P.O.V.

You are about to craft a new story. You have planned it all in your mind's eye. The story. The characters. The twists and turns. But...from what lens will the saga be told? Whose eyes will the reader peer through to provide the greatest experience?

In P.O.V. The Eight Perspectives of Fiction, author Kristin S. Smith explains the different outlooks scribes have at their disposal, illustrating with short stories and excerpts from both her own works and some of the most famous authors in history to highlight the pros and cons of each. P.O.V. offers fresh insight for writers, English professors, students, and the curious.

• Will the narrator be neutral and reliable, or biased and off the mark?
• Should the lens be narrow and seen from the often tunnel-visioned viewpoint of your main protagonist, or should you take a wider overview where the motivations of your full cast become known?
• Should your readers be casual observers of events, or will you put them in the driver's seat so that they feel like they are the heroes being chronicled?

A tale isn't memorable because of intriguing plot twists and characters. It must be told in a way that is equal to its greatness. What point of view will help you pen the best story you've ever written?