The Power of Point of View: Make Your Story Come to Life

by Alicia Rasley

Every Character Has a Voice

Point of view isn't just an element of storytelling–when chosen carefully and employed consistently in a work of fiction, it is the foundation of a captivating story.

It's the character voice you can hear as clearly as your own. It's the unique worldview that intrigues readers–persuading them to empathize with your characters and invest in their tale. It's the masterful concealing and revealing of detail that keeps pages turning and plots fresh. It's the hidden agenda that makes narrators complicated and compelling.

It's also something most writers struggle to understand. In The Power of Point of View, RITA Award-winning author Alicia Rasley first teaches you the fundamentals of point of view (POV)–who is speaking, why, and what options work best within the conventions of your chosen genre. Then, she takes you deeper to explain how POV functions as a crucial piece of your story–something that ultimately shapes and drives character, plot, and every other component of your fiction.

Through comprehensive instruction and engaging exercises, you'll learn how to:


choose a point of view that enhances your characters and plots and encourages reader involvement
navigate the levels of a character's point of view, from objective viewing to action to emotion
craft unusual perspectives, including children, animal narrators, and villains
A story changes depending on who's telling it, and The Power of Point of View will help you determine which of your characters can make your story come to life.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Crafts, Reference

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Alicia Rasley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote this, and would be glad to talk about it. My blog about writing and editing is http://www.edittorrent.blogspot.com, so meet me there! Also lots of my articles about writing are archived at www.rasley.com.
Thanks.

Alicia

[Reza Qalandari · Rating 4 out of 5]

خب حالا که تموم شد، بیایید من از روی پروسه‌ی نوشتن خودم، اهمیت این کتاب و محتواش رو توضیح بدم.
برای من همه‌چی با ایده شروع می‌شه. قبل از هر چیز دیگه‌ای.
بعد تا حدود کمی، داستان رو تو ذهنم شکل می‌دم.
بعد دنبال ارتباط شخصیتم با این داستان و ایده می‌گردم.
وقتی موفق شدم پیداش کنم، یعنی می‌دونم مضمون این داستان قراره چی باشه.
بعدش پلات داستان رو می‌چینم و باقی چیزها رو تعیین می‌کنم. شخصیت‌ها و ستینگ و از این قبیل.
این‌ها مرحله‌ی اول نوشتنم هستن. در حقیقت مرحله‌ی پیش از نوشتن.
اما وقتی می‌خوام شروع کنم به نوشتن، دو چیز رو باز از پیش تعیین می‌کنم.
اولی روایت و زاویه‌ی دیده، دومی نثر. ( خب طبیعتاً هر ایده و داستان نثر خاصی نیاز داره :دی)
اما درباب زاویه‌ی دید:
برای خودم، ابتدا به‌عنوان خواننده و سپس در مقام نویسنده، روایت خیلی مهمه. باید طوری باشه که نه از خوندنش خسته بشم، نه از نوشتنش. مثلاً نمی‌تونم از زاویه‌ی دید تنها یک نفر استفاده کنم و تعدد راوی نباشه، اصلاً نمی‌تونم بنویسم (هرچند تو خوندن مثال خلف زیاده).
این کتاب مطالب مفید زیادی داشت، که هم چیزهای جدیدی بهم یاد داد، هم کمک کرد کارهایی که قبلاً انجام می‌‌دادم، الان با آگاهانه و تسلط کامل انجام بدم و پیاده کنم تو کتاب.
اگه شما هم مثل من هستین، و روایت خیلی براتون مهمه، بین کتاب‌های سوره‌ی مهر پیشنهادم اینه اول این کتاب رو بخونید. چون مفیدتر و روشن‌گرتر از باقی کتاباست؛ حداقل برای من.

@QalandarNameh

[Felipe Lerma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Understanding my creativity as levels within one point of view.

I'd read and thought about this book for several months, pretty much thinking it was "4 stars" for not having enough examples to get it's ideas about pov across well enough for me to consciously apply them.

Then very recently, pondering over a rare negative but constructive review of one of my fiction pieces, I think I finally got it.


One of the complaints was about some of the language (esp expressive thoughts and perceptions) being odd vs the rest of the. narrative. It was, I finally could see, my narrative sliding within differing levels of point of view from the same character.


Regardless if it was an unfamiliarity by the reader with this more involving technique, or a less than adequate application of that technique on my part, the point is, it was a legitimate expression of sliding within some of the six levels of POV this author has identified.

This has given me a self validation and understanding of my own creativity I hadn't expected.

It gives nothing away to state the six pov's here: 


1) Camera eye/Objective

2) Action

3) Perception

4) Thought

5) Emotion

6) Deep immersion/Voice


Essentially, despite still wishing there had been more examples, how can I not give 5 Stars to a guide that's stuck with me for months, and compelled me to understand some of my own creative writing intentions.


There's much more about POV in this book, but this is what made it worth so much to me.

[David H. Millar · Rating 5 out of 5]

After having published five novels, I still have challenges with understanding point of view (POV). The Power of Point of View: Make Your Story Come to Life by Alicia Rasley is not an easy read but it is an essential reference in coming to grips with POV and helped me understand how my style of writing aligned with the POV used.
If you are a writer, then this makes a great book to have beside you.

[Jasmina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll tell you how much I like this book:

Someone enters my study with his jolly stride and rosy cheeks, his summer curls bouncing around a friendly face. He asks if he could have a look at THE book.

I look at him and leave my work on the side. I’m knitting a sweater. Without taking my eyes off him I stand up. Slowly. I stand now stone-hearted, my hands are on the sides, ready. The small trembles of my fingers are the only movement of my body. I hold my breath.

Suddenly, with the speed of a crazy cobra I pull out my gun and point it right between his sky shimmer eyes. The poor fellow twitches in fear.

“If you leave a single greasy little fingerprint on IT I’ll ...” But I don’t get to finish because he is already running down the stairs. Screaming.

I pull my gun back. My mouth mimics a smile and after restoring my inner balance I return to my knitting. It’s going to be a wonderful sweater. My niece will love it.

That’s how much I like this book.
The End

[Saleh Rostami · Rating 5 out of 5]

کتاب‌ جادوی زاویه دید، جامع ترین راهنما درباره زاویه دید در میان کتاب‌های موجود در بازار است. فیلم سازان و کارگردانان تئاتر و سریال و انیمیشن ابزارهای گوناگونی برای بیان داستان دارند. بازی بازیگران خبره، زاویه دوربین، میزانسن، موسیقی متن و... غیره. به این آخری توجه کنید؟ چه صحنه‌هایی بوده که در یک فیلم فقط به خاطر یک موسیقی احساس ترس، شجاعت و یا غم کرده ایم. اما در داستان و رمان فقط یک چیز داریم کلمه کلمه و کلمه. زاویه دید یکی از تکنیک‌های حیاتی برای وصل کردن دنیای کلمات به دنیای داستان است. در کتاب جادوی زاویه، آلیشا راسلی سعی می کند به شکل جامع و با مثال‌های فراوان به آموزش زاویه دید بپردازد.

این کتاب را نباید البته به شکل کتابی دید که با یک بار خواندن به تمام نکاتش پی می‌برید. بلکه باید به شکل کتاب درسی با آن مواجه شوید و چندبار بخوانید و یادداشت بردارید و به قولی کتاب بالینی شما باشد. به هر روی اگر علاقه به نوشتن دارید، جادوی زاویه دید از اوجب واجبات است.

[Timons Esaias · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fundamental question you're likely to be asking is, "Is this a good POV manual?" and my bare-bones answer is "Yes." I will be putting it on my recommended-for-students list.

Rasley came to appreciate the importance of POV when studying Edgar Allan Poe, and she realized that her analysis didn't match what others were saying. So she's made a life-long study of the subject.

Her range of examples includes both popular fiction and literary fiction, which makes this manual more accessible to many writers, which pleases me. And a quote that reveals her main approach is telling: "Start thinking of POV tools, not POV rules."

This work is laid out as a manual on POV usage, which is something that many writers need. The question of verb tense is treated very lightly, compared to the rest of the topic (it's about three or four pages, in two spots), but methodology is being discussed from various angles throughout. She makes the same point that Rosenfeld does in Writing the Intimate Character: "Who is narrating the event (that is, the POV character) determines in great part how the reader experiences it."
(p. 5) This is also Castellani's whole theme in The Art of Perspective.

Any POV workshop will be riddled with questions about headhopping (or head-hopping), so one measure of a POV manual is how it deals with that fraught topic. There is useful discussion in these pages, but I was irritated by her decision to redefine how the term has generally been used (changing POV characters during a scene, with or without Omniscient baseline) to mean only bad practice of shifting POV. I find it much more useful to compare good headhopping to bad headhopping, and not try to generate new and confusing terminology for an ancient technique.

Positives:

Pages 75-77 have a good discussion of "attitude" in POV, with a breakdown of a paragraph from Rumpole.

Page 119 has an excellent remark on why present tense or future tense work better in second person.

Page 123, she distinguishes "impersonal third" from "personal third" in a way that some students find enlightening. And on page 140 she distinguishes what she calls "classical omniscient" from what she calls "contemporary omniscient" (the latter meaning that there is no narrative persona, i.e. the Elmore Leonard approach). While I'm terribly aware of exceptions to both eras, that's not the point. The distinction in approach is important, and the historical trend is accurate. Useful definitions.

Pages 162-167 are essentially golden. This is a list with discussion of whom to have as your POV. And page 203 has a good list of ways to establish POV when starting a new section.

Pages 211-12 There's a handy list of "perceptive types" that help with how to use your POV's viewpoint. You may have been schooled to use all five senses in a scene; well, she offers a different approach (which I've been teaching a version of at Seton Hill for a decade and a half...).

I will say that a key to the usefulness of this book is the many lists of example works (under "Reading Recommendations"), from which you can organize your own field recons of book-length examples. What you can't figure out from an example paragraph you can usually figure out from an example chapter.

Negatives:

Rasley uses "change-ringing" exercises, which is a good idea. They sometimes reveal aesthetic issues, though, as in her exercise on Hemingway in pages 19-23. While her changes to Hemingway's original can be illuminating, I must say that her results seem to be "telling" the story, and Hemingway's approach is "showing" it. He didn't bother putting sticky notes all over his prose, which is how I see her product. Be wary.

Minor, but important, typo on page 67, where she meant to refer to the "recently revived genre of Gothic novels" instead of revised.

I have to fundamentally disagree with her use of the term "narrator" in second person. She seems to have taken the whole second-person discussion from an academic thesis and example novel by Daniel Gunn, and maybe her terminology comes from there, but she begins the chapter (5, starting on p. 111) by stating "In second-person POV, you are the narrator." When I understood what else she was saying, I realized the problem. No, the "you" of second-person is generally the PROTAGONIST not the narrator. There is an "I" who is addressing the "you" just as there is in third person and first person. Yes, it's more obvious and tricky in second person. Yes, the speaker, the narrator, is sometimes the actual motive force of the story. Sometimes that speaker is really the protagonist and the "you" is a victim or secondary character, but more commonly the reader's sympathy is with the "you." I just couldn't get her terminology to make any sense, so this chapter needs to be read with great care.

I found the opening pages of Chapter 7 to be muddled, from bouncing around in too many alternatives.

I strongly dislike page 179, and especially the supposedly positive example given. This is exactly what I teach my students and clients Not To Do. Rasley dismisses the mirror trick properly, but then dismisses the effective techniques. I will tell you the modern mantra: Resist the Urge to Describe the POV. Period.

I had a similar negative reaction to the example on page 194. This is what I try to scour out of my students, not teach them to put in. But this is a case where aesthetics differ, so read this bit with a few grains of salt handy.

Aesthetics MUST differ, by the way, or all the books could be written by one person.

In sum: This manual is full of POV tools, and is worth having on the writing reference shelf.

[Robert Richards · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a lot like other self-help books and articles in which authors make a distinction between traditional third-person point of view and “deep” third-person point of view. I think the latter term is a lazy way of simplifying the variations in thought representation that occur in third-person point of view, which determine whether it is traditional third person or deep third person. Instead of discussing narrative distance, it’s more revealing to discuss how a narrator’s closeness and distance is achieved, and that is by the author’s understanding of and using the proper thought presentations: direct thought, indirect thought, free direct thought, free indirect thought, and narrative report of a thought act. During the creative writing courses I took in college, those terms were never discussed, but they were discussed on multiple occasions (and thoroughly) in some of the literature courses I took. I wonder why? Were the creative writing instructors afraid of confusing the students? If so, I don’t know why. There was a reason that creative writing courses tended to be junior level courses and had certain literature courses as prerequisites.

Discussions about point of view often remind me of discussions about a car’s potential speed in regard to its horsepower, but without mentioning factors that generate the horsepower or optimize it.

I think many so-called writing experts are pandering to an uninformed common denominator (yes, if you are reading this, then that most likely means you).

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was kind of hit or miss. Lots of the chapters seemed pretty self-explanatory, and I found the lack of voice made the book uninteresting. Also, as a small point, it frustrated me that Rasley would randomly choose genders to describe the generic "reader" and the generic "character." She ping-ponged between using she/he for both of them. Pick one and stick with it!

That being said, some of the exercises seem really interesting. Honestly, they might be the best part of the book. Some of the definitions are interesting as well, especially one of the final chapters on levels of POV.

3.5 stars, rounded down

[Gabrielle Jarrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Power of Point of View is an excellent guide for writers. Rasley cites many many examples in literature to illustrate points of view, which I enjoyed. I found her work to be enlightening in teaching me more than I've ever known about viewpoints. Rasley writes in an encouraging and allowing manner, expressing more freedom and less rules than I have read. It's definitely a resource compendium for further reference.

[Wendy Bunnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm horridly behind on my book reviews for 2021, but this is a good book on writing craft. The most in-depth discussion of POV I've ever read. The only drawback is that it's over 10 years old and all of the examples, and the discussion of POV trends for certain genres, are dated. But the fundamentals are strong with this one.

[Debra Daniels-Zeller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent tips on improving POV characters. It's interesting to read, considering POV. This is a great resource to keep on the shelf to improve any aspect of Point of View, filled with tips and examples, it's a tool both seasoned and new writers would appreciate.

[Traci Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glad for the craft lessons with each section. Break down with specific examples were helpful. References to modern and classic lit put the types of POV in usable snippets. I have tags on multiple pages to refer to when writing.

[Analiesa Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read for the writer. Very clear examples and direction on how to not get caught into the trap of the point of view merry-go-round.

[Katrin Gertsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall very interesting and useful

[Riversue · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the information I needed. I will dip back into this book endlessly I suspect.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

One Person’s Point of View.

Rasley, Alicia. (2008). The Power of Point of View. Cincinnati, OH: Writer’s Digest Books.

When people hear or read a story, they want to know two things: What happens? And they want to know, Who is telling the story? That second question concerns point of view. If somebody is telling you a tale, whether around a campfire or over a cup of tea, it is important to know who this stoyteller is, what their attitudes are, and how they came to know of the events reported. In a work of fiction, these questions are usually implicit. Stories that just report events, with no consistent point of view, are much less interesting.

The narrator is not, of course the author, but a quasi-character that the author has invented to tell the story. With a first-person point of view, the main character is also the narrator, such as in a mystery, where the investigating detective tells the story through his or her own eyes, with all the biases, attitudes, and errors that might entail. In a third person point of view, there is an omniscient narrator, a “voice” who is telling the tale but who is not one of the nominal characters of the story. This narrator directs the reader’s attention to scenery, characters, and costumes, as a movie director does, as well as relates development of the story and the characters in it.

Rasley explains all the variations in point of view, and how each is used, in detail; and there are many variations on the third person omniscient POV to consider. Each chapter has interesting exercises that could be used in a classroom or by an individual, and a list of suggested further readings.

I thought the book was weakest in failing to distinguish clearly between the narrative voice and the character’s point of view. Some omniscient narrators are full of attitude and opinion, commenting on and interpreting the characters’ actions and thoughts like a Greek Chorus. Most narrators these days are more subtle, expressing their personality through choice of detail and level of diction. This distinction between narration and point of view can be extremely subtle and I would have liked more on that. Nevertheless, for anyone who has struggled trying to decide what point of view is best suited to a work of fiction, this is the definitive book.

[Nancy Butts · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second time I've read this, and I think it's the best book available on viewpoint for writers. Rasley parses POV in a way I've never seen before. For example, she divides omniscient narration into three categories: objective, classical omniscient, and contemporary omniscient—all of which are different from distant third. Interesting. I don't always agree with her, especially in her application of voice and viewpoint to children's books. [Though I love the Narnia chronicles, I most emphatically do not believe that CS Lewis captured an authentic child voice for the Pevensie children. And I also do not think that Dean Koontz captures it either.]

But none of this detracts from the excellence of this book. I recommend it to many of my writing students and freelance clients.

[Bart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably the best book on the craft that I've read so far. It takes one subject, POV, and tells you everything you need to know about it. It shows what POV is, and what kinds of POV there are. It shows, for every kind of POV, what the advantages and disadvantages are of using that kind of POV, the dangers of using that kind of POV and gives several tips for writing in that kind of POV. All this is done in a very clear way with many great examples.
Most of all, this book makes clear that POV is a very important choice which really influences the effects your book will have on the reader. I'll never use a third-person POV by default ever again.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by a group member when I posted a thread on multiple points of view and I'm glad I took up his suggestion. Well-written and comprehensive, "The Power of Point of View" covers the basics right through to the intricacies of "voice". As I'm currently writing a novel from a multiple of view, I found the last section "The Master Class" invaluable. I highly recommend it to all writers as it goes to show that the more you know the more there is to learn.

[Lisa Eckstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so excited to read a book by someone who is more geeky about point of view than I am, because most writing guides don't cover the topic in nearly enough depth. Rasley analyzes each possible narrative perspective and discusses when it might be appropriate for a story. Highly recommended if that sounds exciting to you, too.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every Character Has a VoicePoint of view isn't just an element of storytelling�when chosen carefully and employed consistently in a work of fiction, it is the foundation of a captivating story.

It's the character voice you can hear as clearly as your own. It's the unique worldview that intrigues readers�persuading them to empathize with your characters and invest in their t...more

[Katherine Trail · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book. I'm a fiction editor, working mainly with self-publishing authors, and I ALWAYS recommend this book to clients. It's extremely comprehensive, but doesn't fall into the trap of being dry or dull. If you're interested in writing fiction, I'd strongly recommend reading this book first. Even if you are an experienced writer, I bet you will learn something from it!

[Jeffrey Rasley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great examples for novices and multi-published writers. Deeply thoughtful and insightful about understanding POV.

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it in parts; the writing exercises were very helpful.

[Jillian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this as a half-assed gift and didn't have the highest expectations, but it was decent for what it does.

[Nourddine Boughaba · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you write fiction or just love to read it well, a must-have book. Buy it, re-read it, take a master's class in the art and mystery of point of view. Brilliant.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5 Stars*

[May Koliander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very clear and detailed. Got a lot out of it especially as POV has always puzzled me !

[Miranda Honfleur · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very strong overview of POV, with a thorough and useful section on character voice to which I refer again and again. Highly recommended for new and experienced writers.