How to Choose a Point of View For Your HSC Creative Writing Piece

Every narrative has a point of view from which the story is told. The point of view helps to orient the reader into seeing the world in a particular way – through their eyes, your eyes or our eyes.

The same applies to HSC Creative Writing for Module C or any other HSC English module!

So, let’s get stuck into creating a point of view for your Module C creative writing!

Step 1: Pick a Point of View

Step 2: Find Your Character’s Voice

Step 1: Pick a Point of View

You will most likely use one of three points of view:

First Person

My journey to the shops was made much less enjoyable by the sweltering heat. I was feeling light-headed and faint. 

• Pros: Better insight into the experience of the protagonist, places the reader in the story;
• Cons: The story is limited by seeing only the experience of the protagonist.

Second Person

Your journey to the shops was made much less enjoyable by the sweltering heat which forced you to become light-headed and faint.

• Pros: It places the reader in the story to a degree, makes the reader feel like they are being spoken to personally
• Cons: The story is limited to seeing the experience of the protagonist, the reader feels like they are being told what to do and can be consider clunky

Third Person

Jennifer’s journey to the shops was made much less enjoyable by the sweltering heat which forced her to become light-headed and faint.

• Pros: Better insight into the broader characters beyond your protagonist, enables you to go into greater depth around character portrayal
• Cons: It feels less personal for the reader as they are not in the story themselves

The point of view will affect how intimate your HSC creative writing piece is to your reader.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald gives you an almost voyeuristic view of Nick Carraway’s observations of Jay Gatsby’s world, whilst the Harry Potter series allows us to view the journey of all of the characters and all of their insights upon a general level.

Step 2: Find Your Character’s Voice

Every writer has a different voice, and everything you write should sound distinctly like you, but distinctly in the way that your character would speak.

Good writers have a very distinct style of writing which only they can craft themselves through things like punctuation, character development and dialogue.

Think about it like this: if you got a text from Mum or Dad, your best friend, and then from your boss, you would be able to tell who is who merely by the way they write. In the same way, J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter), Franz Kafka (The Trial) and Stephanie Meyer (Twilight) all have very different voices.

Developing your voice comes with practice – but a great way to get started is to follow these steps:

Step 1: Is there a character in a movie or a book that you think your character is similar to? If so re-read or watch a part of the movie or book. Take notes on how the character speaks.

For example: Jay Gatsby from The Great Gatsby often says ‘Old sport’. 

Step 2: Using your notes, practice writing a couple of sentences with your own character capturing a similar voice.

Discover our tips for coming up with Creative Writing ideas here!

Still need help with developing your character’s point of view and voice for HSC Creative Writing? 

We pride ourselves on our inspirational HSC Creative Writing coaches and mentors!

We offer tutoring and mentoring for Years K-12 in a large variety of subjects, with personalised lessons conducted one-on-one in your home or at our state of the art campus in Hornsby!

To find out more and get started with an inspirational tutor and mentor get in touch today! 

Give us a ring on 1300 267 888, email us at [email protected] or check us out on Facebook!

Elizabeth Goh isn’t a fan of writing about herself in third-person, even if she loves writing. Elizabeth decided she didn’t get enough English, History or Legal Studies at Abbotsleigh School for her own HSC in 2010 so she came back to help others survive it with Art of Smart Education. She’s since done a mish-mash of things with her life which includes studying a Bachelor of Arts (Politics and International Relations) with a Bachelor of Laws at Macquarie University, working for NSW Parliament, and writing about writing.