Henry sighs.
He’s reading back a draft blog post.
And he’s finding it hard to understand what’s wrong.
Why does his writing seem to drag on? Why does it feel so impersonal?
Polishing his writing style feels tricky.
Where should he start?
I recently came across a handy tip—a good starting point for adding pace, authority, and intimacy to your writing.
Sound good?
Let me explain …
In whose shoes are readers walking?
Readers walk in someone else’s shoes to experience a story.
For instance, if a text uses the first point of view, they’re experiencing the story as if walking in the shoes of the writer:
At 3 AM, I’m tossing and turning.
I try to push A.’s hurtful message out of my mind, so I can fall asleep again.
But it doesn’t work. My body tenses up, and I’m getting fed up with myself.
Why can’t I let go?
Stories often use the third point of view, allowing readers to get to know a person who is not the narrator of the story:
Uh oh.
Hannah feels stuck.
She has picked a good topic for her next blog post. She’s sure her readers will find it helpful.
But she’s soooo afraid her post will be boring that she can’t start writing.
And here’s the most interesting thing writers …
You can switch the point of view, and that switching adds pace to your writing and helps engage even hurried readers in the 21st century.
How to switch the point of view
As Chuck Palahniuk suggests in his book Consider This: Moments in My Writing Life after Which Everything Was Different, switching the point of view makes your voice more natural.
In conversation, we switch the point of view all the time:
- First point of view: I’ve written this blog post.
- Second point of view: Have you written a new blog post lately?
- Third point of view: Henrietta feels stuck and hasn’t updated her blog for several weeks.
Using all three points of view in fiction can be tricky. You can only do it if you tell the story in the first person. And as James N. Frey suggests in his book How to Write a Damn Good Novel, the third-person viewpoint is most common for most genres. Frey writes, “It’s what readers expect and what editors want.”
But blog writing is different.
Switching between the 3 points of views is easy in a blog—like in any non-fiction writing. And switching viewpoints adds pace, intimacy and authority.
Here’s how …
The third point of view
Palahniuk suggests that switching to the third person adds pace to writing.
Here’s the beginning of a story Palahniuk includes in his book:
To snag a Stephen King event, Kim said she’d had to agree to his standard terms. She’d had to hire bodyguards and find a venue that would hold five thousand people. Each person could bring three items to have autographed by Mr. King. The event would last some eight hours, and someone would have to stand beside the signing table and hold an ice pack to the author’s shoulder for the duration. The day arrived, and Kim held the ice pack to the shoulder in question. The venue, Town Hall, a deconsecrated church on Capitol Hill, has a jaw-dropping view of downtown Seattle. It was filled with the five thousand mostly young people, all ready to wait hours for their three signatures.
Are you experiencing the story through Kim’s eyes? Can you imagine standing there holding an ice pack to King’s shoulder as he signs fifteen thousand (15,000!!!!) books?
Switching to different people, different stories, different view points instantly adds pace to your writing. Just keep your stories short so readers stay hungry for the next story.
You can even switch to the third person for a couple of sentences only—like this snippet from my post about David Ogilvy’s most famous advert:
Ogilvy did not write that headline. When he won the Rolls-Royce account, Ogilvy spent 3 weeks reading about the car, and the headline is a quote from the Technical Editor of The Motor magazine.
And:
Before Ogilvy became an advertising man, he worked as a salesman for a British cooker company. He wrote a manual on selling cookers for his colleagues, and a large part of that manual is devoted to overcoming people’s objections to buying his cooker. In advertising, he takes a similar approach.
So, to add pace and interest to your writing, include miniature stories in the third point of view.
Which miniature stories can you share?
The first point of view adds authority
As a reader, I feel Palahniuk’s presence in his book because he shares personal experiences. That’s how I get to know him a little.
Here’s how his book Consider This: Moments in My Writing Life after Which Everything Was Different starts:
For most of my life I haven’t balanced my checkbook. The result was too depressing, to find out how little money I’d saved. What little the years of my life had amounted to. So long as my checks cleared, I’d no interest in figuring down to the penny how poor I always was. For the same reason, I’ve put off writing a book on writing. I didn’t want to be faced with how little I could offer on the subject. How stupid I remained after all this time and practice.
By telling stories in the first person, the author becomes part of the conversation. Readers feel like they get to know the author. That’s how you build authority.
I try to include a couple of first-person sentences in every blog post I write. For instance, in my post with sentence examples, I gave my personal reasons for including a specific sentence:
I felt like I couldn’t write a post about my favorite sentences without including Raymond Chandler. Chandler is not one of my favorite writers, not by a long stretch. But I do admire his writing style, and how he uses surprising imagery. I like his sentences better than his books.
When there’s no first point of view, readers may feel like an author is hiding. So, try to include a few first-person sentences in each blog post.
Which personal experiences or opinions can you share?
How to captivate readers with personal stories (even if you’re shy)
The second point of view adds intimacy
Addressing your reader with the word you instantly makes your writing feel more intimate as you’re inviting the reader to join the conversation.
A monologue turns into a dialogue.
Palahniuk addresses his readers at the end of a chapter:
If you were my student, I’d tell you to shift as needed between the three POVs. Not constantly, but as appropriate to control authority, intimacy, and pace.
I like using questions to address readers. Sometimes, I open a blog post with a question:
Do you ever wonder whether writing is easier for others?
Or at the end of a section, I remind readers to apply a tip to their own writing:
When editing your post, look for opportunities to address your reader with a quick question.
We often think of our readers as a group of people. But each reader reads on his or her own. So, write as if you’re addressing just one reader. How can you pull that reader into your conversation? Can you ask them a question or give an instruction?
Online readers are impatient
As a writer, switching the point of view gives you a better chance of keeping the attention of such impatient readers.
So, when you next edit a blog post, check whether you’ve used all 3 points of view:
- Can you add a personal comment or personal story so you’re present in the conversation?
- Can you add a miniature story about someone else to add pace?
- Can you address your reader with a you-question or instruction so readers feel part of the conversation, too?
We’re used to switching the point of view in conversation.
So, following the same principle will make your writing feel more natural, too.
Happy writing, my friend.
Book mentioned in this post:
The link above is an Amazon affiliate link. If possible, please support your local bookstore.
Recommended reading on the point of view in writing:
How to write conversationally
The Zoom-In-Zoom-Out technique: How to weave stories into your writing
How to captivate readers with personal stories (even if you’re shy)
You would enjoy Debbie Millman’s work,
https://twitter.com/debbiemillman
Her podcasts and perspective on design, branding, and such are delightful!
Regarding the Ogilvy post, he was sexist, I don’t even want my comment on that page. He is also over-hyped.
Thanks for the nudge on Debbie Millman’s podcasts. I’ve never listened as I prefer reading transcripts but I’ll give it a try!
Hi Henneke,
I love reading your articles. I have been learning a lot from all your articles. This is a very helpful resource as well. I am a hurried online reader as well, and whenever I am not researching I prefer to read through the piece of content very quickly. You are right, switching points of view grabbed my attention. I never really thought of it like this. But now I will, and I will be implementing this in my writing style to grab the attention of readers who are just like me.
I hadn’t thought of switching the point of view either until I read about it in Chuck Palahniuk’s book. Then I realized I was already switching points of view in most of my writing. Now, I do it more consciously.
I’m glad you’re enjoying my writing. Thank you for your compliment, John.
So today I decided to act on what i was learning. I found myself writing after a long dry spell of having nothing in mind. Thank you for the inspiration.
That’s great. Thanks so much for letting me know, Martha. Happy writing!
I hardly have enough patience to go through a blog completely. But, this is one of the best pieces I read and learnt something from – your blogs are never about filling spaces but a lot about learning. Including a bit of a story in a blog or write-up is something I learnt recently. I have started adding a miniature story nowadays and it works. 🙂 I feel good reading my own write-up. Keep on inspiring, God bless you always. Thanks a lot.
Thank you, Priyanka. I’m glad you enjoyed this enough to read it completely. Happy writing!
Your snacks are so delicious 😋. As a woman’s fashion boutique owner, At a particular age. I often get stuck writing content especially on social media. Sometimes its so challenging trying to remember all the rules like targeting, excitement, hashtags etc. However you have unlocked a few neurons in my mind😂😂. Now its formulating from pen to paper. Thank you.
What a lovely feedback! Thank you, Patricia. I’m glad you’re feeling inspired. And you know, sometimes, it’s okay to break all the rules and just see what happens 🙂
Hi, Henneke. Thank you so much for writing this. I’ll definitely try this technique on my next writings.
Have a good day!
Thank you, Himawan. Happy writing!
Mindblowing! Thank you Henneke
Thank you, Ken. Happy writing!
One editor has required “no first person” because today’s reader considers it self-centered or boasting.
The only possible solution, after much consideration, was to write for someone else. 😀
Although writing in second can become distracting and even sound pushy, it is better, in that editor’s opinion. Especially if a writer is telling a unique and personal story, and superimposing it upon the reader is just awkward. Probably the reader is thinking, “Who? Me? I don’t think so!” Haha.
The good that came from that advice was the frustration that has cause this writer to drop that editor. Whew. Now to find myself again! Haha!
Your advice will surely, greatly help.
I don’t know why people think that writing in the first person makes writing self-centered or boasting. I agree with you that it’s better to drop an editor like that.
If ever my writing sounds self-centered or boasting, please do let me know!
“Online readers are impatient”
Guilty. As. Charged.
I confess to pausing my first reading of your post to place a hold at the library for both books you mention.
I’m really curious about Chuck’s book, “Consider This…”
Having just finished a crazy good read, “Decoding Greatness”-Ron Friedman, where there’s a section about how most experts have trouble teaching their craft to beginners.
(You’re obviously one of the exceptions to that idea.)
I can’t wait to hear what he has to offer.
I love the reminders about using you to help get into your reader’s shoes, 3rd person for pacing, 1st person for intimacy and authority.
Keep switching up the offense to keep moving the ball down the field towards the end zone.
Sweet post on a gray rainy day.
Thank you
I could be the most impatient reader of all. Perhaps that’s why I’m fascinated by what keeps readers hooked. I’m a difficult reader to please 🙂
Palahniuk’s book “Consider This …” is excellent (I haven’t finished reading yet but based on the first half it’s a great read). He uses this technique of switching points of view all the time. His writing is faster paced than any other book about writing I know and it’s full of interesting stories including personal anecdotes, and of course lots of advice on writing. Many books about writing feel like a repetition of other books on writing but not this. Not all of the advice applies to non-fiction but it’s interesting nonetheless.
I hope you’ll enjoy it, too!
Weird! I’ve just checked my latest post and I’ve done exactly this … without realising.
Thanks for pointing it out though. I’m sure it will help me to speed up.
I’ll apply the technique first time from now on. Rather than in subsequent iterations.
Thank you, as always.
That’s exactly what happened to me, too. When I read Palahniuk’s explanation, I thought … That’s what I’m doing, too. And now I know why 🙂
Thank you for stopping by, Melanie. Happy writing!
Excellent, eye opening piece. Thank You!
Do you recommend the same POV technique can be used for product descriptions (which are telling the “story” of a product)?
Yes, it’s possible to use the same technique in product descriptions, too. It depends a little on the length of the descriptions and the kind of stories you tell. Don’t force it; it should sound quite natural, and you don’t always have to use all three points of view. Try it and see how it reads. You may want to let someone else read it and ask them whether the writing sounds natural. They probably won’t even notice you’ve been switching the point of view.
Interesting. I like how you find these rules everywhere that we sometimes do without thinking, and then you put them into words.
Am I right that in none of your quotes/examples there is an actual SWITCH in POV?
And I wonder why it would be easier in nonfiction?
When I read this tip from Palahniuk, I realized I do this already all the time. I just didn’t understand the impact it has. He describes it so well.
You’re right—in the examples, I didn’t switch the point of view. I only used the examples to show each point of view. Do you think it needs an extra example of the switching? (You can actually see me switching the point of view in this blog post all the time.)
I think it’s easier to switch the point of view in non-fiction because (1) it feels more natural than in fiction to address the reader and (2) if a fiction story is written in the third point of view, it’s hard (impossible?) to introduce the first point of view.
In non-fiction, it’s also easier to weave a variety of miniature stories into your writing. You use each story to illustrate a point and you’re not telling one big story.
Ha! Right you are! You do change POV all the time in the post!
I am such a dummy… OK, I get it.
And yes, of course, in fiction you have to stick to the POV per scene. More strict than in nonfiction.
Techniques that you already master are such nice techniques, don’t you think? Your toolbox gets fuller without doing any work 😉
Yes, and it’s also easier to write a blog post about it when you understand a technique already. 😉
I think fiction mostly switches point of view between chapters, when you step into the shoes of another character but even then, it remains the 3rd point of view. You just look, for instance, over Chuck’s shoulder in one chapter and over Anna’s shoulder in the next, and the go back to Chuck in the next. I do like it when a book is written like that.