Young Writers Society

I am currently in the process of planning out my story, but I can't decide which character's POV to write from. Both of the perspectives I have seem really interesting to me, and both have pros and cons. Here's the basic outline thus far:

X has run away from home for fear of endangering their family after an incident (which is X's fault entirely). X is being pursued by malevolent forces. While Y is out, they run into X and, after a little hostility and when X's situation is explained a little, Y decides to shelter X from the 'evil' for a night. This, of course, turns into a huge fiasco that just gets worse and worse, no doubt thanks to X.

I apologise for such a rough and vague outline, but it's all I've got right now.

Which Point of View would you prefer to read from, and why?

Hmm...

I like the idea of seeing it from Y's perspective. What's interesting about X is all this crazy action and drama going on, and the consequences of the decisions they make, which is more fun viewed externally. Y on the other hand is simply a bystander who willingly gets involved in this crazy drama, and it'll be more interesting to see their internal perspective and the thought process to why they make that decision over and over.

Thank you for your input! I agree - and it would leave more mystery about what X did.

Y is probably more interesting. I noticed you didn't mention Y very much in the outline--sounds like Y is in need of some interesting backstory, too.

There is also another aspect you could look into. I have read a few books that each chapter is from a different character's POV. So you would have chapter 1 in Character X's POV. Then Chapter 2 in Y's POV. and so on. Just another option for you.

@Megrim Y does have an kind-of interesting backstory. X's backstory is average until the incident, but Y's is unusual all of the way through their life.

@XxXTheSwordsmanXxX that is indeed another path I could take. It would be really interesting to see into both of their minds.

Thank you all for helping

I kind of like going with just one, particularly Y, because then you could still maintain a sense of mystery or distrust with the other. You could keep the reader on the edge of their seat with dramatic irony, dropping hints of X's actions that makes the audience distrust them while keeping Y oblivious. But that just depends on what you want to go for. It seems like X makes

If you're going to write with just one, I agree that Y is better simply because it's more original. There's been numerous novels from the POV of those such as X, and seeing it in Y's eyes would be more refreshing.

Thanks for helping, everyone. I've chosen to write from Y's POV, and I think it's going quite well

To answer your question, I'd rather read from Y's POV. The mystery behind X's life and this evil force would interest me greatly.

I know I'm late to party, as you've already chosen which POV you're writing in, but I'd like to comment anyway. Feel free to ignore my advice if you've already made the final decision ^_^

The real decision you have to make here with the POV is the story that you're telling. I know you've only given us a rough outline because you want to know about perspectives, but telling a story goes way beyond just what's happening in a character's personal life. You'll want to look at the entire story first and then narrow it down. For example, if you want us to know about X and what they're running away from, you'll want to start in X's POV. But if you want that to be a secret or if it's something that X is ashamed of, you'll want to write in Y's POV. Make sense?

POV is a huge part of any story, as I'm sure you know. You can hide and reveal information at any time to build suspense or mystery. You can take a break from the main storyline and build character or delve deeper into a certain character's mind. There are so many possibilities! That's why I feel like a lot of books switch POVs. You have that option here as well. As TheSwordsman mentioned above, you have the option to switch POVs. And not just every other chapter either. You can have a POV that we only see once every five chapters. Or you can have one we only see twice in the entire book. Use the information and experiences that these characters have to build your story. Play around with it and see what you end up liking the best.

Good luck with your writing!