The Third Person Point of View; Tips on How to Use It.

Have you ever read a book that was so captivating that you felt like a shadow following the Main Character around, experiencing everything without actually engaging?

From the Get go the writer allowed you to see what the main character is seeing, to feel what they are feeling. You could hear the sounds of the forest, you could see the face of the supporting characters, you could feel the tension in the rooms. You could feel the pain from the betrayal, the happiness, the sadness the anger, you could see and feel everything.

This type of writing tool where you introduce the story to the reader like a shadow is called a Third Person View (POV).

When we talk about Third Person Point of View we mean it as a tool which helps in the narration of the storytelling, this writing tool uses the pronoun they, he or she.

A lot of beginners feel that writing in the third person point of view can be challenging and a bit unoriginal.  This of course is quite further from the truth since this writing tool affords the writer absolute freedom in how they write their story and how they describe reversals and changes in the plot of the story.

If you want to capture the reader’s intention in a thrilling chase for the stories end then the Third Person View is the best writing tool to help with that, below we will be discussing what exactly is the Third – Person view and how to effectively use it in your writing?

Definition of the third-person point of view.

Before we even explain what exactly is the Third Person Point of View we must first know what the First and Second Point of view focuses on.

The First person perspective essentially focuses on the point of view of the main character on the who they are, their beliefs there, emotions, their values, their desires and basically everything that they are. This writing tool connects the main character to the reader to the point that the reader can have a full understanding of how the character feels of views the story the writer is even able to add more a significant voice to the story to enhance and make the character come alive.

When it comes to the Second Person Perspective, the reader is thrown in deep into the story and can closely interact with the plot to the point that they can imagine and view themselves as the main character and have the opportunity to feel and experience the story as the main character.

Now Finally when it comes to the third Person Perspective this is a bit less personal. Since the reader is not viewing of experiencing the story through the eyes of the character, the writer has unlimited rights to make the reader view the story as how they see fit. This can even open up your book and allow you to take more literary freedoms.

The Types of Third Person Point of Views.

1.     Third Person Omniscient.

This type of third person Point of view focuses on the reader having a sort of “front row seat” to every even that happens to the characters. The reader has access to the main character’s memories, thoughts dreams and even intense emotions.

This literary tool allows the writer to take on the role of an ever present , all knowing narrator that explains events thoughts, feelings emotions and even crucial plot turns.

2.     Third Person View Limited.

In this type of Third Person Point of view the writer uses the aspect of a narrator to explain or express the thoughts of a single character, often times this may be the main character of the book, this allows the reader to see and feel what the main character does but not what another character had in their mind.

Have in mind that this type of writing tool does not limit your viewpoint, instead it can be used in different ways to convey two point of views, a way of switching from one character’s mind to the other. For example, you can decide to focus on the main character for a while and when it is time to switch to the supporting character you can decide to start a new chapter with the supporting characters point of view or use a chapter break and space to create a natural divide in order to allow the story to flow gracefully.

3.     Third Person View Objective.

This type of third person point of view is perhaps considered one of the most challenging to master, however it does have its own benefits the key one being that it forces the reader to carefully go through the storyline in a sense of blindness.

This Point of view is considered a “fly on the wall technique” essentially the narrator is a neutral voice and is not intrusive in any way, meaning the narrator cannot explain or express the feelings of the characters but can only state the physical actions of the story.

So Should I Mix Perspectives in My novel?

This is a tricky one, having multiple perspectives can make your story stand own like the Mona Lisa in a sea of Van Gogh art pieces. However, this can also be catastrophic if you fail to master how to use different perspectives in the same story.

You can learn to start small once you’ve learned how to use perspectives you can introduce them within your novel in the safest way possible and that is throw chapters. You can decide to write a few chapters with one point of view and in the other chapter switch the point of view to another character provided that the storyline and flow is constant and readable.

How Do You Get Good in Writing in the Third Person?

Reading is the best way to really focus on your writing skills even more so if you decide you want to try and understand how Third Person Point of Views work. Try and collect a variety of books that showcase different types of third person point of view writing and observe how the story flows as well as how the literature tool has been used throughout the books you have curated for your learning.

Try and write with conviction. When it comes to the third person point of view, you as the righter are in charge of the narrator in the story, in fact in some ways you are the narrator in the story therefore it is your duty to write with a confidence that will show three your story, this is mostly true when you have decided to go with the Third Person Omniscient point of view, readers really on the narrator to transition them into the next scene of chapters so be careful.

This little tip also ties into the previous one and that is; try and empower your narrator with the most effective and reliable voice possible that will help showcase the character’s thoughts and personalities. This holds up for both third-person omniscient and limited point of view.

Avoid switching to the first person point of view like the plague. There is nothing that shouts I am a beginner than confusing, First, second or third person point of views. It can also kill your story and the reader’s moral to read the book. Stay consistent with your pronouns and always look at the past to see what mistakes you have made.

The Advantages of Writing in The Third Person

Have in mind that there are some benefits that come from using the Third Person Point of view, one being how flexible it is. This allows you to switch from different characters effectively without compromising the stories flow in any way, after all there is no rule that says you cannot use two types of third party point of views in your story.

The best thing that The Third Person Point of view is that it has a wider scope compered to the First and Second person point of view. The writer has a robust character development solely because there is a larger range of options and opportunities to try out.

Third Person Point of view allows you the freedom to experiment on a variety of different characters within your book. In short you can have a number of character sharing the spotlight within your book without it feeling forced and unnatural, by giving the reader an all-round view of the plot, it creates a wealthy complex story by including small or large information the characters do not want you to know.