It’s essential to use the right point of view in creative writing. You want your readers to feel like they are in your story. There are three main points of view:
- first person
- second person
- third person
First-person is when the narrator is talking about themselves.
The second person is when the narrator is talking directly to the reader.
The third person is when the narrator is talking about someone else.
Which one should you use?
That depends on what you’re trying to achieve.
The third-person omniscient point of view can be used for various purposes, such as showing insights into the characters’ thoughts or revealing backstories that would otherwise be unavailable to the reader. This point of view can also create a sense of distance between the reader and the characters, making it less emotionally intense for readers who might not want to get too attached to any one character in particular.
The third person is often chosen for stories that have more than one main character or focus on more than one storyline at one time, such as Lord of the Rings by R. R. Tolkien.
In the third person, you would use words such as ‘they’, ‘them’, ‘he’, ‘she’ and the characters’ names.
On the other hand, a first-person point of view can make readers feel more connected to the narrator and give them a stronger sense of investment in what happens in the story. It can also be more intimate and, therefore, more emotive than the third person’s limited point of view. It can be easier for the writer to delve into the main character’s thoughts and feelings, often resulting in a character that is more developed and understood by the reader. An example of a novel written in the first person is Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre.
Some writers may also choose to alternate points of view by chapter or section so that the story will be written in first person throughout but with different characters’ thoughts every time the point of view changes.
When writing in the first person, you would use words such as ‘I’, ‘we’ and ‘us’.
Using the second person when writing creatively is generally not a good idea. The main reason is that it can be challenging to maintain a consistent point of view when using the second person. Keeping the point of view consistent throughout the piece is relatively easy when you’re writing in the first or third person.
However, when you start using the second person, it can be very easy to slip into different points of view, confusing the reader. Additionally, the second person can often feel jarring and intrusive, distracting the reader from the story. For these reasons, it’s usually best to stick with the first or third person when writing creatively.
The bottom line is that there is no one correct answer when it comes to creative writing. You need to use the point of view that works best for your story and your audience. If you’re unsure which point of view to use, try a few different ones and see what feels most comfortable for you.
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