Historical Fiction: What is Point Of View and How to Use It
Which character draws you into this scene? The obvious one is the woman. She's a suffragette... Or is she thief who has just been apprehended outside a department store? Is she a schizophrenic who has accosted some innocent bystander?
Questions such as these open the doorway to your imagination and guide you into your character's point of view. You can't know the truth about a character by looking at them from the outside. You may think you know who the woman above is, but you have to get inside her point of view to find out. The truth about a character is always surprising!
Before you begin to write your scene, look at the policemen. Maybe one of their stories is calling to you. And then there are bystanders whose point of view holds your interest.
Point of view puts you inside your main character's head, heart, and gut -- you see the world through the eyes of your character. Point of View is one of the most liberating techniques in fiction writing. It gets you out of yourself and into your character. And then the imagination takes off!