Writing a POV Story: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, & 4th POV (w/ Examples)

When you sit down to write a POV story, the first thing you need to decide is who is telling it. Point of view (POV) is the lens readers use to experience your world. It shapes what they know, how much they see, and how deeply they connect with your characters.

Here are the main types of POVs in writing you’ll encounter:

• First person uses “I” and “we,” pulling readers directly into the narrator’s head.
• Second person uses “you,” which is rare but powerful when done well.
• Third person uses “he,” “she,” “they,” and “it,” and comes in two forms:
  • Limited stays tightly focused on one character’s thoughts and experiences.
  • Omniscient lets the narrator reveal information from multiple perspectives.
• Fourth person leans on broader, more abstract pronouns like “one,” “someone,” or “anyone.”

Choosing the right POV is critical. Different genres favor different perspectives: memoirs usually rely on first person, while thrillers and fantasy lean on third. Pick the wrong approach, and your POV story can confuse readers or make it harder for them to connect.

Editors pay close attention to this for a reason. Inconsistent point of view is one of the most common mistakes caught during revisions. If you miss it, readers may notice (and not in a good way).

In this guide, we’ll walk through each type of POV, show you when to use them, and give you clear point of view examples so you can see the differences in action. We’ll even touch on second and fourth person (less common in full-length books, but useful to understand for dialogue, style, and experimentation).

We'll start with a simple definition:

What is Point of View?

Point of view (POV) is the angle from which your story is told: the narrator’s position in relation to the events on the page. It decides who’s speaking, what they know, and how they choose to tell it.

Picking the right point of view is one of the most important choices you’ll make when writing a POV story. It shapes how readers connect with your characters, how much information they’re given, and how they interpret every twist and turn.

When used well, POV pulls readers straight into the world you’ve built. It lets you control what they see, what they don’t, and when key details are revealed.

Done right, the perspective itself becomes a powerful storytelling tool (one that can make the difference between a flat scene and an unforgettable one).

Why is Point of View Important?

Every story needs a narrator… someone guiding readers through the events, whether they’re inside the plot or standing outside of it.

Understanding that perspective is essential if you want to tell a clear, cohesive POV story. It shapes your writing choices, helps you avoid common pitfalls, and keeps readers grounded in the world you’ve built.

Locking in your POV early also keeps you consistent. Sudden, unintentional shifts in perspective can pull readers out of the narrative and leave them confused (one of the most common mistakes editors flag during revisions).

Each POV comes with trade-offs. First person offers intimacy, letting readers live inside the narrator’s thoughts, but it limits what they can observe. They can’t know what other characters are thinking unless those characters share it. Sometimes, that limitation creates tension. Other times, it leaves gaps you’ll need to fill carefully.

Third-person limited has its own boundaries. The narrator describes what characters do and say but doesn’t always understand their motives. Used well, though, that distance can become a strength. It allows you to build suspense, create unreliable narrators, or slowly reveal truths the characters themselves don’t yet see.

The key is simple: choose the POV that serves your characters and story best… and stick with it.

The next step is understanding how each perspective actually works in practice.

Let’s start with one of the most common POVs in writing: third person.

Third Person Point of View

In a third person POV story, the narrator uses third-person pronouns like:

• He / him / his
• She / her / hers
• It / its
• They / them / their / theirs

“You,” “I,” and “we” should only appear in dialogue or inner thoughts, not in the narration itself.

This is by far the most common of all POVs in writing. It’s the most traditional, the most flexible, and often the least distracting for readers, which is why it dominates everything from fantasy epics to mystery thrillers.

Within third person, there are two main styles to choose from: omniscient and limited.

Each one offers a different level of access to your characters’ thoughts and experiences, and we’ll explore both in detail next (with point of view examples to show the difference).

Third Person Omniscient

In a third person omniscient POV story, the narrator uses “he,” “she,” “they,” or “it”.

But unlike other perspectives, they know more than any single character. The narrator can dive into multiple characters’ thoughts, reveal secrets the cast doesn’t know, and even step back to offer commentary or big-picture insights.

This style used to be far more common in classic literature. Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace is a prime example, where the narrator moves freely between characters’ inner worlds. Herman Melville did the same in Moby-Dick, sometimes pausing the narrative entirely to explore tangential ideas, switching between omniscient narration and Ishmael’s first-person perspective.

Today, full-on omniscient narration is less common in modern novels, but it still shows up in certain genres, especially picture books for young children and stories that benefit from a “god’s-eye” view of the world. (Here's an article on How to Write Children's Books.)

Examples of Third Person Omniscient

• “Norbert had doubts rooted in childhood trauma, but Maria was sure based on her own past experiences.”
• “The doctor's hypothesis would prove incorrect, for the laws of gravity could not permit his grand plans.”
• “They each harbored their own misgivings; however, none of them knew that Queen Regina would be an easy target because of what lingered in the Huntsman's heart.”

Learn More About Third Person Omniscient

Third Person Limited

Third-person limited point of view is when the narrator (still referred to by “he,” “she,” or “it”) can see into only one character's mind. Famous examples include The Great Gatsby and the Harry Potter series.

In the 3rd person limited perspective, you cannot head hop within a scene. Hopping into more than one character's head is when you describe multiple people's inner thoughts.

Think about J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter. You experience the story through Harry's third-person narration, including his internal motivations and silent feelings, but you don't know precisely what Ron and Hermione are really thinking.

Ernest Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls used a unique limited omniscient narrator. The narrator could read multiple characters' thoughts, but only one at a time.

Since HBO's Game of Thrones and the accompanying book series, writing multiple third-person limited POVs within one book has become increasingly popular. (Of course, famous authors have been doing this for centuries — but maybe not as expansively as in the Game of Thrones books.)

Multiple 3rd person POV still requires individual narrators to only know what's in their heads. However, authors may switch the narrator between scenes or chapters.

If you intend to use multiple narrators, ensure readers do not get confused about the POV. Clearly delineate where the POV switches. If readers get confused, you're opening the door for negative reviews, and we don't want that.

If you really want multiple POVs, George R.R. Martin is the exception to the following rule: Don't use over 3-6 narrators in a story. If you're a first-time author, use only 1-3 POVs.

This is the most common point of view in modern literature. Third-person limited perspective is also the most common POV used in children's books, especially stories for kids aged 3 and up.

Examples of Third Person Limited

• “She wanted the cricket to live in her hair forever.”
• “Their taxes might as well have been rocket science for all the sense it made to them.”
• “Mason craned his neck to make out where the wall met the ceiling, a hundred yards above them.”

Learn More About Third Person Limited

First Person Point of View

In first person point of view, you can write “I” and “us” as well as “you,” “them,” and “it.” The first person narrator refers to themself with first-person pronouns, such as:

• I
• Me
• My
• We
• Us
• Our
• Myself
• Ourselves

In real life, we all speak in the first person.

Romance and young adult novels, in particular, may benefit from a first-person perspective. This could help immediately connect young readers to your main character (like Katniss in Hunger Games, or Ishmael in Moby Dick, or Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises), as long as they're well-written, of course.

Beware, though…

First-person narrative can easily sound whiny and unlikable. Too much introspection feels unnatural and unrelatable. (I'm looking at you, Bella from Twilight.)

Reviews and blog posts may be written in the first person. When I say, “I recommend this,” I'm speaking in the first person.

First Person Point of View Examples

• “Much to my surprise, I liked the truck Charlie bought me.”
• “I recommend Scrivener because it’s the best word processor on the market.”
• “We gave him five of our best pineapples.”

Learn More About First Person

Second Person Point of View

Second person point of view uses second-person pronouns like “you” and “your” as well as third-person POV words like “hers,” “they,” and “itself”, but not “I” or “us.” In this uncommon POV, the narrator is usually an unspoken “me” talking to the spoken “you.”

This is a strange POV and is very rarely used in literature. Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney is probably the most famous example. Short stories and short-form creative writing assignments are easier to incorporate 2nd person perspective into.

However, blog posts and self-help books are often written in the second person. If the narrator never mentions “I” or “me” but does mention “you” and “yourself,” it's technically told in the second person perspective.

I also think of text-based games, where it tells you that you've come upon a door and asks you what you want to do. Those games never mention “me” or “our.” They are told in the second person.

Examples of Second Person POV

• “You should read these great examples of second-person point of view. You’ll learn a lot.”
• “You walk down the empty street and see a deflated ball. What do you do with it?”
• “Your parents should be ashamed of themselves, and you should be ashamed of yourself.”

Learn More About Second Person

Fourth Person Point of View

This is an uncommon POV. The fourth person perspective is a more recent development of modern storytelling. It uses the following pronouns:

• One
• Someone
• Somebody
• Anyone
• Anybody
• Oneself
• One’s

Some say this refers to the collective perspective told in the pronouns “we” and “our” without the use of “I” and “me.” However, the more common use of the fourth person perspective is indefinite pronouns.

The main advantage of speaking in the fourth person is to either refer to something that many people do (“One's hand may slip if the tube were lubricated”) or to avoid passive voice (“Someone can do this,” instead of “This can be done”).

Examples of Fourth Person POV

• “One would think you could simply bend the rules.”
• “Somebody could break their arm.”
• “Anyone can refer to oneself in the fourth person.”

Learn More About Fourth Person

Point of View in Different Genres

Different genres tend to favor certain points of view based on what best serves their tone, story structure, and reader expectations. While there’s always room to break the rules, it helps to understand the most common approaches.

Here’s how POV typically plays out across popular genres:

• Young Adult (YA): Often written in first person to create a personal, emotional connection with the protagonist. It helps readers see the world through the main character’s eyes.
• Science Fiction & Fantasy: Commonly told in third person (either limited or omniscient) to support worldbuilding, multiple character arcs, and larger storylines.
• Romance: Frequently uses third-person limited to focus on the inner worlds of the two main characters. This allows readers to follow both emotional journeys while keeping the narrative grounded.
• Mystery & Thriller: Third-person omniscient is often used to build tension. The narrator can reveal information the characters don’t yet know, heightening suspense.
• Epic Fantasy: Usually sticks with third-person limited, sometimes mixing in a broader omniscient view when the scope demands it.
• Urban Fantasy: Almost always written in first person, giving the story a more immediate, grounded feel.
• Children’s & Middle Grade: Typically uses third-person limited, though omniscient narration is also common. Books like The Hobbit use a storyteller-style narrator who knows everything but still speaks directly to the reader.
• Literary Fiction: Often shifts between multiple perspectives, exploring different characters' experiences and points of view.

Knowing these patterns can help you choose a POV that fits your genre or intentionally subvert expectations when the story calls for it.

Creating a Consistent Point of View

Once you choose a point of view, stick with it. Consistency helps readers stay grounded in the story.

A clear, steady perspective makes your narrative easier to follow and more immersive.

Here are a few tips for keeping POV consistent:

• Choose a point of view that fits your story, and don’t switch it midstream without a clear reason.
• Watch out for head-hopping: jumping from one character’s thoughts to another’s within the same scene. It’s one of the fastest ways to confuse your reader.
• Use POV to control the flow of information. Limiting what the narrator knows can build suspense and draw readers in.

A consistent narrative voice not only keeps the story clear, but it also helps establish trust between you and your audience.

Multiple Points of View

Writing from more than one character’s perspective can add depth and complexity to your story, if handled well. But it takes planning. Without clear transitions or distinct voices, it’s easy to lose the reader.

To use multiple POVs effectively:

• Make each character’s perspective feel unique. Differences in tone, language, and thought patterns help readers tell them apart.
• Switch perspectives with intention. Avoid bouncing between characters too often, especially within the same chapter or scene.
• Keep the number of POV characters manageable. Too many can dilute the emotional impact and make the story harder to follow.

Handled thoughtfully, multiple points of view can give readers a broader look at your world and make your story even more engaging.

Which Point of View Will You Choose?

There’s no single “right” answer when deciding how to write your POV story.

You might gravitate toward one perspective because it feels natural, or because it’s the style you’ve seen most often in the books you love. Sometimes, the choice comes down to genre conventions. Some POVs are simply more common in certain types of stories.

Whatever drives your decision, make sure you understand the strengths and limitations that come with your chosen POV. Read books that use it well. Study how those authors handle narration, reveal character thoughts, and transition between scenes. Seeing real point of view examples in action can teach you more than rules ever will.

The better you understand the conventions behind different POVs in writing, the more confident you’ll be (and the stronger your storytelling will become).