Points of View

In another episode of “Show Your Age,” I shamelessly stole borrowed this title from a BBC TV show that used to run for five minutes, right before the 9:00 news, every… Tuesday, I think? It might still be running–I don’t know. But in my day it was hosted by Barry Took, who was later replaced by Anne “You Are the Weakest Link” Robinson. Essentially, the presenter would read a selection of letters to the BBC–some praising certain programs, others critiquing or complaining–and offer response where appropriate. This article has absolutely nothing to do with Barry Took, Anne Robinson, or BBC programming–but thanks for the brief jaunt down memory lane. Now to the real substance of my article.

If you’ve clicked on the “WIP” tab at the top (some might say that should be “WiP” since “in” is a preposition, and you don’t usually capitalize prepositions in titles, but this is my blog and I want to call it a WIP so… there!) you’ll know that my MC (Main Character) is a teenage alien who inadvertently finds herself in Victorian London. I originally started writing this from a “third person” POV (Point of View… so I suppose you’ll say that should be “PoV”–but again, my blog…) and got about three chapters in when I thought it might be more interesting if it were “first person”–actually written from the perspective of the alien. This would present me with a couple of challenges. First, she’s female, and I’m not. Second, she’s an alien, and I’m not (well, not since I became a naturalized US citizen, and even then I wasn’t originally from another planet, though sometimes it feels like it… but I digress). Third, she’s sixteen years old, and I’m not (really, I’m not). Some might recoil in horror at such challenges. I salivate.

So I launched into a re-write of chapter one from a First Person PO/oV. As you might imagine, the first challenge was getting the voice right. Not only am I narrating the story as a girl, but as an alien girl who, while being fluent in English (for reasons that fit very well with the premise, I hasten to add), is not of this world and so doesn’t necessarily think like people from Earth. I’m still not sure I’ve got this right, and I must say, I have been tempted to revert back to the Third Person PO/oV because it’s easier.

“What’s the difference?” you might ask, especially if you’re not particularly writerly. Let me ‘splain. No–too long. I sum up. Point of View can be from three different perspectives: First (I, we), Second (you, y’all–I live in the South, so this is perfectly legit), and Third (he, she, they). Second is not very common in literature (Charles Benoit recently wrote a YA novel called YOU that’s Second Person–it’s on my TBR (To Be Read–or should that be tBR??) list), Third is probably the most common, but First has a long heritage in classic literature (JANE EYRE, SHERLOCK HOLMES, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD–and I’m sure you can think of others), and is very popular in YA (Young Adult). Third can be subdivided into “close” or “personal”–essentially where the narrator follows the MC, and only reports what the MC sees and knows (the Harry Potter books are mostly like this), and “omniscient,” where the narrator reports everything relevant to the story–even things the MC doesn’t know. These are rough and crude definitions intended to give you an idea of what they mean. Other writer blogs, dictionaries, Wikipedia articles can give you more precise definitions with much better examples, I’m sure.

“Why choose one over the other?” The main advantage with First is that you get inside your MC’s head. You hear his/her thoughts, you feel what s/he feels, and experience the world through his/her eyes. This can make for powerful storytelling, and help get your reader invested in the fortunes of your MC, which is very important if you want them to care what happens and continue reading to the end. The disadvantage (although some might consider this an advantage) is that you are only as aware of other characters and their motivations as your MC. If your MC doesn’t know if someone is lying, neither do you. If your MC can’t read someone’s emotions, neither can you. If your MC thinks someone is fat and ugly, so must you–since that’s the only perception of the person you have. A clever writer can overcome these by finding ways to suggest that the MC’s perspective may be flawed, and things may not necessarily be as they seem to him/her. As you might guess, the advantage with Third omniscient is that you are looking at the story objectively, and can see things your MC can’t see. This means you can build tension by setting up situations that will be a surprise to your MC, but you can see coming. For example, you know the locked room is riddled with booby-traps, but the MC is determined to find a way in. He/she doesn’t know the danger in the room, but you do, and you’re almost screaming at the page “Don’t do it! Don’t go in there!” And your turning pages, and the author is happy.

Third person “close”/”personal” is actually very much like First, only you are using “he” or “she” and not “I.” And it’s here where we return to my struggle. As I vacillate between these two options, the only reason I can really think of to go with Third “close” over First is voice. With both perspectives, you are only concerned with what the MC sees and knows. You can describe his/her feelings, thoughts, and perspective just as well with either. The main difference is that First is written as if the MC is talking. In my case, this means the story is being told by a sixteen-year-old female alien, using language and phrasing that would be natural to her. With Third Person, I wouldn’t have to worry about that except for dialog. Otherwise, I could narrate the story using my own voice. The advantage with Third is that my own voice is easier for me to write, and might be easier for my audience to read. On the other hand, my alien’s voice is actually quite entertaining. She’s not scientifically inclined at all (contrary to most alien stereotypes), so she can be a little ditzy–not knowing the words for things, getting hung up on the way people look, not understanding how things work, and sometimes being incredibly naive and tactless. I think there’s more potential for my readers to feel sympathy for her if I write in her voice than if I write in my own.

So right now, I’m plowing on with First Person. Though every now and again I still wonder if maybe Third would be better–but am I just being lazy? I don’t know. That’s it for today’s “Inside the Writer’s Head.” I appreciate any thoughts, suggestions, or general comments!