A Different View

One of the problems with talking about writing is that the terminology isn't standardized. Even when everybody agrees what something is called, the same word gets used to mean other things, which can lead to confusion.

Take the term "viewpoint." It can mean either the person through whose eyes the story is told, as in "Who is the viewpoint character? Whose viewpoint is this from?", or it can mean the way the story is told, as in "Which viewpoint are you using - omniscient or first-person?"

Most...