*Air-tistry*

by Jack Porcello
 

Point of View (POV) in storytelling determines who is telling the story. It also specifies how much of the story is actually told, and how much is left to the audience's imaginations.  Three POV vehicles often used are omniscient, observant, and participatory.

The omniscient teller knows and recounts all aspects of the story.  Characters’ thoughts, feelings, and intentions are related completely, and nothing is left for the audience to guess at.  Many of these stories begin with “once upon a time” and end with “happily ever after.”  The advantages of telling from this point of view are freedom to develop characters fully, the ability to describe all aspects of the venue in which the story is unfolding, and the power to disentangle a situation and evolve a moral.  Most fables and parables are given in omniscient POV.

As an observer, the teller recounts events as he or she has witnessed, from a very individual and limited point of view.  Speculative phrases are used, such as “it seemed to me” or “it appeared as if,” but little if anything is certain, as the story is given second hand.  With practice, obvious exaggeration can be interjected in a comical fashion to make the tale livelier.  Observation allows a certain element of surprise, as you have a better vehicle through which to withhold information from your audience.  An observer is also able to maintain a certain neutrality, although subjectivity will still come into play as the tale is woven.  The teller is removed enough from the story as to have less of a stake in its outcome, yet is still of a mind to demonstrate his or her judgment and deduction.

Your tale takes on a whole new dimension when you tell it as a participant.  The first hand accounts of events and views gives a personal flavor to the account.  Using such phrases as “we were walking along when we heard . . .” or “I was at home one evening when the phone rang . . . ” gives credibility to the story, as does a comparison between one's individual thoughts with the interpretations of the actions of others.  Saying such things as “my heart was racing, and I saw the excitement in my brother's eyes . . .” can make the audience feel as if they are part of the story.

 A storyteller can tell the tale as his or herself, or “in character” as a participant or observer of the story.  This directs how a story flows, what is revealed and how it is revealed, and what conclusions are reached.  Several messages can be developed from the same text by using different POV.

As an example, let's take a look at the story of Jesus feeding the 4000.  Actually, the account says that Jesus fed the 4000 men, and that there were also women and children.  Some commentators believe there could be as many as 15,000 people at this "picnic."  Anyway, I sometimes tell the story as the account is given in the Bible.  Usually, I try to tell it a different way.  Try telling it from the point of view of the little boy, or maybe one of the disciples.  Perhaps you could try it from that of a man on the fringe of the crowd.  Each approach lends a different feel to the message, and in each case the story can actually deliver an altogether different message.

Changing the POV can actually take stories that you have told over and over and refresh them for you!  I have told the StoneCutter since 1985, and each time it is different.  Often I change the point of view, and the story becomes renewed for both me and my audiences!  Experiment with new and different ways of presenting old material, especially material you may have abandoned because you feel it has gone stale.  You will be amazed at how much more mileage you can get out of that neglected, old routine with a simple twist in the point of view!
 

next month:  Setting The Stage

See my website for more information, or you may e-mail me at info@airtothekingdom.org.

Until next time, I remain *Air-tistically* yours! Jack