NaNoWriMo Series: Writing Tip #13

This is a fun exercise to do outside of your chosen project because it gives you a chance to play with different ways that one can see the same story. For my budding writers who have no idea what a writing perspective is, let's break it down:

POV: Stands for 'Point of view'.

First-Person POV: Seeing things through the character's perspective using 'I' or 'me' to explain o explain the current events unfolding. Usually, it is one POV per chapter if you plan on flopping back and forth. If you need an example of this, check out my web-novella, Warriors of Passion. It is my favorite POV to use in novel writing because, in my opinion, it gives you a chance to get extremely personal with your character development.

Third-Person POV: Seeing things through a narrator's perspective using 'you', 'them', 'he', 'she', to explain the current events unfolding. There are two versions of this by the way:

• Third-Person Limited: They don't know what is going to happen next and only know as much as the characters, but they know every character's thoughts.

• Third-Person Omniscient: They know what will happen before it unfolds as well as knowing every character's thoughts.

If you would love to see a brilliant use of this, just crack open any Cassandra Claire book and absorb the greatness. It is not something that I use in my novel writing often and applaud all that do.

Keep in mind that it is one POV per body of work. If you plan on making a series, don't start changing up the perspectives between books 1 and 2 unless you want to jar your readers. This isn't to say that it can't/hasn't been done before, just maybe not for your debut novel. Consistency is key to building a following and it starts with the story. Whichever style you decide to choose for your works, play around with both and ask yourself some of these questions to help you get started:

1. What is my favorite POV to read?

2. Which style do I naturally gravitate towards when I write?

3. Would my story benefit from having a narrator telling the story, the main character telling the story, or a few characters telling the story?

4. Do I like to write in past tense or present tense and do these change how I view the POV my story should be told in? ("I walked down the path and saw a rose nearby" vs "I walk down the path and see a rose nearby.")

If you want to learn more NaNoWriMo tips, check out the 30 Days of Tips that will unfold this month. Can't wait? Then check out my mini-course on The Basics of Storytelling that's available for $1. I look forward to seeing you in whatever form I appear. Until next time.

About the Author

Crystal Cabrae is a storyteller who specializes in writing dystopian, romantic, and adventurous worlds for animation and fantastical fiction. She is a proud graduate of Full Sail University, AMDA, and New World School of the Arts. Her six years of acting training in New York and Miami gives her a unique perspective when approaching her characters. She has a passion for sharing how to create stories with the world and inspiring the storyteller that lives within all of us. Follow her on IG or Pinterest to know the latest.