One thing I don't like in fiction is when the POV is constantly changing without giving you notice, or it changes between four or five people in the same scene -- something rarely, if ever, seen in real novels. Here are the definitions on POV and the strengths/weaknesses of each.

Point of View is who or what tells the story.

    1st Person POV

        You will use the pronoun "I" in 1st person.

        Through this POV, the reader of the story will only be able to know what the "I" person is going through, thinking, feeling, seeing, etc. You cannot have Spike's thoughts come up suddenly because this is from Buffy's point of view.

        The tone of 1st person will often be more personal and emotional. It will bring the reader and the writer close together.

        Advantages: The narrator is involved through the senses and makes the story more personal.

        Disadvantages: Limited to what only the narrator thinks/feels. 1st Person cannot read other people's minds or predict what is going to happen. It cannot explain the past except if that character is involved. It cannot explain what is going on in several different places where the narrator is not.

        EX: Do you have any idea of what she does to me? Her look willingly commands me to risk everything for her. Her presence is a force that I can feel even before she steps into the same room I'm in. When she brushes her arm against mine, I go limp and feel helpless. Her touch gives me the sunlight that I haven't seen in decades and keeps me going day after day. (Spike's POV in By Her Side by Rachel)

    3rd Person POV Objective

        Usually, you use the pronouns "he," "she," and "they."

        A narrator, not a character in the story, will speak in the third person voice and can tell only what is observable through the five senses.

        In the 3rd person POV, the narrator can only make objective observations. They have no knowledge of what is going on in the mind of the characters, or anything else that would not be observable to the reader if they were to enter the story.

        Advantage: Focuses the attention on one character and the thoughts and feelings of this one character.

        Disadvantages: Same as 1st person POV; also, less personal than 1st person.

        EX: (Returning by Rachel)

        "I thought the bot was destroyed," Xander said to Anya.

    "The Bot was trashed, whelp." Spike explained. God, how stupid can a bloke be? he thought/

    3rd Person POV Omniscient

        A narrator, not a character of the story, speaks in the 3rd person but can tell the feelings of the characters within the story.

        Like the third person objective narrator, the third person omniscient narrator speaks in the third person and is not a character in the story. However, unlike the third person objective narrator, the third person omniscient narrator has knowledge of the thoughts and feelings of characters in the story.

        The extent of this knowledge may vary somewhat, but it is more than would be observable to the reader, were they to enter the story.

        Advantages: This narrator can know all and see all. It can report to the reader the thoughts and feelings of all characters, can tell about the past, and report happenings from several different settings.

        Disadvantage: No personal perspective of the narrator being involved with the story.

        EX: (Home is Where the Heart Is by Rachel)

        “The divorce papers,” Spike muttered, quickly becoming very sober. So she really did just want to rub the divorce in my face. But then he noticed that the rain was quickly smearing the pen ink on the first page, making their signatures unrecognizable. “Uh...love,” he stared, unsure of the point she was trying to make.

        Then, he watched in even more astonishment, as she grabbed the papers in her two hands and ripped the papers in two. She repeated this motion a few more times, until the packet of papers were torn up shreds between her fingers. Buffy tossed them aside to the ground, where the water quickly began to carry them away.

        What the hell is she doing?

        Buffy took a couple steps closer towards the man standing in front of her. He’s just...beautiful, she couldn’t help but think as she looked at his drenched form. “Ask me again, Spike.” She took another step towards him, having to force herself not to reach out and throw herself in his arms, spreading wet kisses all over his face.

        A confused expression crossed his face, as Spike wondered what she was referring to. Ask what? he thought, almost asking the question aloud.

Did I miss anything? Want me to add something? Let me know!

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