Transcript:

Have you ever started writing a story, only to realize halfway through that something feels…off? Maybe the characters feel distant, or your world just isn’t coming alive on the page. Quite frequently, the issue isn’t your plot or your characters—it’s your point of view.

Today, we are going to be breaking down all the different POVs to help you make a more educated decision on which one is best for your story. Sometimes you’ll find that the POV you want to write is not the POV that will work the best, so it’s important to understand why that is.

Hi, I’m C. Sloan Lewis, your virtual writing coach, and my goal is to help you not just improve your writing, but to support you as a writer. Welcome to my channel!

Point of view isn’t just a technical choice—it’s the lens between your reader and your story. It controls how close we feel to the characters, how wide our view of the world is, and the voice that colors every single line.

As an English teacher, I’ve seen so many students pick a POV at random, like they’re spinning a mental wheel: “Eh, let’s try first person, how bad could it be?” And sometimes it works—but other times, it’s like trying to tell a heart-pounding thriller through the voice of a distant news anchor.

So, let’s break down the most common POV types, looking at examples from both classics and modern favorites, and talking through tips to help you choose the right one for your story.

1. First Person

First person is the “I” perspective, where everything is filtered through your narrator’s eyes. The big strength here is intimacy. You’re not just watching events unfold, you’re inside the character’s head, feeling what they feel.

Take The Hunger Games. Because we’re in Katniss’s mind, we experience her fear, her anger, and her moral dilemmas in real time. That closeness makes her struggles so much more gripping. A more modern example would be The Cruel Prince, where the romantic tension feels extra powerful because we’re experiencing every emotion right alongside the narrator.

But first person comes with limitations. If your character doesn’t know something, your reader doesn’t know it either. That can make mysteries tricky because you can’t suddenly reveal a hidden plot unless the narrator logically discovers it. Some authors use unreliable narrators to play with this limitation, like in The Catcher in the Rye, Fight Club, or Gone Girl, where what the narrator chooses to tell us shapes the entire story.

2. Third Person Limited

Third person limited is where you’re outside the character, but still closely tied to their perspective. You get the closeness of first person, but with a little more breathing room for description and world-building.

Harry Potter is a great example. We mostly see the story through Harry’s eyes, which keeps us grounded in his experience, but we also get just enough distance to take in the magical world around him.

One of the biggest strengths of third limited is that you can shift perspectives between chapters or sections. That way, you can show multiple sides of the same conflict, something a lot of fantasy authors take advantage of. Think about A Song of Ice and Fire (or Game of Thrones). Each chapter is tied to one character’s viewpoint, and that structure lets us see a massive, complex world without losing intimacy.

But here’s the danger: head-hopping. If you jump from one character’s thoughts to another in the same scene without clear transitions, it confuses the reader and pulls them out of the story. In class, I often tell my students—stick with one “camera” at a time. If you’re filming a scene, the camera can only be on one person’s face. Switching mid-shot just feels messy.

3. Third Person Omniscient

Third person omniscient is the all-knowing narrator. This perspective can dip into any character’s thoughts, provide commentary, or zoom out to describe the big picture.

Classic novels often used this. Pride and Prejudice lets us see Elizabeth’s thoughts, but it also comments on society as a whole. In modern writing, omniscient is less common, but when it’s used well, it’s powerful. For a more recent example, The Night Circus floats between perspectives, which gives it that dreamy, flowy quality.

Omniscient is perfect for epic stories with huge casts and sprawling settings. Think of books like Les Misérables or The Lord of the Rings. You get to see the world from multiple angles, which makes it feel bigger and richer.

The pitfall? If you stay too zoomed out, your story can start to feel distant. Readers want to connect with characters, not just watch them like pieces on a chessboard. Successful omniscient writing often balances the wide scope with intimate character moments.

4. Second Person

And then there’s second person. This is the rarest POV, but when it’s done well, it’s unforgettable. It’s the “you” perspective: “You walk into the room, you see the shadow move.”

Second person pulls the reader directly into the story. You by Caroline Kepnes uses it to creepy, unsettling effect, making you feel like the direct target of the narrator’s obsession. Interactive fiction and “Choose Your Own Adventure” books also thrive in this POV, since it literally puts the reader in the driver’s seat.

But second person is risky. If it doesn’t serve the story, it can feel like a gimmick or even frustrate readers. You don’t want your reader thinking, “Well, I wouldn’t do that.” So use it when it enhances the theme or tone—not just to be different.

Tips for Choosing the Right POV

So how do you actually choose? Start by asking yourself the following questions:

• Whose journey is the emotional core of the story? If your novel is really about one character’s growth, a closer POV like first person or third limited will probably serve you best.
• How much should readers know compared to the characters? If the tension comes from readers discovering alongside your character, stick with a tight POV. But if you want dramatic irony—where the reader knows something the characters don’t—omniscient might be your friend.
• Do you want readers to feel trapped inside one character’s mind, or do you want them to float above and see a bigger picture? The answer to that question will often point you toward the right choice.

But here are some Tips & Pitfalls:

• Avoid head-hopping. Even in omniscient POV, make transitions clear. If you’re moving from one character’s perspective to another, use paragraph or scene breaks so the reader can reset. Think of it like a camera cut in a movie—it signals a shift in focus.
• Stay consistent within scenes. If you start a scene in first person or third limited, don’t suddenly switch mid-paragraph to another POV. That jars the reader out of the story, and that consistency builds trust with your audience.
• Match POV to genre and tone. Thrillers and romances often shine in tight POVs, where every heartbeat and thought feels immediate. Epic fantasies, family sagas, or sprawling histories often thrive in omniscient, where you can show multiple plotlines unfolding at once.
• Think about voice. POV is technical, but it’s also stylistic. A first-person narrator can be funny, unreliable, or brutally honest. An omniscient narrator can be witty, detached, or even act like a character themselves (like Death narrating the Book Thief). The personality of the narrator matters just as much as the choice of perspective.
• Experiment in drafting. Don’t be afraid to rewrite a scene in multiple POVs just to test it. Sometimes the best way to figure out what works is to hear it out loud in different voices. And it’s important to keep in mind that sometimes, you don’t know if you’ve chosen the right tense until you’re deep into your draft. I learned this the hard way with my novel The Soul Child. I originally wrote the entire thing in first person because I wanted that deep connection and urgency. But halfway through the revision process, I realized the story needed more space—for world-building, for perspective shifts, for the bigger picture. It was a lot of work, but the results were worth it.

But that’s all from me today. Now I’d love to hear from you—what’s your favorite POV to write in, and why? Drop it in the comments.

If you found this helpful, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share with a fellow writer. And as always, you’ve got some writing to do, so I’ll see you in the next video. Ta-ta!