What makes for a good story? When a person can relate to the characters and their situation or plot. Being able to relate and empathize with one another is what binds us to our communities. People always gravitate to those that are similar in some way, it brings us comfort and reassures us emotionally that we are not alone in the world. When involved in a story the point of view, or perspective, can add or subtract greatly from the tale. A reader that relates to the characters becomes more involved and committed to the story being told.

A writer's greatest weapon is the point of view of their work. The most commonly used point of view is first person. It is more similar to a conversation format with the use of possessive pronouns such as 'I, you, we' and so on. This style of point of view is more common because it is how people actually communicate to one another. First person is readily understandable to a reader because they use it everyday and it is a direct conversation between author and reader.

The use of third person as the point of view is to write or tell a story from the outside of a situation. It is the continual reference of something as the 'other' meaning it is a voice that speaks without any claim or possessiveness of the situation. The writer or storyteller uses 'he, she, it, they' as character cues. The use of third person is quite common although it immediately creates language boundaries between author and reader, placing them outside the storyline. This style can be very appealing to the reader especially when it is third person omniscient or universal omniscient. This means that all the information of the story, everything that is occurring throughout, is known by the voice. The reader is able to follow along with the all knowing voice and watch as everything in the plot unfolds.

The most infrequently used point of view, or voice, is second person. This is most commonly seen in interactive fiction or 'choose your own adventure' stories. The use of 'you' is throughout the story but the speaker never refers to themselves possessively. Why? Because the reader is the storyteller for a change! Interactive fiction is wonderfully inclusive to the reader and empowers them throughout the plot. It is not a common form of voice for a writer however because it is difficult to write. There are many different threads of plot to be written in order to keep the reader involved and maintain the progression of the story.

The closer we are to the characters, the more they are like us and the more we know about them, the more we will be interested in what happens in their lives. Characters in our favorite tales become our friends. They can grow up with us, share hopes and dreams, be examples or comfort us in tragedy. Maybe the characters we read just help us cope and accept the plots in our own lives. They become a neighbor, a loved one, an anchor to keep us grounded or to inspire. Regardless of what perspective is used the most important aspect of writing is understanding and that can be achieved with any voice.

Learn more about this author, Sadie Moses.
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