How to Determine the Point of View of a Story
Determining the POV of the story is one of the trickiest questions to ask. How do you even answer this? As tricky as it may seem, you can always follow the aged-old approach to determining the point of view in a story, i.e., follow the most followed structure of a certain genre. If it's an autobiography, you may go for the first-person. In case you want your readers to relate to your story, you may use the third person POV. However, if you are still confused, you may consider the tips below to determine the point of view of your story. Go with your gut feeling - Most writers like to go with their gut-feeling while composing their stories. So, if you are confused and skeptical, you might as well choose to go with your intuition. Chances are, it may only keep you in the right. Consider the Genre - Apart from your gut-feeling, the genre you are writing in should be the sole-determiner of the book. So, Autobiography, fantasy, or fiction – whatever you choose, ensure you are only keeping the process subtle and not forced.
Clue Words
A sentence can contain "clue words" that will help you to figure out the point of view (first, second, third) of a story. Study the clue words below. Then sort them into the correct boxes.
Choosing Where To Start
Why do you think the author decided to tell the story from this particular point of view?
Does it Affect Story?
This sheet works with just about any story. What is the relationship between the narrator and the person the story is about?
Where's It Going?
Read each passage. Choose the point of view of each passage. Write its letter on the line.
