I had a conversation this week with a writer about a story she'd written. I liked the story a lot but it occurred to me that telling the story from a different point of view might make it even more effective.
Before we begin writing a story, we usually know whose point of view will be used. Our hero--or heroine--is usually the one whose eyes we look through. But what if the villain in the tale is the POV person? Or an outsider? There is no one correct way. It's good to experiment a little and then choose the character you feel most comfortable with.
What if the story of Goldilocks and The Three Bears was written four times from four different points of view? There is a quartet of characters in the beloved story we all were told and then read as children. Wouldn't Papa Bear see the story in a different manner that Goldilocks or Mama or Baby Bear? He's the man of the house, ready to protect his family.
Mama Bear might have mixed emotions. Here is this girl invading her home but who seems to be hungry and tired. Mama's nurturing nature might lead her to scold Goldilocks all the while making sure she had something to eat and a place to rest.
And Baby Bear? He might look at this girl who came to his house as a new playmate, not as someone to fear.
The twists and turns in a story will change depending on who you choose to use as your POV person. An interesting experiment for you to try is to take a story you've already written, maybe one published, and rewrite it using a different POV person. How does the story change? How is it going to affect the reader's outlook? You might be surprised at how your story appears with this second writing.
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