Now we have our character, their voice and dialogue, but from whose point of view is the story going to be told?
Both of my novellas are written in first person. It is all told, seen and experienced from Eliza’s point of view. I will point out the pros and cons of first person POV.
PROS:
Readers get an in-depth look into the main character’s mind.
Readers will follow the main character everywhere, see everything they are seeing.
Readers will get to experience everything your character is.
You (author) get to put your character in situations that otherwise they wouldn’t be in order to hear conversations or obtain information.
Readers will get attached to your character.
CONS:
Readers do not get into the other character’s minds, which can make the storyline difficult to follow.
Readers do not get to experience other character’s events.
Readers can be detached from your other characters.
First person can be difficult because so many important details in the plot can be lost if you cannot figure out a way for your main character to find out the information. In my novella, Eliza Jane, Eliza was everywhere. I wrote her as an independent, inquisitive, intelligent, quick-witted, impulsive sixteen-year-old and in doing so, managed to have her in places she shouldn’t have been, hearing things she shouldn’t be hearing and doing things she ought not be doing. It worked. And it worked well. But I will admit, there were times I was not sure how I was going to pull all this off in first person. The sequel, Eliza’s Revenge, took Eliza to America and I wondered how I was going to write in first person when she didn’t know anyone on board ship. I decided to have her befriend the Captain and write in her journal. It was the only way my readers were to get information. Since it was a sequel, I couldn’t change up the POV.
I do not regret my choice, but I do see how, especially in the sequel, the plot could have been deeper and darker had I chosen another POV.
Personally, I love this POV. Most of my works will be in first person. I just caution you as it is a difficult one to write in unless you plot it out well.
Next Week: Point of View - Second Person
Until Next Time…
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