We’ve already talked about the main points of view in the past – first, second and third person. Each one can bring their own advantages and disadvantages to your piece, often creating a very different narrative, depending on which one you choose to employ.
Aside from those three which, for the most part, are indicative of the speaker’s position relative to the events, you can add additional characteristics of scope that can help shape the piece in a different way. Simply put, you can have the narrative laid out with the speaker either reporting from a limited or an omniscient point of view.
Limited Point Of View
A limited point of view can be employed whether you’re writing from the first, second or third person. You can create this by writing the piece (whether it’s a story or an essay) as seen from the narrator’s eyes. That means any observation is kept taking into consideration the speaker’s limitations, whether physical or emotional (or anything else for that matter).
Omniscient Point Of View
When writing from an omniscient point of view, the narrator can dip into the heads of the characters in the story. It allows for a more expansive treatment of all the players and events, although it can result in a muddled narrative, with misplaced ideas and concepts suddenly presented out of nowhere. You have to watch out for this common mistake, as even the best writing software isn’t programmed to catch faulty trains of thought. Typically, they are best used for third-person stories, though some have employed them using other viewpoints (to mixed, sometimes disastrous, results).
Tags: Limited Point Of View, Omniscient Point Of View, points of view
