Point of view
Also known as POV · Narrative perspective
Point of view is the angle a story is told from: whose head you’re in, and how much they can see.
First person (“I”) puts you inside one character, with their voice and their blind spots. Third person limited (“she”, “he”, “they”) sticks close to one character at a time and is the most common choice in modern fiction. Third person omniscient has a narrator who knows everything about everyone, including things no character knows. Second person (“you”) is rare and usually meant to feel unsettling.
Multi-POV books switch between several limited viewpoints, usually chapter by chapter. It’s standard in epic fantasy, and in romance, switching between the two leads is almost expected. Jumping between heads in the middle of a scene, known as head-hopping, is usually seen as a mistake, because readers lose track of whose thoughts they’re reading.
Point of view also decides what can be hidden from you. A limited narrator can only share what that character knows, which is what makes twists and unreliable narrators possible. An all-knowing narrator who hides something obvious feels like cheating, so omniscient books tend to lean on dramatic irony instead of surprises.
Point of view: common questions
What are the main types of point of view?
First person, second person, third person limited and third person omniscient. Most modern novels use first person or third limited, often switching between a few characters.
What is the difference between third person limited and omniscient?
Limited stays inside one character’s head at a time. Omniscient has a narrator who can see into every character and knows things nobody in the story does.