Good writers are consistent. They follow the rules, proofread, and take time to revise. Lack of consistency can fail a beginning writer especially in point of view.
Consistent POV
Point of view lets the reader know who is telling the story. When your main character is telling the story, the pronouns I, me, and my show first person viewpoint. Third person point of view is when the narrator refers to the main character by name, he, or she. Why is this important? Well, in the revision process it’s important to maintain a point of view, otherwise you confuse your reader.
Example:
She looked like she was tapping out Morse code on the sidewalk. Then I remembered—white canes are for the blind. But this girl was no older than me.
Curious, I caught up to her. “Hi. My name is Erika.”
This excerpt is in first person because it’s told in Erika’s viewpoint or voice. Now see what happens if I switch the “I” to Erika:
She looked like she was tapping out Morse code on the sidewalk. Then Erika remembered—white canes are for the blind. But this girl was no older than me.
Curious, Erika caught up to her. “Hi. My name is Erika.”
It almost sounds like Erika has a split personality and forgot she was blind! It’s just plain confusing because the point of view is unclear to the reader. Is the she in the first sentence Erika? Why does Erika say the girl is no older than me?
During the revision process follow grammar rules, proof read, and look for places where you have accidentally substituted he, she, or the characters name for the first person POV character. If you are revising a third person POV story, make sure you don’t slip into using I or me when speaking in your character’s voice to maintain a consistent POV.
