I Said, He Said, She Said, We Said, They Said...

 by Charlotte Bennardo

The theme is Point of View. In simplistic literary terms, it means who is telling the story: first person which would be "I", second person which be "you", third person which would be "she, he", and then third person omniscient where it would be from an outsider who can see everything that's going on both externally and internally. Writers generally stick to one POV in a novel. 

That being said, it usually follows that the point of view of the narrator tells us one thing and a character can say something entirely different, which sets up a conflict. For a novel or story, that's good because it engages the reader. They may believe one thing over another, depending on who is telling them what. Sometimes we have what is called an "unreliable narrator" which means they are a liar, they have motivation to not tell the whole truth, or they see things in a different way for whatever reason. They may only have some of the facts, they may not have any facts, they may refuse to see what is true or false. That is their opinion, their point of view. Consider a mystery story with its red herrings, false clues, which are placed to mislead the narrator and the reader. 

There is another scenario:

2 things can be true simultaneously. 

It may be difficult to accept that based on one's point of view.

Take the recent election (don't worry, no politics).

Each side states their point of view based on the 'facts' before them. There are three possible scenarios: 

Photo by Vincent Photography: https://www.pexels.com/photo/overpass-in-countryside-17034002/

*Both may be wrong

*One may be wrong, the other right

*Both may be right

Which is the correct point of view? In the literary world, you have to read to the end to find out. In a good story, many things can be true.

Charlotte writes MG, YA, NA, and adult novels and short stories in sci fi, fantasy, contemporary, horror, paranormal and romance genres. She is the author of the award-winning middle grade Evolution Revolution trilogy: Simple Machines, Simple Plans, and Simple Lessons. She co-authored the YA novels Blonde OPS, Sirenz, and Sirenz Back in Fashion. She has several short stories in anthologies and online, along with newspaper and magazine articles. Having finished her MFA, she's applying what she learned and is working on several children's and adult novels and short stories. She lives in NJ but dreams of a Caribbean beach house.