How much thought do you give to point of view (POV) as you begin a new story?
The best POV for your story is not always the protagonist or even the antagonist. Consider how different the book To Kill a Mockingbird would have been if told from Atticus’ POV. Or Gone with the Wind from Ashley’s POV.
To help you experiment, here’s a writing exercise.
This is an exercise I recommend to writers to help them understand the impact of POV as well as to determine the best POV for their story.
Using the above picture:
- Imagine your main character is woman who’s greatest desire is to have a child, but she’s just been told she is physically unable. Write several paragraphs of how this women might think or act when she sees this baby.
- Now imagine your character is the mom of 3-month-old triplets and write her reaction upon seeing that same baby.
Feel free to leave a portion of your writing in the comments below for some feedback from me and readers.
What did you discover through this exercise?
Consider all the characters in your story and who among them would have the best point of view.