POV Context Versus Reader Context

By David Griffin Brown

One of the most common pitfalls I encounter as a developmental editor is the tendency to interrupt a scene’s immersive flow with explanations that read more like a voiceover than the focal character’s experience. We could call this a “showing versus telling” issue, but I find it more helpful to talk about it in terms of POV context versus reader context.

Narrative context is super important. It adds tremendous depth and intrigue to a story. Tease your readers with hints about a character’s sordid past, and we’ll be chomping at the bit to learn more. The problem arises when context is explained in a way that distances us from the scene.

By scene, I’m referring specifically to the rendering of a character’s moment-to-moment experience. We see what they see, hear what they hear, feel what they feel, and interpret it all through their thoughts and emotions. Readers are here for that firsthand experience. It’s what keeps us both immersed in the story world and emotionally invested in the story’s outcome.

When you jump out of your focal character’s perspective to fill readers in on what you think we ought to know, you risk pausing the scene and sabotaging our immersion. Context itself isn’t the problem; how you weave it into the narrative is what makes the difference. Weaving context smoothly into a scene takes practice, but it’s a skill worth honing because it keeps readers anchored in the character’s POV.

The magic lies in the distinction between POV context and reader context.

• POV context: This is what I like to call “good telling.” It includes the causal asides, observations, reflections, flashes of memory, and analysis that belong to the focal character in the midst of their moment-to-moment experience. It never breaks POV. Instead, these glimpses add depth to both the character and the setting as the character perceives it. In fact, it adds depth to the setting because we are seeing it through the character’s eyes, which in turn enriches our connection to the character. POV context blends seamlessly with the scene, and readers remain immersed in the story’s present moment.
• Reader context: This is when the author steps outside the character’s head to fill in backstory or world details they believe the reader needs to know. It’s an explanation for the readers' benefit rather than an observation or reflection the focal character might realistically have in a given moment. This form of exposition stops the experience, and readers will feel the abrupt change. Immersion is broken. Instead of living the moment alongside the character, we’re suddenly sitting in a classroom with the author at the chalkboard, getting a lesson.

In other words: POV context good. Reader context bad.

Of course, anything can be done well. All rules can be broken with sufficient artistry and intentionality. But as a frequent note from a developmental editor’s perspective, these out-of-POV context dumps tend to weaken the narrative. If you want to experiment, do so consciously and with purpose.

Deep POV Versus Omniscient Narration

Deep (or close) third-person perspective, the most common POV choice in modern literature, is essentially first person with the pronouns swapped. In deep third, the narrative voice belongs entirely to the focal character. Their thoughts, perceptions, and emotions filter everything on the page. The result is an intimate perspective in which the character’s lived experience and internal voice shape the storytelling.

Omniscient narration, by contrast, is a voice and perspective external to the characters. An omniscient narrator is a distinct, all-seeing storyteller. They may delve into the characters’ minds, revealing thoughts, feelings, and sensory impressions, but their voice remains their own. This externality makes omniscient narration less personal than deep third and more flexible for presenting multiple characters’ experiences without adopting their voices (and therein lies an important but subtle difference).

The issue of reader info most often crops up in deep third (and, less frequently, in first person). In deep third, you’re writing as though the reader is standing right behind your character’s shoulder, sharing every breath, flinch, and stray thought in real time. The moment you intrude as the author—speaking from a higher vantage point to explain world history or your character’s family background—your readers will likely notice the shift. This is commonly referred to as a “POV slip.” (But sometimes the issue is more subtle, like a generalized description of a focal character walking into a room without the incorporation of their opinions and unique lens—a missed opportunity to enhance characterization.)

That’s not to say you can’t include backstory or worldbuilding. You absolutely can. But the trick is to deliver that context through your focal character’s filter—their thoughts, impressions, memories, biases, and emotional reactions. By making the character the lens through which the information is revealed, you preserve the immediacy of the scene and sneak in some subtle characterization.

Delivering Context Without Breaking Immersion

• Pepper context into the scene: Let the character’s senses, emotions, and immediate goals trigger relevant backstory or world details. If the protagonist sees an old amulet that reminds them of a past failure, let that memory surface organically and then swiftly return to the present moment.
• Create a demand for context: By withholding details or offering them in tantalizing hints, you make readers want to know more. Then, when you do slip in a chunk of context, we’re eager for it. This approach keeps tension high and readers invested.
• Use narrative summary strategically: Sometimes you need to cover ground quickly—transitioning between locations, skipping uneventful days, or explaining boring processes. Narrative summary is faster paced than the moment-to-moment rendering of scene-based writing. Employed sparingly, it helps maintain focus on the scenes that truly matter while respecting the reader’s time.

Parting Thoughts

In your next draft, watch for those moments when you’ve pressed the pause button on a scene to explain something directly to the reader. Whenever possible, keep the story in the POV mode so that any necessary exposition remains intertwined with the character’s present experience.

If you can master the art of weaving backstory, worldbuilding, and “telling” details into the deep POV experience, you’ll maintain reader immersion. Instead of distancing us from the focal character’s present moment for a quick lecture, you’ll draw us deeper into the emotional and sensory tapestry of your story. And that’s ultimately what readers are here for: a chance to vicariously live another life, on another planet or in another time—fully immersed in the here and now of your protagonist’s journey.

David Griffin Brown is an award-winning short fiction writer and co-author of Immersion and Emotion: The Two Pillars of Storytelling. He holds a BA in anthropology from UVic and an MFA in creative writing from UBC, and his writing has been published in literary magazines such as the Malahat Review and Grain. In 2022, he was the recipient of a New Artist grant from the Canada Council for the Arts. David founded Darling Axe Editing in 2018, and as part of his Book Broker interview series, he has compiled querying advice from over 100 literary agents. He lives in Victoria, Canada, on the traditional territory of the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations.