POV for Dummies
Essay31 total reviews
Comment from patcelaw
Part of the fun of writing is to write the 3rd person POV. You can really have a lot of fun with it as well. I wrote a piece called The Barber's Payoff in third person about giving my husband a haircut and him telling the story from his POV.
I find writing third person less egotistical. patricia
reply by the author on 11-Aug-2016
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Part of the fun of writing is to write the 3rd person POV. You can really have a lot of fun with it as well. I wrote a piece called The Barber's Payoff in third person about giving my husband a haircut and him telling the story from his POV.
I find writing third person less egotistical. patricia
Comment Written 10-Aug-2016
reply by the author on 11-Aug-2016
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Patricia, you are soooo right. It's the best fun writing in this style. It is less egotistical. HAHAHA! That's exactly right.
Thanks so much. mikey
Comment from jlsavell
Hello Mr. Cahil, I am so formal with you are not I? Thank you for writing this detailed missive. Quill driving, or a better term, literae scriptae, can be quite a challenge since there are so many fundamentals required for the creativity of the coupe de plume. The exigency of selecting and executing the best avenue of pov in one's story can certainly be mastered by not only acquiring knowledge but having the profundity to participate in writing exercises such as potlatch. Well now that I have said what I said, I think I might be obligated to try. darn you! jimi
reply by the author on 11-Aug-2016
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Hello Mr. Cahil, I am so formal with you are not I? Thank you for writing this detailed missive. Quill driving, or a better term, literae scriptae, can be quite a challenge since there are so many fundamentals required for the creativity of the coupe de plume. The exigency of selecting and executing the best avenue of pov in one's story can certainly be mastered by not only acquiring knowledge but having the profundity to participate in writing exercises such as potlatch. Well now that I have said what I said, I think I might be obligated to try. darn you! jimi
Comment Written 10-Aug-2016
reply by the author on 11-Aug-2016
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I laugh when you call me Mr. Cahill. You are the only one who has ever done that. LOL You talk real purdy and I likes it. I was kinda hopin' the fancy talk might put a bee in yur bonnet and get ya bothered a bit. Mosyin's the name of my game, so if'n I can git ya mosyin' on by, then I've done what I was a aimin' ta do. :)) mikey
Comment from country ranch writer
THANKS FOR THE LESSON MIKEY MY DEAR FRIEND YOU ARE GETTING ON UP THERE WITH THAT WRITING AND GIVING OF YOURSELF TO ALL OF US YOU ARE A DEAR.
reply by the author on 11-Aug-2016
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THANKS FOR THE LESSON MIKEY MY DEAR FRIEND YOU ARE GETTING ON UP THERE WITH THAT WRITING AND GIVING OF YOURSELF TO ALL OF US YOU ARE A DEAR.
Comment Written 10-Aug-2016
reply by the author on 11-Aug-2016
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Hi, my dear friend. We're having the best time trying to learn this stuff. Just trying to put it in some simple English. Thanks for the great encouragement. I'm pretty pleased you enjoyed it. mikey
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HUGS AND SMILES
Comment from Pearl Edwards
Like the way you describe the third person POV as the ghost standing beside the character, that's easy to understand and I'm with you I find the literate terms hard to get past.(wish I'd listened more in English lessons)
I've got alliteration (took a while) but consonance, assonance - still don't have a clue. I'm going to copy and past and print this for further reference, and hope to be back on board with the challenges this weekend. Thanks for this mikey, great job.
cheers,
valda.
reply by the author on 11-Aug-2016
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Like the way you describe the third person POV as the ghost standing beside the character, that's easy to understand and I'm with you I find the literate terms hard to get past.(wish I'd listened more in English lessons)
I've got alliteration (took a while) but consonance, assonance - still don't have a clue. I'm going to copy and past and print this for further reference, and hope to be back on board with the challenges this weekend. Thanks for this mikey, great job.
cheers,
valda.
Comment Written 10-Aug-2016
reply by the author on 11-Aug-2016
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Wow, Valda. I'm just delighted to hear this is a help. I'm new to all this stuff and I was hoping I could put it in language I would understand. So I'm so thrilled with your response. Thanks a million. This is the best fun learning this stuff, especially when teacher doesn't have a ruler to rap our knuckles with!! :)) mikey
Comment from Taffspride
This was not only an enjoyable read Mikey, but an educational one, I am going to bookcase it for future reference.
You nailed the terminology and presented it in a clear perfectly understandable way.
Thanks for sharing and well done.
Iechyd da
Ann
reply by the author on 11-Aug-2016
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This was not only an enjoyable read Mikey, but an educational one, I am going to bookcase it for future reference.
You nailed the terminology and presented it in a clear perfectly understandable way.
Thanks for sharing and well done.
Iechyd da
Ann
Comment Written 10-Aug-2016
reply by the author on 11-Aug-2016
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I'm so pleased to hear this, Ann. I'm new to this stuff and I was hoping I'd be able to translate it a bit to layman's terms for those in my boat. LOL Thanks so much. I'm really encouraged. :)) mikey
Comment from Dean Kuch
If you do so properly, I've found you can tell a story in all three points of view, Mikey. Using chapter breaks such as ~**~ can denote a change in POV. Readers "get it" if you make it obvious enough.
I'm sure you've seen enough of 'em to know what I'm referring to.
When narrators speak in the second person, they're often addressing their younger selves. For example, the narrator (or protagonist if you wish) might say, "You were so foolish back then, thinking that you would become rich and famous."
Funny I should use that particular line, right?
Yeah.
A narrator may also be addressing the reader directly, although this is difficult to sustain in longer narratives.
With a third person objective point of view, the narrator tells only the objective and observable facts of the story, without elaborating on the thoughts and feelings of the characters or interjecting with any personal observations. For example, the narrator might say, "Jim had a serious look on his face as he spoke to his wife. She was crying and speaking incoherently."
With a third person limited point of view, the narrator has access to the thoughts and feelings of one specific character, most typically the main character. This point of view allows the writer to describe the main character from a distance, while also giving voice to his inner thoughts. Depending on the intent of the author, the narrator may be very close to the main character, to the point that it almost becomes difficult to distinguish the narrator from the character, or the narrator may maintain more of a distance.
For example, the narrator might say, "Jim had a serious look on his face as he talked to his wife. He hated to see her cry because it made him feel like a monster, but he felt that he had no choice but to continue."
I'm not sure if I've ever used third person omniscient POV before or not.
Good write.
reply by the author on 11-Aug-2016
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If you do so properly, I've found you can tell a story in all three points of view, Mikey. Using chapter breaks such as ~**~ can denote a change in POV. Readers "get it" if you make it obvious enough.
I'm sure you've seen enough of 'em to know what I'm referring to.
When narrators speak in the second person, they're often addressing their younger selves. For example, the narrator (or protagonist if you wish) might say, "You were so foolish back then, thinking that you would become rich and famous."
Funny I should use that particular line, right?
Yeah.
A narrator may also be addressing the reader directly, although this is difficult to sustain in longer narratives.
With a third person objective point of view, the narrator tells only the objective and observable facts of the story, without elaborating on the thoughts and feelings of the characters or interjecting with any personal observations. For example, the narrator might say, "Jim had a serious look on his face as he spoke to his wife. She was crying and speaking incoherently."
With a third person limited point of view, the narrator has access to the thoughts and feelings of one specific character, most typically the main character. This point of view allows the writer to describe the main character from a distance, while also giving voice to his inner thoughts. Depending on the intent of the author, the narrator may be very close to the main character, to the point that it almost becomes difficult to distinguish the narrator from the character, or the narrator may maintain more of a distance.
For example, the narrator might say, "Jim had a serious look on his face as he talked to his wife. He hated to see her cry because it made him feel like a monster, but he felt that he had no choice but to continue."
I'm not sure if I've ever used third person omniscient POV before or not.
Good write.
Comment Written 10-Aug-2016
reply by the author on 11-Aug-2016
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Dean, you show some great teaching ability here. I get everything your saying. Clear as a bell. I don't get to say that often when people are "explaining" things. LOL
It's funny to me that I've only used one POV for every write I've ever writ. HA! Well, this should expand my horizons a bit I hope. Thanks for the great review and info. mikey
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You bet 'cha, Mike.
It's always a pleasure, my friend.
Comment from LIJ Red
Any limited POV gets tricky. How far can you trust a person's awareness of the world? Extremely variable. Good tutorial, excellent post.
reply by the author on 11-Aug-2016
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Any limited POV gets tricky. How far can you trust a person's awareness of the world? Extremely variable. Good tutorial, excellent post.
Comment Written 10-Aug-2016
reply by the author on 11-Aug-2016
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So pleased you liked this. I wasn't sure if I got it well enough to try and explain it. So relieved. :)) mikey
Comment from Gloria ....
I think is a terrific opinion post, Mav. An author's omniscient narration that can slide in and out of the point of view of people, animals and fictitious creatures is a valuable skill to learn. Even though an author may only use third person omniscient occasionally knowing how to, informs all her/his writing. It's like using the complementary colour in an undercoat in painting. If you want to add darker shades to green trees, you don't use black paint you use red paint, although black can and is used. So that's where all that green grass came from.
You've organized your thoughts well and made the writing accessible to a wider audience and that is key.
Terrific job with this.
Ange
reply by the author on 11-Aug-2016
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I think is a terrific opinion post, Mav. An author's omniscient narration that can slide in and out of the point of view of people, animals and fictitious creatures is a valuable skill to learn. Even though an author may only use third person omniscient occasionally knowing how to, informs all her/his writing. It's like using the complementary colour in an undercoat in painting. If you want to add darker shades to green trees, you don't use black paint you use red paint, although black can and is used. So that's where all that green grass came from.
You've organized your thoughts well and made the writing accessible to a wider audience and that is key.
Terrific job with this.
Ange
Comment Written 10-Aug-2016
reply by the author on 11-Aug-2016
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I am soooooo relieved this went over well, Ange. It means I get it myself if I'm conveying it here. Yessss!!! To me it's just like you describe, skills that are important to know and add to the flavour of everything you write whether you are actually using it or not. Whew. I was really worried no one would know what I was talking about. Thanks a trillion. I'm really looking forward to Sunday now. I think I may get it now. :))
Mav
Comment from Susanjohn
Michael this is so good!!!! I've been so struggling with all this terminology! writing forms and perspectives!!! I guess I didn't pay attention in HS!!! thanks for writing this...
reply by the author on 11-Aug-2016
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Michael this is so good!!!! I've been so struggling with all this terminology! writing forms and perspectives!!! I guess I didn't pay attention in HS!!! thanks for writing this...
Comment Written 10-Aug-2016
reply by the author on 11-Aug-2016
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I paid attention in HS, just not to learning. LOL
Glad this helped. I'm feeling better about it now. Once I start getting things in English then I feel comfortable with all that purdy talk. HAHAHA! mikey
Comment from Thomas Bowling
Great training. I can see why you're a top ranked author. I'm a newbe, one of those terms I had to ask someone what it meant. Like lol or wtf. I thought they meant, "lots of luck," and "why the face?"
reply by the author on 13-Aug-2016
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Great training. I can see why you're a top ranked author. I'm a newbe, one of those terms I had to ask someone what it meant. Like lol or wtf. I thought they meant, "lots of luck," and "why the face?"
Comment Written 10-Aug-2016
reply by the author on 13-Aug-2016
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So thrilled it's a help, Thomas
We're all learning this in the Challenges forum. You should stop by and check it out, we'd love to have you join us. This is my attempt to put some of the jargon into English. I learn it better that way. I know what you mean about "LOL" and "WTF". HAHAHA! I've never been able to get someone to tell me what a "blog" actually is. Don't be overly impressed by rankings. The main thing they show is the people who write A LOT. LOL I totally remember being a newbie, then one day, quicker than I imagined, I wasn't. :)) Thanks for the great review. Hope to see you at our Potlatch get togethers. mikey
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As far as I can tell a blog is Shriek's bother.
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HAAAAAHAHAHA! The best and most believable answer I've ever received. :))
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What the part about you being a top ranked author, or the part about me being confused?
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Well, you'll find as time goes by that ranking doesn't mean a great deal, BUT ...
Blog is Shrek's brother is what I'm taking away from this month as the most important bit of knowledge!!!
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Are you telling me that's not what they mean? Geez, I've got a lot of apologizing to do.
Hey, you come for the writing, but you stay for the education.
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Well .... I don't want to get in trouble. The rankings aren't meaningless, there are a lot of top writers highly ranked, but they reflect activity as much as anything i.e., people who post a lot of material. Of course, well written pieces that receive a lot of sixes get more points and help move people up etc. It's a touchy subject with some people. LOL Shhh....
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Thanks for the info. I will keep it just between us and about a thousand other people who will read this post.