Storytelling Point of View (part 1 of 2)

"I remember it like it was yesterday..." or "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away?"

There are very different ways to tell a story and viewpoint is one of those technical things in writing that can have a huge impact even though the audience doesn't necessarily pay much attention to them. In this first part of our conversation, we explore the various viewpoints used in written fiction. Why use any one of these over the others? What makes them unique?

 

• 3rd person omniscient
• 3rd person limited
• 2nd person (choose your own adventure)
• 1st person reflective
• 1st person camera

 

Works mentioned in this episode:

• Narnia
• Harry Potter
• The Wheel of Time
• Dune
• The Stormlight Archive
• Moby Dick
• Dracula
• The Hunger Games
• The Da Vinci Code
• The Sixth Sense
• The Lovely Bones
• The Reckoners Trilogy
• The Love Tree
• How I Met Your Mother

 

People mentioned in this episode:

• C.S. Lewis
• Brandon Sanderson
• J.R.R. Tolkien
• Suzanne Collins
• J.K. Rowling
• Robert Jordan
• Frank Herbert
• Dan Brown
• Jos Vanderloo