When a reader embarks on a new read, one of the first things they ask themselves is who is telling this story? The answer to that question will determine how much they learn from the context, the motivation of the characters, the conflict, and can even form an early opinion about the book in the reader’s mind. This is called a point of view (POV), and it gives the reader a position from which they can evaluate a story.
Defining the point of view is one of the first steps when writing your romance novel, and it’s an important one because it will influence how well you communicate the circumstances that drive the romance in your story. Here are the types of POV and some tips to guide you when choosing one for your next writing project.
First person POV
In this POV, only one character—the narrator—is telling the story from their perspective using the pronoun I. From this POV, the narrator is either part of the context, or a witness recounting what happened from the outside.
The advantage of writing from the first person POV is that it gives the reader a front row seat on this character’s experiences, opinions, and motivation. Romance novels can use the first person POV, alternating between the hero and heroine, this way, the reader gets to understand the main characters’ motivations and the conflict they must overcome to get to their happily ever after, narrated in their own words.
In this same line, it’s important to keep in mind that the descriptions are influenced by this character’s opinions, the way they decide to tell the story is what the reader gets to learn, this might leave out alternative versions of the things that happen.
Here is an example of the use of the first person POV, from the Desire title Husband in Name Only by Barbara Dunlop:
“I focused and saw that he was. I was instantly sucked into the invitation of his open expression. I shouldn’t react this way. He might be sexy, but I wasn’t going to be swayed.” Page 31.
Second Person POV
In this POV, the reader is involved as a character in the story, known for the pronoun you. The narration guides you to your own actions, thoughts, and context. This narration technique allows the reader to be the central character of the story, and it’s not often used in romance, as it doesn’t provide details on the main characters’ motivations and conflict.
Here is an example from a William Morrow title Who Knows You By Heart by C.J. Farley:
“There’s more to life than what you do for a living. At least that’s what your dad used to say before he died fifteen years ago, in the office, at his cubicle, of a massive subdural hematoma.” Page 8.
Third person POV
In this POV, the story is told from an all-knowing narrator who knows everything about the characters: their motivations, their feelings, their conflict, and opinions. This narrator exists outside of the story and refers to the characters by their names or using the he, she, or they pronouns.
The third-person narrator can be classified in:
Third person omniscient:
An “all-knowing” narrator that has knowledge of every character’s feelings, thoughts, opinions, motivations, and conflict, even if the character doesn’t express these in the story aloud or to other characters.
Third person limited:
A narrator that exists outside of the story but doesn’t know everything about all the characters; instead, the narrator expresses the thoughts and feelings of one specific character.
The romance genre often prioritizes the third person limited POV, alternating the narrator’s focus between the hero and heroine; this way, the reader gets a deep understanding of the main characters’ motivations, feelings, and obstacles keeping them apart from the hero or heroine. In the next part in this POV series, we’ll expand on how romance thrives in the dual point of view narration, and why this is the preferred POV on Harlequin’s publications.
Here is a great example of the use of the Third person limited narrator, alternating the point of view between the heroine and the hero, from the Heartwarming title Her Hometown Bull Rider by LeAnne Bristow:
Heroine: “She rolled her shoulders, but she knew it wouldn’t relieve the tension. The closer she got to home, the tighter her nerves became. For the first time since she graduated high school, she was coming home alone.” Page 10.
Hero: “Coy’s heart stuck in his throat. The door shut with a bang and a pair of brown eyes peered into his. “Becky.” His voice was barely more than a whisper.” Page 31.
Hopefully this POV breakdown will help with define the narrator of your next romance. Make sure to consult these and other definitions in our Romance Glossary and explore the Write for Harlequin website and blog for more writing advice.
