helped me tremendously.

Click here to learn more tricks for creating believable fiction.
http://storysensei.blogspot.com/2005/11/deep-point-of-view.html