Is Omniscient POV Dying?
By Marcy Kennedy (@MarcyKennedy)
A couple months ago, I was excited to be offered a chance to read and review Gilbert Morris’ The River Rose. The River Rose is a historical romance about a woman steamboat captain in 1850, and Gilbert Morris co-authored my favorite series of books during my late high school and early university years, the Cheney Duvall, M.D. series.
I love a clean read (referring to content rather than editing). I love a strong female protagonist. And I love a detail-rich world. The River Rose gave me all of these, and yet, I found myself disappointed.
Because of my great respect for this author, for all he’s achieved, and for the Cheney Duvall series, which still makes me laugh and continues to sit on my shelf of favorites after all these years, I refuse to publicly speak ill of this book, especially since I think the problem is one of personal preference.
I don’t like omniscient POV.
I’ll write more about point of view (POV) in another series of posts, but here’s a basic way to think of it.
When we’re young, our mothers or fathers or grandparents tell us stories. They’ll tell us what each character is thinking or feeling at any moment. They’ll even tell us things the characters don’t yet know. They’re all-knowing in the story world.
And we’re alright with that because we don’t want to experience the story as if we were one of the characters. We want to be safely watching from a distance while our loved one gives us the big picture view.
This used to be the case in most fiction 100 years ago. It would have been improper somehow to poke intimately into a stranger’s story, and we weren’t that far removed from the days when most people were illiterate and the majority of stories were still told orally. Omniscient POV was the norm.
But as we grow and as our society changed, we no longer want to be told a story. We want to see it and live it. We gobble up reality TV. We watch movies in 3-D. Our video games are using cameras to capture our movements to power avatars we created to look like us. We now want stories written in first person or in intimate third person (deep POV). We want to feel like we’re part of the story. At least, I do. I’ll be one of the first standing in line when they create a Star Trek-style holodeck.
So it’s not simply The River Rose. I felt the same way about Rachel Aaron’s excellently written Spirit Thief series. Despite the unique plot and beautiful language, I couldn’t connect.
Even though omniscient POV shouldn’t be confused with the head-hopping that will get your book rejected by agents and readers alike, to my brain, conditioned to first person and intimate third person styles, I felt jarred out of the story whenever I was told something the character I was currently trying to identify with couldn’t possibly know. I subconsciously sought that identification even once I figured out the book used omniscient POV.
Many genres still embrace omniscient POV, including historical fiction, so I’m sure other people will love this book. For these reasons, I’m excited to be able to give away a copy to one person today (US only). Share this post and leave a comment to be entered.
Do you feel the same way about omniscient POV? Do you think we’ll see less and less of it in the coming years or do you think, like many fashion trends, it’ll be back?
I hope you’ll check out the newly released mini-books in my Busy Writer’s Guides series–Strong Female Characters and How to Write Faster–both currently available for 99 cents.
Aug 01, 2012 @ 11:52:59
Wow, I’m not really sure what I think about this one. (MEanwhile, while Prudence pondered the problem, great events were unfolding that would influence her entire future…”
Aug 01, 2012 @ 14:23:56
Hehe. You’re a card 🙂
Aug 01, 2012 @ 12:52:14
I absolutely agree with your that the omnipotent POV is dying. On top of your (excellent) reasons, I think there’s another, more simple one: people just don’t know how to use it properly. I know I don’t. I always shy away from that POV. I’m much more comfortable with first person, although I will use a close third person on occasion. When done improperly, omnipotence just comes off badly, and there’s definitely a tradition amongst major novels that keep most writers choosing the other two perspectives over this one. I think there’s always going to be some throw backs, but I’d be surprised if we saw a resurgence of this tactic.
Aug 01, 2012 @ 14:26:10
This has to be the most difficult POV to do well. It flirts so closely with head-hopping. I honestly don’t think I could do it correctly. My natural inclination is to write in intimate third person.
Aug 01, 2012 @ 14:03:54
You know I’m not a fan of Omniscient POV – never have been. I struggle with many of the classics precisely for this reason. There are a standout few who do pull me into the story despite the POV though – and to me that stands out as stellar writing. Thinking of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Silas Marner, LOTR to name a few off the top of my head.
Aug 01, 2012 @ 14:22:01
I really struggle with the classics for the very same reason. I liked LOTR and anything by Jane Austen. Even in the classics, I tend to gravitate to books told in first person like Frankenstein, Wuthering Heights, and Jane Eyre.
Aug 01, 2012 @ 14:21:08
Hmmm…I think there ARE books that I have enjoyed with the omni POV, but I do find myself more connected when it’s first person.
Some stories that backfires, if I don’t like the character who is telling the story – then I’d rather be a bit distant.
Aug 01, 2012 @ 14:23:28
I think it can work well in big epics where you can’t, for some reason, know what you need to know by sticking closely to a character. But then I think of Game of Thrones. It has a huge scope and yet in each chapter we stick closely with one POV character.
Aug 01, 2012 @ 14:52:45
I like third-person omniscient POV, and don’t foresee it dying out. It seems that various tenses and POVs go in and out of style. What’s important, I feel, is that each writer finds what works for him or her personally. If omniscient POV helps an author tell the best story, I’m all for it.
Aug 01, 2012 @ 15:13:15
The great thing is that each writer will have an audience they connect with. Those readers want what that author has to offer, and it’d be sad if they couldn’t find it.
Aug 01, 2012 @ 17:54:33
I think you just nailed the reason I’ve never been able to get into too many classics. As for POV…I prefer reading, and writing in the third person. I have gotten to where I enjoy some stories told in the first, but I don’t think I’d ever be comfortable writing it.
Aug 01, 2012 @ 21:32:29
I’m not a big fan of omniscient, and I think because, like you, I feel jarred out of place when I am reading along switching from one head to another. I want to get comfortable with one or two viewpoints and be left alone to figure out emotions and reasonings on my own.
Aug 02, 2012 @ 00:24:12
I enjoy all POV styles!
For example, Rebecca, (first person) grabbed me up when I was only a young teen. But I loved Pride And Prejudice just as much, if not more.
I also like when I get the perspective of a slew of characters. The Moon Stone, Wilkie Collins, is a fine example of that type of story.
But…I am not a person who sticks to one genre. I read many types of fiction – literature, romance (all types), mysteries, thrillers… I read biographies. Love them even. Social science works fascinate me. History books, erotica, religious texts. You name it, and I’ve probably explored it. Ha!
For me, it depends on the story itself. No matter the POV style, some work for me, some do not.
Aug 04, 2012 @ 20:20:02
I wonder if what you’re connecting with is the strength of the author’s voice.
I read widely through the genres as well, but I find myself gravitating to to authors who write in closer POVs regardless of genre.
Aug 02, 2012 @ 00:32:49
Can I just say how thrilled I am to be used as an example (even though in this case I’m an example of what didn’t work)? Still: Thrilled!
Very nice post, btw. Thank you for giving Spirit Thief a try (and the kind words!)
– Rachel
Aug 04, 2012 @ 20:18:14
Thanks for stopping by! (I’m trying not to get too fan girl here because even though omniscient POV isn’t my preference, I read your books.)
I can’t imagine your books being as good written in any other POV because you wouldn’t have been able to tell what a door was feeling or show the progress of a rat through a castle. It’s part of what makes your writing so unique.
Aug 03, 2012 @ 00:13:08
As a few people pointed out, it’s really difficult to write well. The late James Michener was a master and Edward Rutherford is quite good. They can sweep you through time and place like a magic carpet. But I agree with you, Marcy. It doesn’t work with most genres and certainly not the ones popular now.
A POV that really drove me nuts recently was first person present tense in a mystery. I loved the story, but the POV grated.
Aug 03, 2012 @ 14:08:50
My husband feels the same way about present tense. He’s willing to give Hunger Games a try despite it, but he finds it very difficult to get past.
Aug 03, 2012 @ 14:06:14
My all-time favorite novels (The Light Bearer and Lady of the Light, plus the Dark Tower series) are all written in Omniscient POV, and I think it’s probably my favorite. I’ve tried writing it myself, which didn’t work out because I’m not experienced enough and ended up head-hopping (you’ve seen the after-effects of this in Apollo and some of the Fie Eoin Fridays). I think it’s probably the most difficult POV to get right.
I’m really not a fan of first person. I almost didn’t read past the first page of The Hunger Games because of that first person present tense. It drove me crazy until they got to the arena – and then of course you were so sucked in by that POV that it worked really well. But still, if I’m given the choice between First or Third, I’ll chose Third every time.
Aug 04, 2012 @ 20:26:24
I’m happiest writing in intimate third person, past tense. It comes most naturally to me. I’ve written a few short stories in first person, but I don’t know that I could sustain it well for a novel length work.
My attempts to write omniscient in the past were disastrous. I kept slipping back into third person.
Aug 04, 2012 @ 04:18:26
I think since about middle school I’ve had a bias toward first person books. One of my favorite things about a good story is when it sucks me into the world that the author has created, and I find that first person facilitates this transition.
I do enjoy omniscient POV when it’s done well, however, I do agree with you. I feel like it’s a dying POV. We as a culture are now more interested in the personal side of a story rather than a plot told from omniscient eyes.
This was an intriguing post and quite an original topic. Thanks for the good read 😀
Aug 14, 2012 @ 23:14:09
I have read mostly in 3rd person POV and recently I have tried reading a few 1st person POVs and I find it a little difficult. But instead of rejecting the idea, I am trying my hand at writing in 1st person and I am finding it an interesting challenge. I have discovered I am describing things better and exploring reactions and feeling clearer as I first sit and think of myself in the scene. Not sure how it will go but it is fun trying.
Aug 15, 2012 @ 00:09:37
Switching your normal POV just for fun can be a great way to improve your writing! Sounds like you’ve already learned a lot from your experiment 🙂
Apr 10, 2013 @ 18:31:55
My opinion: once the diehards stop using omniscient POV it will go away. When movies and TV introduced the immediate scene (showing instead of telling) it sounded the death knell for “telling instead of showing”. Readers no longer want to watch a character, they want to be the character.