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

Point of view (POV) in book writing is the perspective from which a story is told. The common points of view from which an author can narrate a story are:

• 1st person POV uses the pronouns “I” and “we.”
• 2nd person POV uses the pronoun “you.”
• 3rd person POV uses the pronouns “she,” “he,” “they,” and “it.”
  • 3rd person limited is when the narrator only knows the thoughts of one person.
  • 3rd person omniscient is when the narrator knows more than the thoughts of just one person.
• 4th person POV uses indefinite pronouns like “one,” “oneself,” “someone,” “anyone.”

Choosing between first, second, third or fourth person narrative perspectives is crucial. Different genres have established conventions for point of view, such as personal essays typically using first person and journalism, usually employing third person. Establishing the chosen point of view early in the writing helps engage readers effectively.

Inconsistent point of view is one of the top things a professional editor has to proofread and correct. If that mistake makes it through to readers, they may leave negative reviews about how unprofessional and confusing the book is. POV is necessary to understand.

This article details how point of view functions, which POV you should use, and examples of each.

Below, I’ll even talk about the 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 narrator's perspective from which a story is told. It is the writer’s way of deciding who is telling the story to whom. Establishing a clear point of view is crucial because it dictates how your reader interprets characters, events, and other important details. POV is a fundamental element of writing that can be used to create different effects and engage the reader. By choosing the right point of view, you can control the flow of information and shape the reader’s experience, making your story more compelling and immersive.

Why is Point of View Important?

Every story has a narrator, whether the narrator exists inside or outside the story. Understanding the narrator’s point of view strengthens your writing and clarifies the story for your readers. Establishing this when you begin writing your book helps you make good writing choices and avoid POV writing mistakes.

Consistently maintain a character’s point of view throughout your book. Abrupt changes and mistakes with POV distract readers and increase negative reviews attached to your book.

Some POVs limit the amount of information an author can share with the reader, such as a first-person point of view in which the main character can’t understand the protagonist’s motivations. First person narration creates an intimate connection between the reader and the narrator's thoughts and feelings, but it also imposes limitations on narrative flexibility.

Other POVs may expand the amount of information you can convey and how an author can convey it. Third-person limited point of view means that no character’s motivations may be crystal clear.

Choosing a limited 3rd person POV and sticking with it limits the info you can give your audience — for better or worse. The unreliable narrator is a tricky but satisfying tactic usually only available when a story is told from a limited perspective.

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.

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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.”

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.”

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.”

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.”

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.”

Point of View in Different Genres

Different genres often employ different points of view to enhance their storytelling. For example:

• Young Adult fiction often uses first-person POV to create an intimate and personal narrative, allowing readers to closely identify with the protagonist’s experiences and emotions.
• Science Fiction and Fantasy often use third-person POV to create a sense of scope and scale, helping to build complex worlds and multiple character arcs.
• Romance novels often use third-person limited POV to focus on the emotions and thoughts of the two main characters, creating a deep emotional connection with the reader.
• Mystery and Thriller novels often use third-person omniscient POV to create suspense and tension, allowing the narrator to reveal crucial information that the characters might not be aware of.
• Epic Fantasy often uses a narrator's position of third person limited most commonly, with some third person omniscient.
• Urban Fantasy is almost always in a first person voice
• Children's/Middle grade often in third person limited, although Omniscient is also quite common with narrators like that of The Hobbit
• Literary is normally using multiple perspectives

By understanding the common POVs used in different genres, you can choose the one that best suits your story and enhances your narrative.

Creating a Consistent Point of View

Consistency is key when it comes to point of view. It’s essential to establish a clear POV from the beginning of the story and stick to it throughout. This will help to create a cohesive and immersive reading experience for the reader.

• To create a consistent POV, choose a POV that fits the story and stick to it.
• Avoid head-hopping, which is when the narrator switches from one character’s POV to another within a scene. This can confuse readers and disrupt the flow of the story.
• Use POV to create suspense and tension by limiting the reader’s knowledge to what the narrator knows. This can make the story more engaging and keep readers on the edge of their seats.

By maintaining a consistent narrative voice, you can ensure that your story remains clear and engaging for your readers.

Multiple Points of View

Using multiple points of view can be an effective way to create a complex and engaging story. However, it requires careful planning and execution to avoid confusing the reader directly.

• To use multiple POVs effectively, create a clear distinction between each POV character. This can be achieved through different narrative voices, tone, and language.
• Use different narrative voices, tone, and language to create a unique perspective for each character. This helps to differentiate between characters and makes each POV distinct.
• Avoid using too many POVs, as this can create confusion and dilute the reader’s emotional investment in the story. Stick to a manageable number of POVs to keep the narrative focused and engaging.

By understanding the different point of view and how to use them effectively, writers can create a compelling and immersive reading experience for their readers.

Which point of view will you choose?

There are many reasons to use one point of view over another. Whether it's out of personal comfort or one used more commonly in the books you read. Or you've considered the genre and chose to write in a way that is more commonly used like we discussed above.

Whatever the reason is for choosing the pov, make sure to read up on the conventions on that style, and read books written in it. This will greatly improve your writing and put you on the path toward success in your prose.