BTS Fanfic Work Shoppe

📝 Point of View - Voice 📝

Point of view is important to a story. A shaky, confusing point of view can and will turn potential readers away. There are multiple types of POVs and I will describe and list out the pros and cons of each:

1st Person - This is the POV I write in the most. It's when the writer uses pronouns such as I/my/mine/ours rather than the character's name. Some people like to write in this POV while others don't. It depends on you.

Pros: It's easier to get into the character's head and thought processes. It keeps things focused and from head hopping (writing in multiple people's point of view at the same time). It also inserts the reader into the character's point of view and they see the story through their eyes.

Cons: If you write smut, you may feel shy when you say "I" and stuff. You may find yourself not wanting to use certain descriptions because it may feel weird. This is also good because it could potentially keep you from needlessly sexualizing the character. An arrogant character would call themselves sexy all the time and constantly use bragging descriptive words while a more reserved character wouldn't. Another con can be that depending on the content, you could potentially trigger yourself since it'd be like you're experiencing it. This may make the emotions more raw, but you should always put your mental health first.

3rd Person Omniscient - This POV makes the narrator as some sort of "god," with access to every character's thoughts and actions.

Pros: You can write about everyone within one chapter. You get a really developed story with the ability to show how multiple people at the same time.

Cons: You're more likely to head hop. If you write in multiple people's thoughts, you should create a new paragraph for each character and make sure it's clear who is thinking what. Things can also get confusing to the reader if done incorrectly, as they don't know who is doing/thinking what.

3rd Person Limited - I basically say this is the love child of first person and third person omniscient. Instead of expressing the POVs of all characters at once, the narrator focuses on one, but doesn't use pronouns like I. Instead, it's she/he/they or whatever neopronouns the character may use like ze/zim, etc.

Pros: Things are focused. You're less likely to head hop. You can get the effect of first person without the awkwardness or potential triggers.

Cons: It's not the exact same as first person, so it doesn't put the reader in the character's POV the exact same way. Just like first person, it limits who you can write about.

3rd Person Reporter/Objective - The story is presented as mere observation and the thoughts of the feelings aren't expressed unless the characters say them. It's like writing a story as if you were simply reporting on what they're doing.

Pros: It can limit what you write (if that's what you're going for). It puts the reader as an outsider, merely seeing what's going on.

Cons: It's not as developed and harder to pull off well.

2nd Person - There's no reason to use this unless you're writing a reader insert. You'd use the pronouns, you/your/yours.

Pros: It's not the most common, so it sets you apart.

Cons: It's hard for people to write well and can sometimes be awkward to read. It's typically best used for informative writing in which you're giving directions.

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When choosing the POV to write in, keep in mind what you want to show, what the mood is, and the content of the book. None of these POVs is the best. They all work great when implemented correctly. You can even use a mixture of them, but make sure you tell the reader. If you write in a focused POV such as first person/3rd person limited, but change which character is the focus, make sure to list that at the beginning of the chapter. So at the top, you could in bold put something like "Jimin" or "Jimin's POV." Wattpad is a service of writers from different ages and backgrounds, so it's good to be clear. Army is a worldwide fandom. Just because someone is reading your book in English, doesn't mean it's their first language. Always keep things like that in mind when writing. 😊

Happy writing!