Naomi Hawkins-Rowe
While banging my head against the wall considering my narrative options for one of my characters, I happened upon a wonderful and concise explanation for POV: Narrative Viewpoint, posted on Grossmont College’s website. There, I found a guide breaking down the various modes of Narrative Viewpoint, or POV – something that James Phelan’s book, Narrative as Rhetoric: Technique, Audiences, Ethics, Ideology, also does remarkably well if you have the time to read it. I am currently writing a YA novel with multiple POV’s and was stuck on which one to use for one of my characters. Looking through the guide, the explanation of omniscience for first person was extremely useful. My characters perspective, for purposes of the plot, needs a distinct viewpoint from the others; but I still wanted to write his story in first person. So, Omni-first person it is! Now that’s settled, it is time to sip my coffee and write.
Additional Note: ( More recently, Omni-First Person was done beautifully in The Book Thief and discussed further here.)