Point of View

Point of View- more commonly known as POV. When you write, you choose the perspective you are going to write from. First and Third person are the most popular choices for writing a book. Second person, I'll just say this, it is very strange and I don't think anyone should ever write in second person. The choice is ultimately up to you however.

First Person

Written from the main character's perspective, you cannot hear the thoughts of other characters. Everything they do is usually possessive, compared to the other characters. When you change POV's however, do not put: Lucy's POV. Honestly, if you're going to be switching between POV's every few paragraphs, I suggest writing with it not connected to any particular character. It opens up a lot of windows for writing when you want to hear the thoughts of several characters at once. If you want to switch POV's in a novel, or any story, then simply put a break and you can put their name simply (e.g. Lucy) or you can just let the reader figure it out. It's always easiest however, to break each POV into a different chapter. The same can be done with third person (e.g. Rick Riordan's series "Heroes of Olympus" is written this way).

First Person can be hard if you haven't trained yourself to write in it. I at one point wrote all my stories in First Person, but when I had to become more acquainted with Third, the skill slipped and I struggle to write in First.

Example of First Person writing:

I walked down the street, my heart pounding in my chest. What if I couldn't do this? I paused, my foot hovering into the next step. Was I wrong to think I would ever be able to tell her how I feel?

If you'll notice, the persons thoughts are in italics. This is the correct way of displaying what a person is thinking. It is not dialogue so do not put quotation marks. You can however attach dialogue tags to the thoughts, just make sure you keep in mind the character is not talking, but he/she still has emotion.

Second Person

Seriously, this POV is strange and it would be weird to read a book written in it. I suggest steering clear of it all together. There is always exceptions when a person is speaking however, grammar never really seems to apply much in speech. Second Person is played out as though you are literally the main or supporting character. Which may sound cool, but after a small example, you might not be thinking so. We can feel the emotions of characters, connect to them, and feel as though we want on the adventure with them, but Second Person takes it to a completely different level.

Example of Second Person writing:

You lift your hand and strike him across the face. You can't believe he would ever be so naive to do something like this to you. Hot tears spill down your cheeks and when you speak your voice cracks.

It would be incredibly awkward to read a book written like this for 300 pages. It feels as though you are being forced into a certain situation rather than entering on a voluntary basis. You can choose to write in second person, but it's not advised.

Third Person

By far the easiest to write in, in my opinion. Third person is where the story is told from a far away aspect, but close to the characters. It can be written to focus on one character alone (e.g. "Harry Potter" by J.K. Rowling) or it can be written to reflect several character POV's within a single section or chapter (e.g. "The Mortal Instruments" by Cassandra Clare). There is usually no possessiveness in context as it focus' on many people/characters.

Example of Third Person writing:

Ethan let the wooden stick fall from his hand. He couldn't believe he had just used his power to take another's life. He had known it was possible, but now he was there experiencing it-he wished he could die himself.
"What have I done?" He whispered, his knees sinking into the rocky dirt. A soft hand touched his shoulder and he could smell the soft scent of vanilla and apple. Wisps of silvery hair danced in his peripheral vision, he did not want to acknowledge her after what he had just done.

You connect to the character and can experience what he is feeling, you are not however forced into the situation. It was quite voluntary if you think about it, but it pulled at your emotions I am sure.

Be careful with what you write in the future and make sure you know which Point of View you are using to help establish your story and its characters to the fullest.