Omniscient Point of View

by Toni Rakestraw



Omniscient gives the power to see and know all. It was used much more frequently in the 18th century than it is now, though many beginning writers use it without realizing it.

Writing in omniscient point of view allows you to pop into the mind of any character you choose when you choose... once, or repeatedly. As the author, you may also include your own observations or opinions on the action, even to the point of addressing the reader directly.

Some books written in omniscient POV include The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles and Howards End by E. M. Forster.

Cynthia scowled. "You don't know anything about it," she said, trying to hide her true feelings on the subject.

"Says you," her cousin retorted hotly, hoping to read between the lines. He scanned her face for clues, then plopped on the grass next to her in defeat. "Tell me, then."

In the example, we're sent to both Cynthia's mind, who's trying to control her true feelings, and her cousin's, who is hoping to read between the lines, then plops next to her in defeat.

Some readers don't like omniscient and will accuse the reader of head hopping. Others say it creates distance. Beginning writers may write like this unintentionally because they want to include descriptions of how everyone is feeling in a scene, not realizing they're actually popping into everyone's heads to do that. So it must be easy, right? Nope. Writing omniscient well is far from easy. While it's true that one of the strengths of this POV is that it allows these things to be revealed, there are some problems with this POV as well, such as:

• Omniscient POV loses the willing suspension of disbelief that we cultivate in a work of fiction.
• It destroys the sense of reality we try to create in our new world because the author can insert their own opinions.
• It creates more distance between the reader and the characters.

So, if the drawbacks are so bad, what are the strengths of omniscient POV?

• Reminding the reader that this is a work of fiction can be a terrific device by highlighting the artificial nature of the story.
• By increasing the distance between reader and character, the reader gets an entire panorama of reality itself.
• The author has more control in steering the story and its meaning where s/he wants it to go.

#omniscient, #pointofview, #writing