Week 2 | Challenge 3 - Point of View

Our storytelling journey has been amazing so far. I cannot wait to put into practice some of the things I am learning! This week, we will shift our focus from telling stories through photos to telling stories through words. Today we'll take a look at point of view in our journaling.

I taught International Accounting for a couple of years. I always began the first day of the class by showing the students a series of optical illusions including this one. What do you see?



My students always enjoyed the exercise, but it was not without purpose. I will spare you the specific applications to accounting, but the gist is that different people can look at the same image or situation and not see the same thing. Each of us bring knowledge, values and experiences to the table that color or perceptions. In short, it is a matter of perspective.

Perspective, as defined by the New Oxford American Dictionary, can be "a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something: point of view"

Let's zero in on point of view (POV). One of the definitions of point of view is "the position from which something is observed." We as storytellers have the ability to influence the way a story is received based on the POV we use to tell it. There are three commonly used POVs used in storytelling and they are easily identified by the pronouns being used.

First Person
In first person the story is narrated using the pronouns I, we, or us. The storyteller is an active participant in the story. We use this a lot as scrapbookers. We tell a story that we were a part of, or we share our thoughts or feelings using our own voices. Obviously, it seems natural to write in first person from our own perspectives. BUT - we can also use first person from the perspective of someone else. For example I could journal as if I am my child speaking, or my pet, or even an inanimate object.

Second Person
Journaling in second person we use the pronouns you. Generally we are speaking directly to the subject of our layouts. I have often used this POV to journal a page about one of my children. That way when she reads it later on it will seem as though I am writing just to her. 2nd person can also be used to journal in the form of a letter to someone, or even to yourself.

Third Person
Using third person we journal from the perspective of an outsider looking in, somewhat removed from the action of the story. We use the pronouns she, he, it, they. Many times this POV is used to report the facts - the who, what, where, and when of a story.

Sometimes it is easy to choose a POV. For instance if you are telling a story that you were not a direct participant in, third person is an obvious choice. Many times we select POV without even thinking about it, we just assume our most comfortable writing style. But remember that the same story, told from different points of view can evoke different responses. Third person may seem more informative and objective, while first or second seem more up-close and personal. You might ask yourself "Whose eyes do I want to be looking through when telling this story?"

So, enough of my ramblings and on to the challenge! I am not going to prescribe for you a particular POV. Instead, take a look at your gallery and note which POV you most commonly use. Now stretch yourself and journal from a POV that you don't often use, or have never used.

The deadline for this challenge is September 1st at 11 pm EDT.
The Pollys will choose one layout as our Storyteller Standout from this challenge for a $10 prize.
One random layout will receive a $5 participation prize.

Here's my page. I decided to journal in first person but from the perspective of my oldest daughter's favorite stuffed animal. Instead of writing about her tiger from an outsiders perspective I have journaled as if I am the tiger speaking - something I haven't tried before.



Polly Christine also used first person on her page. However, she journaled from her own point of view in the form of a letter to her boys. Don't you know they will love reading this over and over again.



Now it's your turn. Can't wait to see what you come up with!

By the way, did you see an old woman, or a young woman in the picture above?

 

Oh yes, channel it!

 

Nope, it really is September. The challenges will keep on coming through the first half of August, so you'll have time to finish them all up.

 

Thanks ladies! SPOILER ALERT - did you ever find the old woman? I'll give you some hints. The young woman's ear is the old woman's eye and her choker necklace becomes the old woman's mouth. Fun to hear what different people see. My first time I saw the old woman first and it took me a bit to find the young woman.