Writing Tips #2: Viewpoint

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If you're interested in writing, regardless if you're experienced or just starting out, you might find something useful in these tip blogs (still ingenious, know). Today's topic is viewpoint! The voice in which your story will be told.

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Some might be confused by this topic of choice. Why? Well does this really matter? Truth is once you start a book, by the third or forth page you aren't even noticing the viewpoint, you're just reading. A viewpoint can be jarring if it switches abruptly during a story, or if you miss-use it. Regardless, the point of this series is to arm you with everything you need to know! And there are a few things we can talk about when it comes to choosing viewpoint.

There are of course three viewpoints that you could write in: 1st, 2nd (ughh, bad, bad) and 3rd. 3rd person can be split into: omniscient and limited.

What? You want some music while you read? Why didn't you say so sooner. I think this will do just nicely. :)

So, the basics: 1st person is a style of writing that stays inside the characters head. There are several ways to do this, and we'll explore each one. First, let's talk about the advantages of using 1st person as a viewpoint in your writing.

1st person is immediately immersive. You get sucked into the world from page 1. This is the prime reason why so many YA (young-adult) authors have switched to 1st person. A lot of YA fiction lives here, and for good reason.

What next? Well 1st person is very character focused. It gives you a voice for the character without even trying. This means gaining sympathy for your character is much easier then say using 3rd person.

Another useful tool the 1st person offers, is that of the Untrustworthy narrator. I personally love this technique, and love when it's used. (to see this in actin check out the classic "Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov).

Lastly, 1st person lets you address the audience. This is shown in full affect in J R R Tolkien's "The hobbit".

So, now that we got that out of the way, there are several ways to write 1st person:

• The Author Tells the Story: I already mentioned this, not 2 lines above. Tolkien uses this method masterfully in The Hobbit. Where we have Bilbo, our narrator, telling us about his adventures.
• Epistolary: This has become very popular lately, mostly in YA. An epistolary is basically telling the story through notes or letters etc. To see this in action, check out "Illumine" by Alivia Anders (highly recommend a physical copy for this one, an audiobook doesn't give you the same experience).
• Cinematic: This is the type of 1st person most used nowadays in YA. Stuff like "Divergent" was written in this style. Basically we're in the character's head, and he/she takes us through the entire story in one beat. It's called cinematic because it's fast paced, and you're right there in the action with the character. I would recommend Sarah J Mass's "A court of Thornes and Roses" series (it's like a better Twilight IMO (no vampires tho, phew)). First book is kinda bad, second book is a masterpiece, and I've yet to finish the third. But it's worth a look if only for that amazing second book.

Honestly I was debating whether to skip 2nd person entirely. Truth is you won't be writing in 2nd person. It's one of the hardest things to do, and requires tremendous skill to pull off, and not just seem like a gimmick. As for a recommendation in 2nd person: a friend of mine recommended "The Fifth Season" by N.K. Jemisin. I have yet to check it out, but it has decent ratings.

Anyways, just steer clear of this one.

Most works live here, in the 3rd person. And for good reason. Firstly let's reiterate: 3rd person can be either limited or omniscient.

Limited: Ah, my baby. This is my preferred viewpoint, and, most likely, it is yours as well. Most books out there are written in 3rd person limited. What does that mean? Well. Limited simply means that you are inside a character's head, not like 1st person of course. But you are limited in showing only what the character sees - hence the name. Limited allows for multiple character viewpoints, as such it's a great POV for building up characters. In order to use limited to its full potential, each viewpoint needs to be distinctive for that character. In truly great 3rd person limited books, you can tell which character it is by only reading a single sentence.

Omniscient: This is a bit harder. Omniscient is where you have an all knowing narrator that tell the reader everything they need to know. If a character enters a room, the narrator will visit each other character's head to tell us what they are all thinking. Naturally you can see how this makes building tension really hard. The fun omniscient, is knowing what will happen, and the anticipation of will it happen, and the subsequent consequences. The original "Dune" by Frank Herbert, is a great example of this.

What should you use? My friend, need I repeat myself? It's up to you! Whatever suits your story best! Know your viewpoint, and what you can do with it. A prime example of this is: If the 1st person narrator withholds information, they're a jerk. If the 3rd person narrator withholds information, you, the writer, are the jerk. And readers can spot it right away, and it is generally a sign of weak writing.

_{Obligatory Badass Dragon Pic!}

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Thank you for reading!

If you missed the first part of this series, you can find it here!

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