The passing of time can imbue the reader’s experience with more meaning. Deeper wisdom can be gained with the passing of time. A fresh perspective or new information that was discovered. It can add new layers and provide a deeper experience for the reader. The point in time in which we choose to narrate our story matters in how we craft the Point of View. Will it be first person, second person, or third person?
Consider an event that happened to you when you were a child. Perhaps your father was in the military and left to go overseas. As a child you missed him, who would play catch with you? As an adult, you have a deeper understanding of your father’s commitment to being a part of something bigger than himself when he served in Iraq. He may have returned home with interesting stories or an injury. But he always spoke in a way that made it clear he believed what he did was a part of something important.
Which Point of View is a better use of Time? The present or looking back to the past?
What do you want to emphasize in your story?
Is it better to see the situation through the eyes of a child or through the eyes of an adult?
What is the relationship of the POV character to the focus of the story? Is the character the main one, a minor one, or an unexpected one?