Pick the Right Point of View

The wrong point of view quietly flattens a good story and you won't know which is wrong until you try them. Describe your concept and it shows how five POVs change intimacy, tension, and irony, writing two opening sentences in each so the difference is concrete, then recommends one. Decide before you draft 3,000 words in the wrong voice.

I am writing a short story about {STORY_CONCEPT}. Help me select the best point of view. Explain how each of the following POVs would change the story's intimacy, tension, and dramatic irony: (1) First person present tense, (2) First person past tense, (3) Close third person, (4) Second person, (5) Omniscient third. For each, write two opening sentences using my concept to make the difference concrete. Then recommend the single best POV for a short-form story of {WORD_COUNT} words, explaining how it enables or restricts what this particular story needs.