The Lions Knees Were Shaking: Point of View in Writing Fiction

Have you ever reached the last page of a really gripping book and thought "Wow, that doesn't seem so hard. I could write like that." Good writers not only have an interesting story to tell, but are able to keep your attention by nailing point of view. A skilled writer can make this look easy, but most people do have to work at achieving it.

Dwight Newton, a prolific author of more than 70 Western novels and one of the founders of Western Writers of America discussed how he learned "point of view" in writing.

"As a young boy I would read the Oz books (The Wizard of Oz series by L. Frank Baum)," he said. "I read them and re-read them and eventually I realized that a new way to see the story was by picking a character and then as I read though the book I would just think about what that particular character was seeing and doing as the story unfolded. This is how I learned point of view. I learned a lot from those books."

It was a lesson that has served him well. Aside from the novels, he spent several years in Hollywood writing for various television shows in the 1950's including Wagon Train and Tales from Wells Fargo.

"Once you get point of view you can tell the story, but you have to practice and see what works best," Newton said.

To practice this, Newton suggests that beginning writers pay attention when they are reading. You could also take one of your own stories and rewrite it from another person's viewpoint. If you incorporate this into your writing practice you'll soon see improvement as you gain confidence and feel more comfortable switching perspectives.

You might just find that all of this makes you a better reader. Nathaniel Hawthorne said, "Easy reading is damn hard writing." Point of view will teach you that.