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

Point of view (POV) is the lens through which your story is told. It defines who’s narrating and shapes how readers connect with the characters and events.

Here are the main types of POV you'll encounter:

• First person uses “I” and “we” — putting readers directly in the narrator’s shoes.
• Second person uses “you” — a more unusual approach, but powerful when used well.
• Third person uses “he,” “she,” “they,” and “it,” and comes in two varieties:
  • Limited focuses on the thoughts and experiences of a single character.
  • Omniscient allows the narrator to share information from multiple characters.
• Fourth person uses broader, more abstract pronouns like “one,” “someone,” or “anyone.”

Choosing the right POV matters. Different genres tend to favor different perspectives. First person is common in memoirs and personal essays. Third person shows up in everything from thrillers to fantasy. Getting POV right from the start helps ground your readers and gives your story a solid foundation.

It’s also something editors pay close attention to. Inconsistencies in point of view are among the most common issues caught during revisions. If they slip through, readers may notice — and not in a good way. Confusing shifts in perspective can lead to frustration and negative reviews.

In this article, we’ll walk through how each POV works, when to use them, and examples to help you see the difference.

We’ll even cover second and fourth person, not as common in full-length books, but useful to understand for dialogue and stylistic choices.he uncommon second and fourth person perspectives.

You may not use them in your overall book, but it’s good to know for dialogue and everyday speech.

What is Point of View?

Point of view (POV) is the position from which a story is told: the narrator’s perspective on the events unfolding. It’s how the writer decides who’s speaking and who’s listening.

Choosing a clear point of view is one of the most important decisions you’ll make. It affects how readers connect with your characters, how much information they receive, and how they interpret what’s happening on the page. The right POV shapes how the story feels.

Used well, POV can pull readers deeper into the world you’ve created. It gives you control over what they know, when they know it, and how they experience it.

Why is Point of View Important?

Every story needs a narrator — someone telling the story, whether they exist inside the plot or outside of it. Understanding the narrator’s perspective helps you tell a clearer, more cohesive story. It also guides your writing choices and reduces the chances of making POV-related mistakes.

Locking in your point of view early helps you stay consistent. Sudden shifts or unintentional changes can confuse readers and lead to poor reviews. It’s one of the most common problems editors flag.

Each POV comes with trade-offs. First person offers a close, emotional view into the narrator’s mind, but it limits what they can observe. For example, they may have no idea what other characters are thinking — and that gap can create tension or confusion, depending on how it’s handled.

Third-person limited also has boundaries. The narrator may not fully grasp anyone’s motives, even as they describe their actions. But those limitations can work in your favor. Some of the most compelling stories use uncertainty, distance, or unreliability to create intrigue.

The key is picking a POV that fits your story and sticking with it.

Tool to Understanding Point of Views Within Your Writing

One of the biggest pitfalls I see authors make is switching point of view when they shouldn’t. Now I get it, we can easily get into a routine and not even notice we've switched between person narratives.

But understanding which narrative we are using and sticking to it throughout can help quickly clean up any first draft. A tool like ProWritingAid can help to catch these mistakes and stay consistent. PLUS, if you use my code KINDLEPRENEUR20, you can get 20% off a lifetime purchase!

Using ProWritingAid, you can use their Pronoun Checker to keep track of all the pronouns within your work. Then go through and make any changes if you find inconsistencies.

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Third Person Point of View

Third person point of view is when the narrator(s) of your story goes by any of the following third-person pronouns:

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

Only in dialogue and thought bubbles should the pronouns “you,” “I,” and “we” be used.

This is, by far, the most common point of view to use in stories. It is the most traditional and the least distracting for readers.

Third person point of view can be further divided into two subcategories: omniscient and limited perspectives.

Third Person Omniscient

The third-person omniscient point of view is when the narrator (still referred to by “he,” “she,” or “it”) knows more than a single character's thoughts and feelings. Usually, this omniscient narrator knows everything

This perspective was more common in classical literature, such as Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace. It is less common in today's novels.

Authors would often “jump heads” — offer thoughts and feelings for more than one character.

I'm also thinking of Moby Dick, in which Herman Melville often broke from the narrative and described a tangential concept of which the character(s) have little understanding. (Melville switches back and forth between an omniscient third-person narrator and a first-person POV.)

Picture books for very young children are often written from an omniscient viewpoint. Check out this article on How to Write a Children's Book

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.

Pro tip: When using 3rd person limited viewpoint, consider capitalizing on the unreliable narrator — a concept that describes a limited narrator's fallibility.

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. Check out my article on How to Write a Children's Book

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.

However, beware. 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.

Pro tip: If you're writing in first person POV, you probably shouldn't write “thought bubbles” in which you italicize a thought. You can even attach a dialogue tag without quotation marks. Since the prose is told in 1st person POV, every non-quote is essentially a personal thought.

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.

Check out this article on 12 Books Written 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, 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” choice when it comes to point of view. You might lean toward one because it feels more natural to write. Or maybe it’s the style you’ve seen most often in the books you love. You might also make the decision based on what’s typical for your genre, which we covered earlier.

Whatever your reason, it’s important to understand the conventions that come with your chosen POV. Read books that use it well. Pay attention to how those authors handle narration, reveal character thoughts, and shift between scenes.

The more familiar you are with your POV, the stronger and more polished your writing will become.