Selecting Point of View

Point of view is the position from which a writer looks at his subject.  While pertaining specifically to description, point of view is nonetheless necessary in all writing in order to stay within a context that will insure unity in the paragraph or essay. A spectator sport, for example, could be written from your point of view as a rabid fan; but it could also be written from the viewpoint of a game official, a reporter, or a player’s girlfriend.  You may want to tell us about a trip you took during the holidays or that lovely beach outing you had last summer.  Decide if you want to tell us about it in the present or in the past tense, in the first person or in the second.

Your works as a writer is to establish a point of view early on and to remain in that point of view without unnecessary shifting of tense, number, or person.  Any shift will result in jolting your readers or at the very least, will distract or confuse them.  It is important to have a point of view in your writing to establish order and unity of thoughts.