Perspective and the Vampire

Are you viewing action from the perspective of the vampire when you read a vampire story? Are you inside the slayer? Whose eyes are you seeing the world from? This is where perspective (also known as point of view [POV]) comes into the picture. There are four basic viewpoints that an author gets to choose from although occasionally, very occasionally, an author will mix them.

These three are:

• First person (the “I”)

• Second Person (the “you”)

• Third person (Sue, Tom, or some named person that is very much not “I”)

• Third person omniscient (see below)

Each of the above perspectives has pluses and minuses when you read them, write them, or write about them.

First person singular: the personal “I” point of view, has the advantage of placing the reader in the story. Every time they read the word “I,” they are placed deeper in the story. It allows a greater suspension of belief and a greater investment in the world the author has created. This works because “I” am everyone’s most important person. For instance, “I met the vampire at the pier after dark,” places the reader on the pier after dark.

The major disadvantage is that it allows the character to only know what is going on within his/her own head. The character can only know what he or she sees or hears or thinks. Everyone else’s motives are blanks and must be somehow added with dialogue or some sort of exterior method.

Second Person: This is the hardest to write, since it requires the continual insertion of a generic “you” as subject. If it is really really well written, it will allow you as narrator to directly address the reader, telling them what they see, hear, and think. This really places you into the narrative and creates a different sort of personal relationship and dynamic with your reader.

The disadvantage is much the same as the advantage with this perspective. The reader knows what they see and think, and they can resent being told what you think they should think or how theyshould react to the action taking place. For instance, if you tell them, “you walked into the haunted house to meet a vampire,” their reaction could be, “I would never be that stupid.” You lose them.

Third person: Writes from the perspective of a named person to whom all the action occurs. It has the advantage of allowing the writer and reader both to distance themselves safely from the action occurring on the page. They can live vicariously, trying out a totally different life.This is usually one of the easiest to author as well, since I can fairly easily pretend to put myself into the head of “Suzi,” who “walked into the darkened house to free the dog she hears barking.” When “Suzi meets the tall, dark, and handsome vampire who is holding the leash,” the reader can experience Suzi’s thoughts and reactions – from a safe distance.

The downside is again that of limits on how much they can know. Suzi can’t know what is taking place in Tom’s head unless Tom somehow lets her know.

Third Person Omniscient: writes from the “Tom” or “Sue” perspective, but someone outside of the story itself is telling you what is going on within each of their heads. So the lines could read:

“Suzie walked into her bedroom to discover a man lying on the bed. She screamed in terror as he displayed his fangs to her.”

He reacted to her screams by jumping out the window.”

The failure of this is that readers can get confused when more than one mind is thrown at them, and having an exterior voice address them can also distract from the flow of the material. Generally, when writing, it is best to make a choice going in, and stick with that choice.

Here are a few questions you might want to think about when reading, or writing about, the POV.

• How reliable is the information the speaker is giving you? Meaning, how much has his / her own distinctive personhood altered the basic information?

• What does the speaker not know? Think “Weapons of Mass Destruction” here. The slayer, victim, or vampire has only their own information when deciding on their actions.

• What is the writer on about? How are they expecting their story to impact you and your own perspective? Is the writer really writing a morality tale about the dangers young females face when they go alone to bars? There be vampires at bars!

• How does the personal history of the reader come into play? If the author has chosen a first or second person perspective and the action is way outside the readers’ experience level, does it impact the readers’ takes on the action?

Remember, while we might be talking about literature about vampires, the arsenal of the writer and the language of the writer stays the same. Perspective matters.