book review written in third person

How to Write a Professional Book Review

Want to take your book reviewing chops to the next level? Here’s how to write a professional book review.

Arvyn Cerezo

Arvyn Cerezo is an arts and culture writer/reporter with bylines in Book Riot , Publishers Weekly , South China Morning Post , PhilSTAR Life , the Asian Review of Books , and other publications. You can find them on arvyncerezo.com and @ArvynCerezo on Twitter.

View All posts by Arvyn Cerezo

With the boom of Goodreads and book blogging in the past few years, everyone became self-proclaimed book critics. But as much fun as it is writing about books, these platforms don’t let writers earn bucks on the side.

But here’s the thing: You can use your book blogging skills to try writing a professional book review—trade book review—and make some quick cash. Trade reviews are published in established outlets like Publishers Weekly , Kirkus Reviews , and The New York Times among others.

Want to know how to write a professional book review and start side hustling? Read on.

I’ve been reviewing for a couple of years now for some book review outlets. Although I only have a few years on my belt, I’ve learned enough to be able to share some basic tips. Here are some of them:

Get to Know the Best Reviewing Practices

There are a lot of book review publications out there, and their reviewing guidelines vary. If accepted as a reviewer for a publication, make sure to ask your editor about the best reviewing practices.

You can also read the publication’s published reviews to get the tone and the writing style to use.

Fine-Tune Your Language

Reviewing for trade publications requires a shift of language tone. Book critics, more or less, are unbiased, firm, and straightforward in writing their reviews.

In a book review blog, however, you can be more friendly and playful with your tone. You are also free to let your feelings out or even spill your guts in the book review.

Take a look at these examples:

Book blog: “I didn’t like this book, so I give it two stars. Not recommended!”

Trade book review: “While the mystery around the main character carries the story forward, the plot meanders a lot. Horror readers will be disappointed.”

As you might notice, the tone of trade book reviews are authoritative and matter-of-fact. You can also do the same by being objective in your approach.

Avoid Showing Uncertainty or Doubt

This is common in book blogging. While there’s nothing really wrong with letting your unfiltered thoughts flow in writing, this is not recommended in trade review writing.

Avoid using words like “I think,” “This might,” “This could” etc. to convey your convictions. Instead, use words that show firm opinions like “will” and “can.”

Here are some examples:

Book blog: “Well, not for me but I think this might interest fantasy readers.”

Trade book review: “Fast-paced and high-stakes, fantasy readers will keep turning pages.”

Don’t Copy Goodreads Descriptions

Don’t paraphrase them either. It will be very obvious, and you might be accused of plagiarism.

If you read the book, then rehash the plot from your mind. You can do so by writing important plot points from A to B and C to D. To avoid errors, fact check what you’re writing by consulting the book.

Be Mindful of What You Say

With book blogging, you can say whatever you want. It’s your opinion as a reader after all. But if you’re a professional book reviewer, you just can’t say a book is shitty without providing evidence.

Did it suck because it’s slow-paced? Are the characters one-dimensional? Is the book full of clichés? State it in your review and provide examples such as sample texts or passages.

Don’t Drop Spoilers

Most traditional review outlets don’t do this either. Why? It’s simply because readers click on your article to see whether they’ll like the book or not.

With book blogging, you can get away with adding a “Spoiler Alert” warning. And then, you can gush out how excited or exasperated you were by what happened to your favorite character.

However, that’s not a good practice in trade book reviews. Just write enough plot summaries that won’t disclose revelations (like a character dying).

Write in Third-Person Point of View

To sound objective, authoritative, and all-knowing in your reviews, write in third-person point of review.

Avoid using the “I” pronoun as much as possible.

Review Books You Only Like

I have some blogger friends who are required to write a review in exchange for the books they didn’t ask for but received. But what if they didn’t like the books at all?

If the book didn’t pique your interest in the first place, don’t review it. You run the risk of giving a negative review to a rather stellar book.

With professional book reviewing, you can pitch to editors only the books you like to read. You are not pressured to review books just because you received them for free.

Don’t Leave a Star Rating

Sure, this might be fun to do on Goodreads and in your book review blog. It can easily indicate your stand for a book.

However, this is not a standard practice in trade review publications. Instead, they have a different version of showing a book’s merit: the “ starred reviews .” If part of the publication’s policy, you can leave a star on a book to indicate quality.

These are just some basic tips on how to write a professional book review. While guidelines and practices vary per publication, the tips above are generally applicable in trade review writing.

If you want to further sharpen your reviewing chops, you can also read these guidelines: How to Write a Book Review .

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Types of Point of View: The Ultimate Guide to First Person and Third Person POV

by Joe Bunting | 76 comments

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In my experience as an editor, point of view problems are among the top mistakes I see new writers make, and they instantly erode credibility and reader trust. Point of view isn't easy though, since there are so many to choose from: first person point of view, third person limited, third person omniscient, and second person.

What do those even mean? And how do you choose the right one for your story?

All stories are written from a point of view. However, when point of view goes wrong—and believe me, it goes wrong often—you threaten whatever trust you have with your reader. You also fracture their suspension of disbelief.

However, point of view is simple to master if you use common sense.

This post will define point of view, go over each of the major POVs, explain a few of the POV rules, and then point out the major pitfalls writers make when dealing with that point of view.

Table of Contents

Point of View Definition The 4 Types of Point of View The #1 POV Mistake First Person Point of View Second Person Point of View Third Person Limited Point of View Third Person Omniscient Point of View FAQ: Can you change POV in a Series? Practice Exercise

Point of View Definition

The point of view, or POV, in a story is the narrator's position in the description of events, and comes from the Latin word, punctum visus , which literally means point sight. The point of view is where a writer points the sight of the reader.

Note that point of view also has a second definition.

In a discussion, an argument, or nonfiction writing, a point of view is an opinion about a subject. This is not the type of point of view we're going to focus on in this article (although it is helpful for nonfiction writers, and for more information, I recommend checking out Wikipedia's neutral point of view policy ).

I especially like the German word for POV, which is Gesichtspunkt , translated “face point,” or where your face is pointed. Isn't that a good visual for what's involved in point of view? It's the limited perspective of what you show your reader.

Note too that point of view is sometimes called narrative mode or narrative perspective.

Why Point of View Is So Important

Why does point of view matter so much?

For a fiction writer, point of view filters everything in your story. Everything in your story must come from a point of view.

Which means if you get it wrong, your entire story is damaged.

For example, I've personally read and judged thousands of stories for literary contests, and I've found point of view mistakes in about twenty percent of them. Many of these stories would have placed much higher if only the writers hadn't made the mistakes we're going to talk about soon.

The worst part is these mistakes are easily avoidable if you're aware of them. But before we get into the common point of view mistakes, let's go over each of the four types of narrative perspective.

The Four Types of Point of View

Here are the four primary types of narration in fiction:

• First person point of view.  First person perspective is when “I” am telling the story. The first person POV  character is in  the story, relating his or her experiences directly.
• Second person point of view. The story is told to “you.” This POV is not common in fiction, but it's still good to know (it is  common in nonfiction).
• Third person point of view, limited. The story is about “he” or “she.” This is the most common point of view in commercial fiction. The narrator is outside of the story and relating the experiences of a character.
• Third person point of view, omniscient. The story is still about “he” or “she,” but the narrator has full access to the thoughts and experiences of all  characters in the story. This is a much broader perspective.

I know you've seen and probably even used most of these point of views.

While these are the only types of POV, there are additional narrative techniques you can use to tell an interesting story. To learn how to use devices like epistolary and framing stories, check out our full narrative devices guide here .

Let's discuss each of the four types, using examples to see how they affect your story. We'll also go over the rules for each type, but first let me explain the big mistake you don't want to make with point of view.

The #1 POV Mistake

Do not begin your story with a first person narrator and then switch to a third person narrator. Do not start with third person limited and then abruptly give your narrator full omniscience. This is the most common type of error I see writers make with POV.

The guideline I learned in my first creative writing class in college is a good one:

Establish the point of view within the first two paragraphs of your story.

And above all, don't change your point of view . If you do, it creates a jarring experience for the reader and you'll threaten your reader's trust. You could even fracture the architecture of your story.

That being said, as long as you're consistent, you can sometimes get away with using multiple POV types. This isn't easy and isn't recommended, but for example, one of my favorite stories, a 7,000 page web serial called Worm ,  uses two point of views—first person with interludes of third-person limited—very effectively. (By the way, if you're looking for a novel to read over the next two to six months, I highly recommend it—here's the link to read for free online .) The first time the author switched point of views, he nearly lost my trust. However, he kept this dual-POV consistent over 7,000 pages and made it work.

Whatever point of view choices you make, be consistent. Your readers will thank you!

Now, let's go into detail on each of the four narrative perspective types, their best practices, and mistakes to avoid.

First Person Point of View

In first person point of view, the narrator is in the story and telling the events he or she is personally experiencing.

The simplest way to understand first person is that the narrative will use first-person pronouns like I, me, and my.

Here's a first person point of view example from Herman Melville's  Moby Dick :

Call me Ishmael. Some years ago—never mind how long precisely—having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world

First person narrative perspective is one of the most common POVs in fiction. If you haven't read a book in first person point of view, you haven't been reading.

What makes this point of view interesting, and challenging, is that all of the events in the story are filtered through the narrator and explained in his or her own unique narrative voice.

This means first person narrative is both biased and incomplete, but it can also deliver a level of intimacy other POVs can't.

Other first person point of view examples can be found in these popular novels :

• The Sun Also Rises  by Ernest Hemingway
• Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
• The Hunger Games  by Suzanne Collins
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brönte

First Person Narrative is Unique to Writing

There's no such thing as first person in film or theater—although voiceovers and mockumentary interviews like the ones in The Office and Modern Family provide a level of first person narrative in third person perspective film and television.

In fact, the very first novels were written in first person, modeled after popular journals and autobiographies which were first-person stories of nonfiction..

First Person Point of View is Limited

First person narrators are narrated from a single character's perspective at a time. They cannot be everywhere at once and thus cannot get all sides of the story.

They are telling their  story, not necessarily the  story.

First Person Point of View is Biased

In first person novels, the reader almost always sympathizes with a first person narrator, even if the narrator is an anti-hero with major flaws.

Of course, this is why we love first person narrative, because it's imbued with the character's personality, their unique perspective on the world.

The most extreme use of this bias is called an unreliable narrator. Unreliable narration is a technique used by novelists to surprise the reader by capitalize on the limitations of first person narration to make the narrator's version of events extremely prejudicial to their side and/or highly separated from reality.

You'll notice this form of narration being used when you, as the reader or audience, discover that you can't trust the narrator.

For example, Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl  pits two unreliable narrators against one another. Each relates their conflicting version of events, one through typical narration and the other through journal entries. Another example is  Fight  Club , in which *SPOILER* the narrator has a split personality and imagines another character who drives the plot.

Other Interesting Uses of First Person Narrative:

• The classic novel Heart of Darkness is actually a first person narrative within a first person narrative. The narrator recounts verbatim the story Charles Marlow tells about his trip up the Congo river while they sit at port in England.
• William Faulkner's Absalom,  Absalom  is told from the first person point of view of Quentin Compson; however, most of the story is a third person account of Thomas Sutpen, his grandfather, as told to Quentin by Rosa Coldfield. Yes, it's just as complicated as it sounds!
• Salman Rushdie's award-winning  Midnight's Children  is told in first person, but spends most of the first several hundred pages giving a precise third person account of the narrator's ancestors. It's still first person, just a first person narrator telling a story about someone else.

Two Big Mistakes Writers Make with First Person Point of View

When writing in first person, there are two major mistakes writers make :

1. The narrator isn't  likable. Your protagonist doesn't have to be a cliché hero. She doesn't even need to be good. However, she must  be interesting .

The audience will not stick around for 300 pages  listening to a character they don't enjoy. This is one reason why anti-heroes make great first person narrators.

They may not be morally perfect, but they're almost always interesting. (Remember Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye ?)

2. The narrator tells but doesn't show. The danger with first person is that you could spend too much time in your character's head, explaining what he's thinking and how he feels about the situation.

You're allowed to mention the character's mood, but don't forget that your reader's trust and attention relies on what your character does , not what he thinks about doing.

Second Person Point of View

While not used often in fiction—it is used regularly in nonfiction, song lyrics, and even video games—second person POV is still helpful to understand.

In this point of view, the narrator relates the experiences using second person pronouns like you and your. Thus, you  become the protagonist, you  carry the plot, and your  fate determines the story.

We've written elsewhere about why you should try writing in second person , but in short we like second person because it:

• Pulls the reader into the action of the story
• Makes the story   personal
• Surprises the reader
• Stretches your skills as a writer

Here's an example from the breakout bestseller  Bright Lights, Big City by Jay Mclnerney (probably the most popular example that uses second person point of view):

You have friends who actually care about you and speak the language of the inner self. You have avoided them of late. Your soul is as disheveled as your apartment, and until you can clean it up a little you don't want to invite anyone inside.

Second person narration isn't used frequently, however there are some notable examples of it.

Some other novels that use second person point of view are:

• Remember the Choose Your Own Adventure series? If you've ever read one of these novels where you get to decide the fate of the character (I always killed my character, unfortunately), you've read second person narrative.
• The Fifth Season  by N.K. Jemison
• The opening of The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

There are also many experimental novels and short stories that use second person, and writers such as William Faulkner, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Albert Camus played with the style.

Breaking the fourth wall:

In the plays of William Shakespeare, a character will sometimes turn toward the audience and speak directly to them. In  A Midsummer Night's Dream , Puck says:

If we shadows have offended, think but this, and all is mended, that you have but slumbered here while these visions did appear.

This narrative device of speaking directly to the audience or the reader is called breaking the fourth wall (the other three walls being the setting of the story).

To think of it another way, it's a way the writer can briefly use second person in a first or third person narrative.

It's a lot of fun! You should try it.

Third Person Point of View

In third person narration, the narrator is outside of the story and relating the experiences of a character.

The central character is not the narrator. In fact, the narrator is not present in the story at all.

The simplest way to understand third person narration is that it uses third-person pronouns, like he/she, his/hers, they/theirs.

There are two types of this point of view:

Third Person Omniscient

The all-knowing narrator has full access to all  the thoughts and experiences of all  the characters in the story.

Examples of Third Person Omniscient:

While much less common today, third person omniscient narration was once the predominant type, used by most classic authors. Here are some of the novels using omniscient perspective today.

• War and Peace  by Leo Tolstoy
• Middlemarch  by George Eliot
• Where the Crawdad's Sing by Delia Owens
• The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
• Still Life by Louise Penny (and all the Inspector Gamache series, which is amazing, by the way)
• Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar
• Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
• Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan (one of my favorites!)
• A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• More third person omniscient examples can be found here

Third Person Limited

The narrator has only some, if any, access to the thoughts and experiences of the characters in the story, often just to one  character .

Examples of Third Person Limited

Here's an example of a third person limited narrator from  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone  by J.K. Rowling:

A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous…. He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: “To Harry Potter—the boy who lived!”

Some other examples of third person limited narration include:

• Game of Thrones s eries by George R.R. Martin (this has an ensemble cast, but Martin stays in one character's point of view at a time, making it a clear example of limited POV with multiple viewpoint characters, which we'll talk about in just a moment)
• For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
• ​The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
• The Da Vinci Code  by Dan Brown
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
• Ulysses by James Joyce
• Love in the Time of Cholera  by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
• 1984  by   George Orwell
• Orphan Train by   Christina Baker Kline
• Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff

Should You Use Multiple Viewpoint Characters vs. a Single Perspective?

One feature of third person limited and first person narrative is that you have the option of having multiple viewpoint characters.

A viewpoint character is simply the character whose thoughts the reader has access to. This character become the focus of the perspective during the section of story or the story as a whole.

While it increases the difficulty, you can have multiple viewpoint characters for each narrative. For example,  Game of Thrones  has more than a dozen viewpoint characters throughout the series.  Fifth Season has three viewpoint characters. Most romance novels have at least two viewpoint characters.

The rule is to only focus on one viewpoint character at a time (or else it changes to third person omniscient).

Usually authors with multiple viewpoint characters will change viewpoints every chapter. Some will change after section breaks. However, make sure there is  some  kind of break before changing so as to prepare the reader for the shift.

Should You Use Third Person Omniscient or Third Person Limited

The distinction between third persons limited and omniscient is messy and somewhat artificial.

Full omniscience in novels is rare—it's almost always limited in some way—if only because the human mind isn't comfortable handling all the thoughts and emotions of multiple people at once.

The most important consideration in third person point of view is this:

How omniscient are you going to be? How deep are you going to go into your character's mind? Will you read their thoughts frequently and deeply at any chance? Or will you rarely, if ever, delve into their emotions?

To see this question in action, imagine a couple having an argument.

Tina wants Fred to go to the store to pickup the cilantro she forgot she needed for the meal she's cooking. Fred is frustrated that she didn't ask him to pick up the cilantro on the way home from the office, before he had changed into his “homey” clothes (AKA boxer shorts).

If the narrator is fully omniscient, do you parse both Fred and Tina's emotions during each back and forth?

“Do you want to eat ? If you do, then you need to get cilantro instead of acting like a lazy pig,” Tina said, thinking, I can't believe I married this jerk. At least back then he had a six pack, not this hairy potbelly . “Figure it out, Tina. I'm sick of rushing to the store every time you forget something,” said Fred. He felt the anger pulsing through his large belly.

Going back and forth between multiple characters' emotions like this can give a reader whiplash, especially if this pattern continued over several pages and with more than two characters. This is an example of an omniscient narrator who perhaps is a little too comfortable explaining the characters' inner workings.

“ Show, don't tell ,” we're told. Sharing all  the emotions of all  your characters can become distraction. It can even destroy any tension you've built.

Drama requires mystery. If the reader knows each character's emotions all the time, there will be no space for drama.

How do You Handle Third Person Omniscient Well?

The way many editors and many famous authors handle this is to show the thoughts and emotions of only one character per scene (or per chapter).

George R.R. Martin, for example, uses “ point of view characters ,” characters whom he always has full access to understanding. He will write a full chapter from their perspective before switching to the next point of view character.

For the rest of the cast, he stays out of their heads.

This is an effective guideline, if not a strict rule, and it's one I would suggest to any first-time author experimenting with third person narrative. Overall, though, the principle to show, don't tell should be your guide.

The Biggest Third Person Omniscient Point of View Mistake

The biggest mistake I see writers make constantly in third person is  head hopping .

When you switch point of view characters too quickly, or dive into the heads of too many characters at once, you could be in danger of what editors call “head hopping.”

When the narrator switches from one character’s thoughts to another’s  too quickly, it can jar the reader and break the intimacy with the scene’s main character.

We've written about how you can get away with head hopping elsewhere , but it's a good idea to try to avoid going into more than one character's thoughts per scene or per chapter.

Can You Change POV Between Books In a Series?

What if you're writing a novel series? Can you change point of view or even POV characters between books?

The answer is yes, you can, but whether you should or not is the big question.

In general, it's best to keep your POV consistent within the same series. However, there are many examples of series that have altered perspectives or POV characters between series, either because the character in the previous books has died, for other plot reasons, or simply because of author choice.

For more on this, watch this coaching video where we get into how and why to change POV characters between books in a series:

Which Point of View Will You Use?

Here's a helpful point of view infographic to help you decide which POV to use in your writing:

Note that these distances should be thought of as ranges, not precise calculations. A third person narrator could conceivably draw closer to the reader than a first person narrator.

Most importantly, there is no best point of view. All of these points of view are effective in various types of stories.

If you're just getting started, I would encourage you to use either first person or third person limited point of view because they're easy to understand.

However, that shouldn't stop you from experimenting. After all, you'll only get comfortable with other points of view by trying them!

Whatever you choose, be consistent. Avoid the mistakes I mentioned under each point of view.

And above all, have fun!

How about you? Which of the four points of view have you used in your writing? Why did you use it, and what did you like about it? Share in # .

Using a point of view you've never used before, write a brief story about a teenager who has just discovered he or she has superpowers.

Make sure to avoid the POV mistakes listed in the article above.

Write for fifteen minutes . When your time is up, post your practice in the Pro Practice Workshop (if you’re not a member yet, you can join here ). And if you post, please be sure to give feedback to your fellow writers.

We can gain just as much value giving feedback as we can writing our own books!

Happy writing!

Joe Bunting

Joe Bunting is an author and the leader of The Write Practice community. He is also the author of the new book Crowdsourcing Paris , a real life adventure story set in France. It was a #1 New Release on Amazon. Follow him on Instagram (@jhbunting).

Want best-seller coaching? Book Joe here.

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76 Comments

My book is a memoir so first person is what I chose.

That was my choice for memoir, but am exploring other avenues for better character development.

I hate to be such a nag but isn’t the plural “points of view” and not “point of views”? As in brothers in law and not brother in laws

Joe, excellent post on POV. Probably the best I’ve read. Thanks!

I go for third person deep. In the PoV character’s head, using her unique voice, no author intrusion, no filter words. Am I doing it right? Far from it, but I’ve attended deep writing classes, an it’s easier to pinpoint slips.

Greetings from Greece!

Thanks for sharing this tit bit. I will be looking out for a deep writing class!

When deciding your POV, I strongly believe genre and tense should be considered as well.

Here is my first time ever uploading a “practice.” I chose to try second person, please be kind!

I couldn’t believe it when you called me, waking me from an intense fantasy dream, to tell me that you had been somehow magically transformed overnight into some type of superhero. You cannot blame me if my reaction appeared to be less than awe and more of disbelief and worry for your current state of mind. You will not want me to ask this, but have you started doing drugs? Remember, Freshman Health class, one of the signs to look for was if your friend suddenly changes or acts crazy. Well dude, you are acting more than just a little bit crazy.

Can you really fly? I have been waiting for 15 minutes for you to appear at my bedroom window, and so far nothing. I can envision you, at this very moment, running down the alley and between the houses. You will get to my back gate, jump over, and scurry behind the bushes; all bent over and believing that I can’t see you. When you are sure of your timing and that I have no idea at your mastery, you will jump out and try to convince me that you flew to your location. Please try to remember that I have known you since Kindergarten. Very little about you surprises me anymore, yet you are entertaining.

Although, you did sound different on the phone this morning, you voice had a quality I had never heard before. I would call it confidence. You weren’t trying to convince me that you had a special new talent. You were telling me, informing me.

You need new boots, I know this because I noticed the hole in the bottom of the left one as you slowly descended from the top of my window. Your smile was radiant, your arms crossed confidently across your puffed out chest. You are transformed.

Barbara! Thank you so much for your creativity. Keep sharing it with the world! The parts about the boots… wow!

Keep making lemonade from lemons, Barb. Be in touch.

You don’t look peaceful, but you look at peace. Morphine will do that to you. Your flaky, red eyes flutter in your sleep—do you dream, there? “The eyes are the windows to the soul,” so they say; with the curtains drawn, does your gaze turn inward? Do you dream of me amidst the pain, or are you cradled in the gentle embrace of the abyss?

This was your fault, you know; waving that gun in my face, pushing me around; what did you expect?

Certainly not this; no one could have expected this. Dazzling cords of fire springing from the fingertips of your would-be, should-be victim—perhaps it would’ve been wiser to hand over the money—but then, who next? Woudl you have let me go in the first place?

It wasn’t for anything venial, was it? Not for clothes or jewelry—not from what I can tell; you don’t seem the type. But it’s hard to tell. There’s not much left of your clothes, you know.

There’s not much left of you.

They’ll pour maggots over your chest and into your eyes, and flake off the blackness with gentle sponges, and alcohol over everything. That will hurt.

Your hair was so pretty. The doctor says most of it will grow back.

The cops are taking your side, you know. Figures. At least guns don’t burn. I wouldn’t be sticking around if they hadn’t cuffed me to the bed, and set it beside yours—someone in blue has a sick sense of irony.

There are birds fluttering by the windowpane, and whispers of white amidst pastels of blue. Your burns will heal. Mine have only just begun.

Yeah, having superpowers would actually be terrifying. Especially fire. Fire is bad.

I’ve used second-person before, but very rarely, so I went with it, since I’ve used all the points of view you mentioned.

Changing point of view is not only acceptable, it’s quite common. You just italicize it. I don’t know how to do that in a comment, but the general form would be something akin to: He felt around for the plot device. *Damn; I can’t find this thing. Woe is me, I am woe, woe unto me, woe betides me, etc.* He found it. *Huzzah!*

Further, your example for third-person POV includes a sputter of second-person: “the very last place *you* would expect astonishing things to happen.” This is the rhetorical “you,” not an actual pronoun—that is, “you” isn’t referring to anyone—but it still counts.

I think the argument shouldn’t be “never switch POV,” but, rather, “use the turn signal;” that is to say, give the reader an indication that the POV is changing, and why. Italics for brief periods, chapters for changing the individual narrator (you can have lots in one book), etc. Much like turning in traffic, problems generally arise not from the turn, but from the surprise. “Head hopping” is easy to avoid with, for instance, section separators—a vertical space, or a line of three little stars if the space breaks across a page, so that the reader knows a shift is happening. After familiarizing the reader with the mechanism, you can abuse it as much as you want.

Hemingway’s way works too, although I was never a big fan of Hemingway.

P.S. Give away an antique typewriter; brilliant—plenty of nostalgia; tangled ribbons, torn sheets, jammed keys; I can see why you want to inflict it on somebody else!

Wow, that was amazing descriptions. I loved your opening and closing lines as well. You did a great job of setting the dark mood of the story. Very well done.

Great post! It is quite thorough and engaging, and you offered plenty of terrific examples and practical tips.

I tend to write my stories more in the third person POV, I tend to focus on one main character but sometimes try to give some insight on another character’s perspective. The only reason I shy away from first person is because it can be emotionally exhausting to write. The funny thing is my most dramatic story was written in first person (though I did switch between two people) but I felt it would come off stonger in first person rather than third.

I’m not sure I qualify for this practice, because I’ve written in pretty much every POV: My novel is 3rd person deep, my short stories are first person, my articles are second, and my songs cover all of the above plus the others. 🙂 In my book I have several POVs, but I make sure to change the scene completely before changing the person. (Like Jerry Jenkins’/Tim Lahaye’s Left Behind.) I’m not breaking any rules like that, am I? This is a great and informative article that I’ll definitely reference in the future. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

“Whatsoever ye do, do unto the Glory of God” Reagan

Nice post! Very helpful of keeping them strait. I tend to lean toward first person or third person limited, so I decided to try out second person for the prompt. I also used a dialogue prompt, which is the first line of the story. Here goes nothing!

“The last time I said yes to you, a lot of people died.” You say it low, under your breath, perhaps because you don’t really want him to hear you or perhaps because you don’t want to hear yourself, don’t want to remember that it happened.

“You know,” He reaches out to you, and you pull away, not wanting to touch his hands, hands that could have prevented the deaths of so many, but that have always been so gentle with you. He turns his face to the ground and, you realize, he is just as pained by the memory as you. “You know that I couldn’t have done it.”

“No.” The word comes out all wrong, because of your still upper lip, “You couldn’t have. I knew that then and I know that now.” You lock eyes with him, “Don’t you understand that’s what I’m saying? Don’t you understand that the answer is no?”

“But I can’t…” He grimaces, as though someone has twisted a knife in his gut, “I can’t just let you kill yourself.”

And now it’s your turn to grimace, to feel the pain twisting your stomach into knots. You don’t really know why you do it though. Are you afraid to die? No. That’s not it. You’re afraid for him. For the pain your death will cause him.

“You have to be strong.” You say, “For me.” This time it’s you that reaches out, to lay a hand gently on his shoulder, “You know if I don’t do this, a lot of people will die. Because I know, if I go berserk again, you won’t be able to pull the trigger. And it wouldn’t be fair to ask you to do that anyway. So the answer is no, I won’t let you be my safety net anymore.” His only response is a nod. You slide the hand gently off of his shoulder. That will be your only goodbye. It will be easier that way.

The cup that holds the poison looks normal. Just a regular coffee cup, containing your favorite blend of Colombian roast, and, of course, the substance that will kill you, quickly and painlessly, which is more then you deserve. You are not afraid. You are ready. You pick the cup up off the table and bring it close to your lips but then hesitate, because you see that shining in his eyes, the shining that means he’ll start crying. There is that twisting feeling in your stomach again. Seeing him in pain has always hurt the worst. But you can’t risk it anymore. You can’t let yourself live at the cost of more deaths.

Before you can hesitate, you take a gulp, the coffee burning your throat as it goes down. The room wobbles and you fall, but he catches you, like you knew he would, so that your head doesn’t crack open on the concrete floor.

You are paralyzed, but still conscious, and you know you only have a few seconds before the world grows dark.

He sinks to his knees, cradling you in his arms, like a child. He is no longer holding back his tears. Perhaps because he already thinks you dead.

“I wish,” He says, through sobs and tears and unbecoming bubbles of snot, “I wish you would have said yes.”

He puts his forehead to yours and you feel warm drops of moisture fall on your cheeks. In that moment you, too, wish you had said yes. That things could have been different. That you could have been alive and happy.

But you do not doubt your decision, not in the last seconds that you have breath. Because the last time you said yes to him, a lot of people died and this time, the death tole would be a single, solitary, one.

That was amazing and beautiful and very very emotional. You’ve used second person very effectively! I love it. Did this just come from the top of your head or is there a longer story behind it?

Thanks! It was a sort of top of my head thing. I used this writing prompt and also a dialogue prompt. Also, I’ve been thinking of werwolfs a lot lately for some odd reason (which is what the main character is). The rest of it kinda flowed from there. I’m glad you liked it!

Wonderful story

Not knowing much about POV, I believe I’ve been hedge hopping between them, but appear to prefer Third Person Omniscient, but will have to first discover what that last big word means? Then a re-write may well be called for!

The post is excellent, extending a warm hug of inspiration to the budding writers. I prefer ‘third person omniscient’ POV, with no room for any boredom in my narration.

Peter had his normal “I’m paying attention” look plastered on his face, but his mind was chasing super villains, decimating evil minions with mighty punches that laid ten low at one swipe.

One ear caught, “Good morning, we have a guest speaker this morning, the Rev. Charles Birch, from the 2nd Baptist Church. Rev. Birch will present the creationist side to what we have been studying in the physical sciences. Rev. Birch.”

“Blah … blah … blah,” Peter heard in his public ear but his private ear heard Dr. Daemon spewing his maleficent threats, “Capt. Magnificent, you have no hope of defeating my eco-destroying minions!” On and on it went, Birch preaching “let there be light … the dominion of man over all things … everything in it’s proper order … on the first day God created the second day … and on the third day blah blah blah,” and of course during all of this Dr. Daemon and Capt. Magnificent continued their mighty struggle on the farside of the moon, until Peters public ear heard, “of course the universe can only be 10,000 years old …”

What? What was that his public ear just heard? The Universe is a maximum of 10,000 years old? Peter was now attentive to what the pompous windbag in front of the class was saying.

A single hand raised itself amongst the sea of blank faces.

“Yes, young man?”

“Uh, Rev. Birch, how can the universe be 10,000 years old?”

“Easy uh huh,” Ms. Murphy whispered into the Reverends ear, “yes, Peter, we know the age of the universe from the generations that are recorded in the Bible.”

“But … I was at a dig in Colorado last summer and the rock strata around the fossils …”

“Humph, all conjecture. I believe God made the fossil and the rocks surrounding it ten thousand years ago.”

“All fossils are like that then?”

“Well of course. Given He made the fossils He made the surrounding rock. We only think that it took millions of years.”

Peter’s hand shot up again.

Rev. Birch tried to avoid him, but Peter was a persistent little son of… “Yes?”

“So God’s just a practical joker, creating false evidence to fool the sciences?”

The class was coming out it’s “guest speaker” lethargy, as Peter again had his hand up and spoke before acknowledged, “Does the Bible say what the speed of light is?”

“Well, now I think that has no bearing …”

Susan piped up, adding onto Peter’s question “How can Andromeda be millions of light-years away if the universe is only 10,000 years old?”

“Uh well … Andromeda?”

“No wonder He didn’t have time to save my baby sister if He wasted all that time making fossils look millions of years old,” came a loud, whispered, comment from the back of the room.

Ms. Murphy quickly ushered Rev. Birch from the classroom, and shook his hand in the hall, “Thank you so much for coming. We do appreciate all view points.”

“Who are those kids?” the Reverend asked.

“Oh, the Anderson District Scholars Program. Basically our high school geniuses in sciences and math. It’s required we allow all view points to be presented.”

Interesting. Uh, Gary, how could you have written the story in 15 minutes? Or did you dig up a fossil story you wrote millions of years ago…?

Does it matter?

It took a day and a half to percolate through my gray matter. I then took approximately 15 to 20 minutes to rough it out and get it into Draftin. Then another while, hours, lots of minutes, to get it to where I wanted to post it. Once posted, I’ve gone back and edited it, probably dozens of times, making changes as it has continued to peroclate.

I loved the flashing between reality and a story he is telling himself in his head. That’s me about 90% of the time. lol

I would also just like to add, that all creationists aren’t young earth creationists. There are a lot of different theories. Take the gap theory and theistic evolution for example. Then you have people who take it as a literal six days and others who don’t because of the bible verse that says “a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day”. Then, there are two different meanings to the word “day” if you look at the translation of the bible from Hebrew to English. So there is argument over which version of the word “day” is being used sense one can be taken literally and the other figuratively. There are literally of books written on these subjects, with Christians arguing amongst themselves over which is right. I have actually meet very few people who think the way the reverend in this story does, especially sense when you go to seminary they teach you how to not look like an idiot in these situations.

I think It’s important to remember when you’re writing Christians (or any group that often gets stereotyped) that they are not stereotypes. I’ve written atheists and it’s really easy just to make them injured people who are angry at God and dissatisfied with life, but that’s just not the reality. A lot of atheists know their stuff and have good reason for their beliefs. The same applies to Christians. If you still want to debunk the Christian in the end, I’m totally cool with it. I would just say, have the Christian have a better argument then “God put the fossils their like that”. Make it harder for your main character to debunk him, create more conflict, and make us cheer him on all the more when he wins.

Just thought that was worth mentioning. All in all, the piece is very well written.

Assumption: Pastors and or reverends have been to seminary. Not true. In the Southern Baptist Convention, at least when I was in the SBC, pastors were not assigned by the convention, nor was any kind of, pre or post graduate, pastoral education required. Pastors were called by the local church, without guidance from the convention, and could easily not even have finished high school. There are many churches that have no affiliation with any established denomination, and therefore call whomever they want as their pastor.

Oh, yes, you handled POV nicely. I’m just the kind of person that will comment on every part of the story. And I’m sorry if the comment was too much, or you didn’t find it helpful. I just tend to say what I think. But for the exercise you did a good job on the POV.

Oh the comment wasn’t too much. After 68 years my hide is pretty tough and criticism I tend to take in a constructive manner and/or with a grain of salt.

But you assumed something in your comment that, in my experience is simply not true. In my experience, the pastors that had graduated college, let alone ever attended seminary were zero. My denomination, at the time, was lucky to have pastors that finished high school.

68 years, wow that’s a lot of time and experience! You have the respect of a young Padawan.

You’re right. I was looking at it from a United Methodist view point (sense that’s the denomination I belong to). Our denomination is pretty strict with schooling and is very organized when it comes to chain of command. I discounted the fact that not all denominations and churches are like mine. My current pastor actually has a PhD and really knows what he’s talking about, so were lucky in that. I’ve also grown up in a home where ignorance isn’t tolerated. We learn about our religion (and everything else we can learn about) and are not victims of blind acceptance.

I’m sorry you had experiences with uneducated pastors. I hope they weren’t all as bad as the one in the story. If they were, then that stinks. And I do realize that there are, sadly, some pastors like the one from your story who don’t have very good arguments when it comes to the science of their faith. But I also hope that people know that all Christians aren’t, to put it frankly, stupid.

Again, assumptions. Christianity was never equated to stupidity, and above all else no attempt to equate uneducated to stupid was ever made. In all those 68 years I have seen incredibly educated people, read that doctorates, that were, above all else, stupid. I have also encountered uneducated people that could best be described as genius.

Birch was, at best, unprepared. His fault, Murphy’s fault, irrelevant, not what I was striving for. It was simply the vehicle used to convey POV switching from character to character. Birch could have been Islamic and quoting the Torah.

I wrote for 20 minutes before I realized it, so here’s what I got.

“Okay, calm down, calm down. You must get a hold of yourself” I murmured frantically to myself, I had to calm down before I blew another hole through the wall, or worse. I sat still on the hard floor, and I still couldn’t believe what had happened, it didn’t make sense at all, but there was evidence of it right before my eyes: a brick wall that now had a wide circle in its middle, still glowing hot from what I had done. Yet it was nothing compared to the silver glow that came from my hands, it felt strange, alien yet oddly comfortable, like I was wearing a glove while sparks coursed throug my arms.

I kept staring at my hands for a long time, trying to find some explanation for what had happened, it couldn’t have been me who did that, I wasn’t that special, I didn’t have some special blood, nor had I gone through any experiment, I didn’t even fit in any origin story of any Super. I was sure of that, I had even taken the tests at the Dome.

“This can’t be happening!” I screamed, letting loose all the emotions I had tried to hold back. “ARGGGHhhh!”

Then, it happened again, the room was bathed again in a silver hue as another silver beam left my hands and destroyed the wall a bit more, leaving behind only one third of what had been an sturdy wall once. That flash had confirmed my fears, this was the reality I had been the one to destroy the wall. I was angry, scared and happy at the same time, these emotions clashing one against the other as I witnessed the destruction I had wrecked in less than 10 minutes.

A grave sound pierced the old room I was in, it sounded like a lament, a sorrowful lament from a strange lonely monster. It only lasted a few seconds, and then, a piece of the roof fell about 5 meters from me. It was followed by another one, and another one bigger than the first two. Soon the whole roof was falling in, and fear once again took a hold of me. I was going to die, I knew I was going to die, buried beneath the rubis of the room.

“I, I don’t want to die” I screamed with all the force of my lungs while I tried to protect my head with my hands, I knew it wasn’t going to be enough, it wasn’t going to be enough if I wanted to live. I want to live. That thought was the last one I had before a surge of power coursed through my body, engulfing my vision in a white blanket before I passed out.

When I woke up, I felt groggy, moving my body was hard, and the air was packed with dust. But I didn’t hurt anywhere, not did I feel like I was buried under something. I slowly made my way to my knees, looking at myself for any sign of injuries, but there was none, in fact except for the dust my clothes were exactly the same as they had been before the fall in.

“This is impossible” I said out loud to no on, but how did this happen? I thought I was done for sure. It was only then that I looked around me and I was shocked for the fifth time that day.

There wasn’t any rubis near me, no for a meter around me. Was that possible? How?

Well done. There are a couple of times where the protagonist is thinking, not speaking. It would help to clarify that like using italics, or at least quoting.

Thanks for the advice- I usually use italics when it comes to thoughts, but I wasn’t sure if they were going to copy that way from writer. So I’ll try to use them next time.

I wrote one short story in the first person POV twenty five years ago. I never tried it again. Since I decided to face my fears, here I go again.

I had just opened my eyes and before I could see clearly, I was standing next to the bed jumping up and down. All of a sudden, i was standing next to the dresser drawer. did I run? I had so much energy. It seemed as if I had four cups of coffee and six energy pills. I looked across the room at the hamper. The hamper was empty and the clothes that were stuffed there were clean and folded. Last night the hamper was full of dirty clothes.. I head a soft voice that sounded like mine. “Esther, you now have super human power. The clothes were washed and folded last night. If you go to the kitchen, there is no longer a pile of dirty dishes. They have all be washed and put away. That’s all I have to say.” “What are you talking about? Who are you?” Suddenly, I was jumping up and down next to my dresser drawer.. I paused and looked into my mirror. I still looked the same. A long braid with a hair pin fastened to the left close to may ear. I did feel energized. At once I felt like I needed or wanted to run. I walked down the stairs toward the front door. The moment that i stepped out. I had dashed down the block, turned to the right and dashed down that block and Paused, standing in right in from of me was me. she looked exactly like me. She had a long braid that was pinned to the side like i did. She was wearing a light tan tee-shirt and black short shorts, blue gym shoes. Just like I am wearing. We both stood there, sweating, jumping up and down as though there were springs.under our shoes. ” Who are you?” ” I just you told you when we were in the house.” Then, she said “I’ll just tell you this much. Let’s race back to the house and up the stairs and stand next to the bed. Whoever get there first wins. “Win what,” “You’ll find out.” she dashed past me to the right. I spun back around so fast that I became dizzy. I dashed down the block and turned left. Before I knew it, I was in the kitchen. Mama was there. I was downstairs sitting at the table with her. “I am impressed. you have fixed breakfast and washed the dishes and I see you have been running.” Thanks mama, I said. Then in my mind and my ear I heard my own voice. There are two Esther. The one who procrastinate and don”t get things done and the one that get things done immediately without being told.. Then mama looked at me and smiled. She never smiles in the morning. but today, she did. She said, well today you cooked the breakfast and washed the dishes without waiting until you got home from school. I like this part of you, Esther. Then, I knew what had happened, KEN Well, there it is. Now, this means that I have used the first person again. I feel okay because, even if it’s terrible. I tried.

My go to POV is 3rd Person, limited.

Oops!! Just realized I completely blew the prompt.

Oh well … back to he drawing board (or computer).

This app helps me understand a lot about the 3d person

The first time it happened took me by surprise. It would anyone wouldn’t it? I was standing in line at the grocery store with my mom. I was tapping my foot to the beat of my own boredom, impatiently waiting for the guy ahead of us to move his cart; which if you ask me he didn’t even need. I added in some finger snaps. 1…2…and…3. The third snap brought with it an echo. When I looked around, I wasn’t in the grocery store anymore. I was in a cave.

I had waited for my eyes to adjust to the dark. The only light that was coming through was a small crack far ahead of me to my left side. I looked down at my feet for a path. Right in front of me the rock I was standing on dropped off into an abyss of black. Behind me stood the edge of the cave. I remember hyperventilating. I was so scared I couldn’t move. I started snapping my fingers again and said out loud, “think, think, think,” matching my snaps to the words in my head. On the third snap, I was back in the grocery store. Police were there talking with my mother. I had been gone a long time.

After that day I tried experimenting with my new formed ability. I started thinking of specific places that I wanted to visit; I wanted to see if I could control it. After a few failed attempts ending up in grungy basements, restaurant cooler storages, and an actor’s cottage, I got a hold of the pattern.

The success of my teleportation was contingent on my ability to breathe evenly. I needed to remain completely calm. When I realized that my ability was never going away, my excitement is what kept me from perfection. Failure after failure brought an increased frustration with myself.

It’s good. You haven’t overdone anything. You’ve shown what happened through your character really well. I particularly like the line “dropped off into an abyss of black.”

This was my attempt at using 2nd person. I rarely use it. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you 🙂

“Now what can you tell me about God? Anybody? Yes, yes, um Alice?” “Alicia, Miss. God is often described with the three Os. He is omnipotent, all powerful, omnipresent, everywhere and omniscient, all knowing.” You suppress a groan. “Which textbook did she swallow to spew that out?” you whisper to your friend. She giggles quietly. “Shhhh,” she replies. You sigh and put your head on the table. You’ve been stuck in this stuffy classroom for half an hour and you really won’t last for another half. You can practically eat religion in this school.

“Hey you, you, sleepy child,” the teacher says. For a moment you’re confused but then your friend nudges you and you realise the woman is talking to you. ‘Can’t she learn our names?’ you think. “Yes, Miss?” you dare to risk saying. “What can you tell me about God?” she asks. ‘Oh for God’s sake,’ you think before realising the irony. “Um,” you reply. You could almost swear that time was slowing down. Everyone’s eyes turn towards you almost in slow motion before they stop as if frozen. You wish the ground would hurry up and swallow you. It takes you a moment to realise that no one is blinking. “Hello?” you say, hoping you don’t sound like an idiot. Nobody responds. ‘Okay, this is really creepy.’ You poke your friend but she doesn’t move. A bead of sweat trickles down your forehead that has nothing to do with the heat. What is going on? A cold feeling washes over you and you sit back in your seat feeling dizzy. You try to control your breathing but it is rapid and coming in gasps. You glance at the clock only to see that the second hand has stopped moving. Hands clammy, you glare at it willing it to move. Millimetre by millimetre it does. You sigh with relief when everybody’s movement resumes only to find yourself under the scrutiny of 30 pairs of eyes.

“Well?” asks the teacher. Suddenly desperate, you look at the clock and wonder if you can make time go faster.

Who’s point of view;

So there’s this guy, this one guy I never liked, he’s constantly stealing my ideas, getting credit for the success, or if the idea fails, that’s when he throws me under the bus. Oh it’s so aggravating when he takes the words right outta my mouth, when I try to participate in the discussion, he cuts me off, I swear he thinks he knows everything he’s talking about. Oh, yeah and he’s always making an ass out of me, no matter what it is, especially at every work party. This guy thinks he’s so slick, two steps ahead of everyone, but he’s not quick, I know every move he’s gonna make before he makes them. It’s also extremely embarrassing he always seems to wear what I have on, then to hear people say how good he looks, I swear his heads swelling from the compliments. Have you seen him? That car he’s driving, that watch he’s wearing, his house, and kids, and his wife, most people only dream of marrying. He has everything I ever wanted, yet he takes it all for granted, he won’t let anyone else enjoy the spot light, like it’s impossible for him to share it. He never talks to me, which makes it that much more awkward, because I always see him in the bathroom, and every time I wash my hands, there he is, just starring, blocking my reflection. When I try to move, he moves too, it’s so obvious he’s doing it on purpose, but I don’t like drama, quite frankly his demeanor makes me a little nervous. So I just ignore it, I’m starting to wonder if I should report him, but what if the boss thinks I’m jealous? I much rather prefer waiting until the day he quits, or who knows maybe he’ll get fired, I just hope he’s not still here up until the day that I retire.

Until the age of five almost six, I thought everyone could figure out how to walk through walls. The morning my mom was walking me to my first day of school she broke the news to me. Once we reached the first intersection, and we were standing at the corner waiting for the light to change, she first asked me, “Maddy, remember that I mentioned to you every person in the world is unique?” I nodded while I kept my eye on the street light. “and what did I say was so unique about you?” “That I have three freckles on my nose.” “Maddy! Not that but the one thing nobody can tell by looking at you.” I looked up at her and said, “That I am a smart kid and I figured out that walls don’t divide or separate?”

Chapbook 25

Last night I was scared, I had another bad dream I just wanted my mommy there but she was in another room asleep. It was a nightmare, the one I often have, about a monster, who’s over 6ft. He chases me down, grabs me by my hair, thrown me into walls, I don’t know why he’s so angry, he’s even kicked me down the stairs.

I woke up sweating, my eyes filled with tears, and what scared me the most was bruises had appeared. They covered me from head to toe, I couldn’t hide them underneath my clothes. Today I was supposed start my first day of school, but mommy said I couldn’t go.

Back to sleep, I don’t even remember getting ready for bed, I just blacked out, when I woke up a pain filled my head. My dream had some how become real, there was the monster, standing over my body, breathing, and grunting, where is my mommy. Why doesn’t she come and help, why isn’t she protecting me, can’t she hear me if I yell.

Can anyone hear me, why can’t anyone figure it out, I wish my daddy was here, but mommy won’t let him around. When will this nightmare finally end, what will it take for him to leave, one of us dead, or broken and bleeding?

Years have gone by, I’m learning to deal, he’s still in our lives, drinking his meal. He is always mad always drunk, never caring, incapable of feeling love. Beating satisfies a need inside him, one that reminds him he’s alive, he’s in control, that everyone’s beneath him, we do as were told.

My other siblings have dealt with it their own way, my oldest sibling has different personality traits. One minute he’s him, by the next someone else, he swears one day he’ll be free of this hell, and when he does he never wants to see any of us again, he disowns our family, he can’t be my friend. The pain is so much more than anyone should take, it won’t be long from now till one of us breaks.

It finally happened, as I began to prepare my food, cutting up vegetables, trying not to listen to them argue, but low and behold i couldnt ignore the thump, at that very moment I snapped into somebody else.

Someone stronger than who I thought I’d become, with a knife in one hand, and a plan in the other, I made my way to the second floor, and found the that thud was my mother. As the plaster in the wall shaped like her head, I looked for the monster, and seen him covered in red.

Like a bull I charged toward him, digging the knife in his gut, 1,2,3 times ain’t enough. Like the monster he’s always been, courage from his bottle, the pierces in his side didn’t stop him, he was numb from the booze, and like a mad man, he retaliated, nothing could keep him from trying to kill me.

I just woke up from a terrible dream, just to find myself in a worse reality. Laying at the bottom if the stair case, in a puddle of my own blood, flashing lights reassured me help had finally come, but I couldn’t move, my body paralyzed, what had I done? I see my mother screaming she is covered in blood, Then I seen the monster sitting up with tape across his abdomen arms crossed in cuffs, finally he will get what he deserves, but what does this mean or us?

The only girl out of eight kids, the second eldest of the bunch, I thought we stuck together this long, and through such hell, we’d most likely stay together, but only time could tell. If only the words for what’s felt could every truly be spoken, perhaps only then could anyone listening would know just what was dealt, but sometimes you can’t mutter out the words that would allow others to understand what kind of welt gets lashed across a tiny body when beaten with a belt.

Even after hundreds of beatings, thousands of black and blue marks, fractured bones like ribs and wrists, almost on a daily basis. I bet your thinking how the hell does this go on for so long, when a parent allows another adult to enter their home, use them for everything they own, get drunk and stands by as that person takes their angers and frustration out on the innocent lives they should be protecting. When a mother or father chooses a stranger over their own little ducklings. That is how monsters get away with it so long, because an active parent allows it to go on.

The truth is of all the afflictions none bare as much pain as the very thought that a mother could prefer a stranger, a monster, putting her babies in danger, actually acts like she doesn’t see what she did wrong. She won’t acknowledge her errors, and the ultimate worst, the day she would choose another guy over us, again, this guy just another monster, and yet he is her life, treats her like crap, calls her an asset, not as his wife. Let her keep him, and the life she’s made, I have my own daughter now, I will never allow her to grow up this way, I will be nothing like my momster, this is the ultimate promise I make, and would die before I’d ever let it break.

Great piece about a super villain, and how this kind of thing does not happen in a vacuum. Your POV was consistent, first person, but there are places where you need to highlight that these are the thoughts of the protagonist. Italics would work, or even quotes.

I only just came across this site today an I was immediately intrigued. I’ve always been self conscious about my writing but I like the idea of being about to just practice like this and get genuine feedback. Anyway I wrote mine in third person limited, I trying to practice how to use better descriptions without overdoing it and getting to fluffy. Here goes..

I remember the day Melissandra first told me she had superpowers. I would have laughed right then and there if I hadn’t learned to recognize the tension burrowed between her brows. Her pale youthful skin now sagged to that of a woman three times her age. The bags beneath her eyebrows had become so swollen and dark you would have thought she hadn’t slept in weeks. The dark shadows behind her eyes gave way to little life. She hunched over me, her body twitching like little jolts of electricity pulsed through her. In health classes we had often seen videos of the effects of hard drugs on addicts, the way they scratched and clawed, itching to escape their bodies. Could she had gotten herself into hard drugs? No, I definitely would have noticed. This was something worse, as a tenth grader living in the suburbs true terror had never struck me very hard, but the fear that gripped her eyes sent a chill through my spine.

“Mel, is everything okay?” I ask as we push our way through the crowded cafeteria.

Mel leans in close looking over her shoulder with unease checking to see that no one else is listening. She whispers, almost inaudibly.

“I think I have superpowers Suz.”

Laughter roars through my belly, which is quickly stifled by the lifeless expression on her face. I’ve never seen her so afraid.

“I’m sorry, did you say superpowers Mel?” I ask in disbelief.

Her eyes fix on me with a cold hard expression, there’s no laughter in her eyes, no punch line at the end of this story.

She lowers her voice as she begins to explain.

“Last night I went for a climb on Bears Peak. I must of got 150 feet when I lost my footing on the rocks. I was so sure I had all my ropes secured, but as I started to fall nothing caught. In that moment I thought I was going to die. Than, just before my body hit the ground I stopped. My body just suspended, hovering in mid air. It wasn’t long, only a moment, a few seconds at best, but enough time for my body to correct itself and find its footing on the ground.”

I stare at her in bewilderment, she’s not saying what I think she is, is she.

“Suzan!” she exclaims as her eyes show a flicker of light. “Last night I flew.”

I just discovered this site tonight, I like it already. I wrote mine in third person limited.

I remember the day Melissandra first told me she had superpowers. I would have laughed right then and there if I hadn’t learned to recognize the tension burrowed between her brows. Her pale youthful skin now sagged to that of a woman three times her age. The bags beneath her eyes had become so swollen and dark you would have thought she hadn’t slept in weeks. The dark shadows behind her eyes gave way to little life. She hunched over me, her body twitching like little jolts of electricity pulsed through her. In health classes we had often seen videos of the effects of hard drugs on addicts, the way they scratched and clawed, itching to escape their bodies. Could she had gotten herself into hard drugs? No, I definitely would have noticed. This was something worse, as a tenth grader living in the suburbs true terror had never struck me very hard, but the fear that gripped her eyes sent a chill through my spine.

Great article, Joe! I really appreciate the detail you went into. You made the different points of view so clear. The breadth of your knowledge of literature is awesome, and your two graphics were helpful and concise.

Katherine Rebekah, great story! You did the second-person POV seamlessly.

All the best, Deena

Well thanks, Deena. 🙂

My genre is romantic suspense, or romantic thrillers, if you will. I always write third person point of view, omniscient, and steer clear of first person for exactly the reasons you’ve stated above. I find first person too limited and stifling. When I read a novel written in first person I find myself distracted, wondering what the other main character(s) are thinking or feeling. Particuarly in a romance – I don’t want to spend my entire reading experience wondering: Is he feeling the same way way or she on her own here?

Granted, the authors that I habitually read do not typically write in first person, but when they do, I will admit, they’re pretty good at showing me the thoughts and feelings of the other party without actually going into their POV. But, I would say it is a tough thing to accomplish, and only the best writers do.

Any feedback would be nice, thanks!

There are no more villains to fight you. No more evil-doers who wish to challenge your right—the right the people gave you to defend their lives. The monument that watched over the city like an old father is the tribute they built for you. The responsibility that you now stand in. Watching over them. An extraterrestrial guardian.

You look up to see grey clouds swirling, forming some odd shape. You take flight, and burst through the glass pane, as people below begin to chant your name. The clouds merge with one another, swirling in and out of each other. With your vision you can see the faces of the ones you swore to protect, even at the cost of your life. Some are smiles, the faces of those that believe in you—the ones if they could would join you without a second thought. Others had grief-stricken eyes; doubt lined their faces. How could you protect them forever? Surely someone greater than you, stronger than you would destroy everything that you deemed worth saving. Maybe there was someone that could take your place, someone that made all this easier. Hopefully.

No. Your chest bursts out and the veins in your arms feel ready to explode. Your fists clench tighter with each breath. Your eyes narrow. Never will you doubt yourself ever again. A crash of lightning hit a nearby building, signifying your resolve. You charge into the vortex still swallowing the sky. The mass of clouds block your path and out the whirlwind a humanoid shape takes form. You. You face off against yourself. “Of course. A hero’s greatest challenge is his or herself,” you say.

How I hate head-hopping! This is a common mistake my students make – and an easy one that can slip into our drafts. Hence, the importance of revision and beta readers.

Thank you for this thorough discussion of such an important element of story!

The worst limitation I find writing in first person is exactly what Joe pointed out, that you cannot be everywhere at once. I find myself getting frustrated at having to switch POV’s between characters in order to be able to tell the story better and show how different characters are feeling because of certain situations; or in my story’s case: one very sinister character.

But since I’m using my past experiences as a means to write the way I do, I kind of need to stay in first person. It’s both a blessing and a curse.

How interesting that a man who has written a 7000-page story is the author of a bestselling book about writing a short story. 😉

“Tina, what the heck. Put me down.”

“Sorry Charlie, I just ate a spinach salad.”

“Clever, but not humorous. Popeye wouldn’t be so frivolous. What if mom and dad had seen you showing off, or worse, if one of the Dancings is spying on us.”

“You’re no fun, you’re boring and paranoid. Brother or not, I may look for another partner”

“Be my guest. I’ll find someone who takes our mission seriously. Who won’t jeopardize our friends and family out of boredom, and the childish need for attention. Grow up a little. You’re sixteen years old.”

“And, you’re eighteen going on eighty. It’s true what they say about friends and family.”

“Whose they?

“Idiot. They’re the consensus.”

“What does the consensus have to say on the subject?”

“Family is the luck of the draw. Friends are deliberate choices.”

“I’d mention a few of your choices but that won’t get this conversation on track. I, we, need to find out what the Dancings are up to. You need to get close enough to read their daughter’s mind. I’ve got a plan. It could work if you can augment your powers with a dash of maturity.”

My sister Tina and I were abducted a month ago while hiking in the Grand Canyon. If I had the words to describe the aliens or their vessel, I’d share them, but I don’t. They were spirits as much as anything and I may have been sedated somehow. They separated us. Apparently Tina was more qualified for mental and physical superpowers than I was. She can read minds and has the strength of The Hulk. My power is cooler though. My eyes shoot lasers when I squint and concentrate. If it was just a matter of squinting, the neighborhood would be ablaze. My vision is less than perfect. I’ve been squinting for years. Maybe that’s why I got this power? Whatever. If the Dancings are building a dirty bomb in their basement, I may need to set fire to them and their house. Soon maybe. First, I need to know that my suspicions are warranted.

Tina needed to befriend the Dancing’s daughter Tanya, an introvert who spoke to no one at school. If she couldn’t befriend her, Tina at least needed to sit by her at lunch, hopefully to learn something from her thoughts. My sister gets bored easily, so sitting near a person who won’t acknowledge her was going to be a challenge. That’s why I was so irritated with Tina and her circus tricks just now. I’m convinced our neighbors are terrorists. But I can’t just burn their house down. What if somebody died and I was wrong? It was time for my sister to step up and put her powers to good use.

Appreciate the write up Joe. Laura

I am having a lot of difficulty with point of view. For instance, Let’s say you have a Memoir or “Diary” type fiction. You want to it to be from the point of view of the person writing the diary; however, you need your reader to know facts about the characters the speaker interacts with that he couldn’t possible know. (perhaps he just met them, etc.) How can you give the reader information about a person that the speaker deosn’t know yet?

hey, I am in the same boat as you, and I uncovered something called First Person Omniscient, which is– if you are still not away after a year of writing the comment I am replying back to– the character is in first person, still uses “I” and “we” and such, but also knows information about other characters that he/she does not yet know, precisely as what you described in your comment. However, this type of first person is rare, as very few novels and authors decide to use this method. But whatever floats your boat! Hope I helped, even though I am clearly late!

Try second person

One question I have in regards to POV and which to choose, is suppose you’re writing a story about something that’s already happened. The story is being told by the main character in the story, years later after the story is “over” (kind of like in a journal of what happened, how it ended- to a certain point- leaving out what has happened to the main character due to his choices made). But, one of the unique situations is that the main character is not just one person, but a person literally divided into 3 separate selves. He himself is the Present self, the other two are what has already happened (past- alternate choice of reality) and the last one is “what could be if” situation” (future). The main (present) is part of the three, but only knows the whole story after it’s happened and how the other two responded to events as they occurred. How would the story be told in what point of view? Both first and third? I know it probably sounds confusing; so if you’re willing to give me advice and need some clarification I can do that. Thanks.

Amanda stared at herself in the mirror. She lifted her hands and gazed at all of the blood on them. “Why am I not dead?” she asked herself puzzled. “It was a head on collision…with a truck!” she exclaimed to herself in amazement. She turned on her heel and marched to her kitchen and grabbed a large knife. She waved the knife around in the air before placing it on her wrist. “If I can’t make it look like an accident, I guess my parents would have to deal with the fact I wanted to die.” Amanda spat. She winced as the blade dug deep into her delicate flesh and watched her blood flow. But the seconds later it stopped. Blinking, she brought her arm closer to her face and stared at her smooth skin -without a single scratch on it. In disbelief she dropped the knife and ran back into the bathroom and wiped her arm of its blood and confirmed there wasn’t a wound. Desperate, Amanda ran down into the basement and grabbed her father’s rifle. “Heal from this if you can.” Amanda put the point under her chin and pulled the trigger. Everything went black and she felt herself crash to the floor. Moments later, Amanda woke up with a huge headache. “What happened?” she groaned but then gasped when she remembered what she had tried to do. “What is happening to me?!” she cried. “I don’t want to be in this world anymore, let me die!” she screamed. Amanda got up from the floor and shuffled up stairs to take a warm shower. “Maybe drowning would work…”

You forgot deep pov; close third. >:(

Deep POV is still third person limited.

Great write-up! Worth sharing and bookmarking.

As for me, I prefer to write (and read) in either first person or third person limited.

Good article except that the plural of point of view is points of view and NOT point of views! C’mon!

Though I’ve only started writing in earnest this year, POV is a topic that has been pointed out to me again and again concerning my WIP. TODAY, as I go through the comments I received overnight POV is the stumbling block I inadvertently put in my story. I’m consciously employing the third person omniscient POV, but it’s not coming through to my readers. I’ve read this article before and anew and I still don’t get it… I’m doomed.

talented writer, Noddy, mentioned this article . is good read . reread since wanted to make the third person omniscient viewpoint cleaner without head hopping . soon peruse Italo Calvino book written in second person pov to see how a master wrote .

Write two pieces of 750 words. One will be from the point of view of a traveller travelling to a foreign country. The other will be from the point of view of a native of that country who receives that traveller which person do I write form the first person, second person or the third person please help

You know, i had a dream once… I wanted to redo my entire life, I’m getting a divorce from my wife, Scarlett. We have two children, Alex and Maggie, and they’e both seniors in the high school I used to attend. I was driving to Ned’s house one rainy night and saw a man on a bridge. I got out and ran after him. When I got there he jumped, i looked over the edge and then I fell off. I woke up in Ned’s house and looked in the mirror. I was my young self again… I was 17 again.

What about this post is actual, and what part’s a dream? It’s hard to distinguish what dialogue this follows, and what efforts are trying to be accomplished.

Everything about this was my dream… I woke up after i fell and thought, I need some pancakes.

Hi- I’m writing a novel in 3rd omniscient. I struggle with the point of view on a micro level, never dipping into 1st or second person. Here is an example of what I mean is this… ‘While Eunice and Barbara were in the nursery spending a few minutes with the baby boy, Margaret walked away from a group and then grabbed a quick nibble of cheese from the buffet. She continued on to the bar where she picked up a full glass of vodka with a twist of lemon. On her way out the door to the patio, she looked back over her shoulder directly to where Jules stood, as if she had known his position to the inch.’ Does ‘she looked back over her shoulder’ now put the reader in Margaret’s POV???

I could use some advice.

I have a novel focusing on the relationship of two people. This is entirely written in 3rd person limited with occasional internal dialogue.

Initially, this story was focused on one character (A); however, I realised the protagonist was the other character (B). I re-wrote the novel to be inside B’s head, and generally this works *much* better.

Here’s the problem. Although the entire novel is written in 3rd person limited for B, there are several action points within the novel that follows A, not B because there is not much going on with B during this time.

There’s no head hopping or reading of A’s mind in these few scenes, but nothing is happening to B at this point, so narrative-wise, it seems okay to follow A through action (not thought).

So, question 1) because there’s no head hopping, is following A occasionally too distracting for this story? And if so, 2) I’m open to suggestions on how to handle this, because it’s what happens to A in these scenes that changes things.

Very good article. Great examples.

It is imperative for any writer who wishes to become proficient in narrative style to comprehend the distinction between first-person and third-person point of view (POV). The “Ultimate Guide” claims to offer thorough insights into both points of view, which can greatly improve storytelling abilities. Through exploring the subtleties of each point of view, authors can enhance the reader’s experience by effectively expressing the viewpoints, feelings, and experiences of their characters. Writing gripping and engrossing stories requires the mastery of key narrative methods, regardless of experience level. I’m eager to study this guide and improve my storytelling abilities even more!

Nice article

Understanding the difference between first person and third person point of view (POV) is crucial for any writer looking to master narrative technique. This “Ultimate Guide” promises to provide comprehensive insights into both POVs, which can significantly enhance storytelling skills. By delving into the nuances of each POV, writers can learn how to effectively convey characters’ perspectives, emotions, and experiences, ultimately enriching the reader’s engagement with the narrative. Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned writer, mastering these narrative techniques is essential for crafting compelling and immersive stories. Looking forward to exploring this guide and honing my storytelling skills further!

Point of view (POV) is crucial in storytelling, shaping how readers experience a narrative. First Person POV immerses readers in the narrator’s thoughts and feelings, creating intimacy and immediacy, making it ideal for character-driven stories, though it limits perspective to the narrator’s knowledge. On the other hand, Third Person POV offers more flexibility, with third person limited closely following one character and third person omniscient providing an all-knowing view of multiple characters. This flexibility allows for more complex narratives but can distance readers from the characters. Choosing the right POV depends on the story’s needs and can significantly enhance the reader’s experience.

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Typically, Books Written in the Third Person: Author Guide

• October 26, 2023

Table of Contents:

Understanding the importance of books written in the third person perspective, types of books written in the third person perspective, third-person omniscient: , third-person limited:, third-person objective: , third-person semi-omniscient:, third-person stream of consciousness: , advantages of books written in the third person perspective, objective perspective: , multiple character insights: , professional and formal: , avoiding bias: , creating a world: , engages the reader: , character development: , how do we maintain a consistent narrative tone in third-person writing, character voice:, narrative distance: , avoid sudden changes:, do autobiography writers commonly use the third-person perspective in their writing, conclusion:.

How you decide to tell a story in a book can greatly affect its success in today’s book world. One way of telling a story that has always worked is by using the “third-person” point of view. Whether you’ve written many books before or just started as a book writer , this guide will help you learn how to tell a great story using the third-person perspective.

Imagine you’re watching a movie. When you see the characters on the screen, you’re not inside their heads, and you’re not one of them. Instead, you’re like a silent observer, watching what they do and say. That’s a lot like the third-person perspective in writing.

So, writing a story from the third-person point of view, such as children’s book ghostwriters , means you’re not part of the story, and you’re not one of the characters. Instead, you’re like an invisible spectator who can see and hear everything happening. You can watch how the characters act, listen to what they say, and describe their thoughts and feelings.

This perspective can be helpful because it lets you get to know your characters well. You can understand them better because you have this bird’s-eye view of their actions, words, and inner thoughts. It’s like you’re looking at their lives from the outside, which can give you a deeper understanding of who they are.

Let’s discuss the types of books written in the third person perspective in detail.

In this type, the narrator knows everything about the characters and the story. They can see into the thoughts and feelings of all the characters. It’s like the narrator has a magical bird’s-eye view of everything happening in the story.

 With this style, the narrator still uses “he,” “she,” or “they” to talk about the characters, but the narrator only knows the thoughts and feelings of one character. It’s as if the narrator is a close friend of just one character and can tell you what that character thinks and feels, but not others.

The narrator doesn’t know any character’s thoughts or feelings. They can only describe what they see and hear like a camera recording what’s happening. This creates a more distant and objective view of the story.

 This is a mix of omniscient and limited. The narrator knows some characters’ thoughts and feelings, but not all. They have a few special insights, but they’re not all-knowing.

Here, the narrator tries to capture a character’s unfiltered thoughts and feelings as they happen, often chaotically and messily. It’s like you’re inside a character’s mind, experiencing their thoughts as they come.

Choosing the right type of book written in the third-person perspective is crucial, as it can effectively convey the theme of your story. If you’re uncertain about how to make this choice, you can consider hiring an affordable ghostwriter service  to assist you.”

There are several benefits of books written in the third person perspective. Let’s dig into them more deeply.

When you write in the third person, you can present the story from a more objective viewpoint. It’s like you’re a neutral observer, not part of the story. This helps readers see the events and characters more clearly without their personal opinions or emotions getting in the way. However, it’s important to note that when considering information sources, such as in historical research, the question is biography a primary source arises.

You can share the thoughts and feelings of multiple characters in the story. This way, readers understand different characters’ perspectives, making the story richer and more diverse.

Writing in the third person is often seen as more formal and professional. It is commonly used in academic, business, and research Wikipedia writing . So, if you want your writing to sound serious and credible, the third person is a good choice.

Third-person writing helps you avoid showing bias or favoritism towards one character. It keeps your storytelling fair and impartial, as you’re not limited to one character’s point of view.

Writing in the third person lets you build a detailed world and describe it to your readers. You can paint a vivid picture of the setting, the people, and the events because you’re not tied to one character’s limited perspective.

Third-person writing can engage readers by offering them a broader view of the story. It allows them to connect with different characters and see the bigger picture, which can be more captivating and intriguing.

You can show character development more effectively. Since you can reveal the thoughts and emotions of various characters, readers can witness how they change and grow throughout the story.

Writing in the third person means you’re telling a story about characters without using words like “I” or “me.” To keep your writing style steady and uniform, here are some tips:

Pay attention to how your characters speak and think. Try to use words and phrases that match their personalities. For example, a serious character might use formal language, while a laid-back character might use casual and relaxed words. This helps maintain a consistent tone throughout the story.

Imagine a sort of “distance” between the narrator and the characters. Decide how close or far this narrator is from the characters. If you are writing with a close perspective, like our specialized short story writing service , you can describe the characters’ thoughts and feelings in detail. If it’s a more distant perspective, describe their actions and behaviors without digging too deep into their thoughts. Consistently maintain this distance throughout your story.

 Be careful not to suddenly change your writing style or perspective without reason. If you’ve been describing a scene from one character’s point of view, don’t suddenly switch to another character’s perspective without warning. This can confuse your readers and disrupt the tone.

Autobiography writers typically do not use the third-person perspective in their writing. Autobiographies are written in the first-person perspective, where the author narrates their life story. Using the third-person perspective would create a disconnect from the author’s personal experiences and feelings, contrary to the genre’s purpose.

Books written in the third person perspective are a skill worth mastering. It allows you to tell diverse stories, delve deep into your characters’ minds, and captivate readers with rich narratives. With practice and dedication, you can harness the power of the third-person perspective to create literary works that stand the test of time.

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The Complete Guide to Writing Fiction in Third Person

Diane Callahan

The Startup

Third-person point of view feels like the default in the literary world. Many novels refer to main characters using the pronouns “he,” “she,” or “they,” rather than the “I/me/my” of first-person narration .

Let’s explore the advantages and disadvantages of this perspective, along with some other concerns unique to this point of view (POV), including:

• Narrative Distance (Limited vs. Omniscient)
• Multiple perspectives
• Head-hopping
• Third-person present tense

How Close Should You Get?

Whereas first person involves immersing yourself in one individual voice, third person allows for varying degrees of “narrative distance,” also known as “psychic distance” — that is, how close the reader is to the characters’ thoughts.

These levels of narrative distance give rise to different classifications of third person, namely limited and omniscient .

Imagine how different the Harry Potter series would feel if it had been written in first-person instead of third-person POV. Here’s my rewritten excerpt from The Chamber of Secrets :

Written by Diane Callahan

Fiction writer and editor, a.k.a. YouTuber Quotidian Writer. www.quotidianwriter.com

Text to speech

How to Write in Third Person Point of View: 12 Tips for Writing in Third-Person Point of View

• August 21, 2024
• Freelancing Tips

Table of Contents Hide

First-person, second-person, third-person, when to write in third-person point of view, third-person omniscient point of view:, third-person limited point of view:, third-person objective point of view:, how to use the third-person point of view, strong character development., narrative flexibility, an authoritative, trustworthy narrator, 1.choose the best type of third-person pov for your story, 2.use third-person pronouns, 3.understand your voice won’t always shine in your essays, 4.don’t focus on yourself or the reader — focus on the text, 5.coach yourself out of using first-person pronouns, 6.be as specific as possible, 7.write in the present tense when using third-person, 8.avoid adding your own thoughts, 9.in third-person objective, stay out of everyone’s heads., frequently asked questions about writing in third-person, we also recommend.

If your writing is for academic purposes, use third person point of view. Third person is pretty easy to master with a little practice.

If you’re new to it, we have a guide that will guide you in every step of the way

What does writing in the third person mean?

The third person point of view is one of three writing styles that can be used to explain a point of view. Even if you don’t realize it, you’ve most certainly used first, second, and third person in writing projects throughout your education.

It is a narrative in which you compose and examine the subject matter entirely on your initiative. You remain impartial. You do not attempt to change readers’ opinions. It’s a completely impartial, objective writing style that gets right to the heart of a subject or tells a story.

If you need to know how to differentiate between them three. Here’s a quick breakdown to understand the differences when you write your next paper:

See also:  10 Types of Creative Nonfiction Books and Genres and How to Write It

This is from the I/we perspective. This is where we talk about our beliefs, ourselves, and ourselves. When writing in the first person, you will use pronouns like I, me, myself, and mine.

This point of view belongs to the person you’re addressing; therefore, it is a ‘you’ perspective. You would use second-person pronouns in your work, such as you, your, and yourself.

The writing style used in stories is known as the third person point of view, and it is aimed at the person or people under discussion. In this perspective, the pronouns he, she, him, her, his, hers, himself, herself, it, them, their, and themselves are used. You may also use a name. But that tends to happen more in stories than research papers.

Can you now differentiate them?

The third-person point of view is quite common in academic writing since it tells the reader a story and is frequently used when taking an authoritative attitude in your work.

As a result, while writing academic materials such as essays and research papers, always use the third person.

The reason for this is that it will make your work less biased and more objective, thereby increasing your reputation. The third-person perspective allows you to focus on the facts and data rather than your personal opinion, which will eventually boost your grades.

You can break third-person perspectives into three other types, including omniscient, limited, and objective. Although they’re more associated with creative writing than academic work and essays, your writing is likely to fall under the third-person objective point of view.

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The 3 Types of Third-Person Point of View

The omniscient narrator understands the plot and the characters. This narrator can travel freely across time, enter the minds of any character, and share with the reader both their own and the character’s thoughts and observations.

For example, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice uses a third-person omniscient point of view, giving the reader complete access to the primary character, Elizabeth, and everyone around her.

Also known as a “close third,” this limited point of view happens when an author writes in the third person while focusing on a single character. The narrator can switch between characters in each chapter or portion of the book, or they can do so throughout.

With this point of view, the author can limit the reader’s perspective and control the information they are aware of. It is used to heighten tension and arouse curiosity.

In this type of narration, the narrator is objective and oblivious to any character’s emotions or ideas. The narrator tells the story with an observant approach.

Ernest Hemingway uses this third-person narrative voice in his short story “Hills Like White Elephants.” An unidentified narrator tells the story of a couple in Spain talking while waiting for a train. With this point of view, the reader becomes a voyeur, listening in on a scene or story.

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Rule number one: never refer to yourself in the third person in an article. That’s not acceptable.

For example, if your essay is about virtual learning, here’s what not to include in the sentence.

“I feel like students perform better at home because they have more freedom and are more comfortable.”

It’s a simple sentence, but when addressing research papers and using a third-person narrative, there are various concerns. Why? You are making comments that sound like opinions because you are using first-person pronouns, and you are unable to back them up with facts or credible research.

Also, it isn’t very assertive. “I feel like” will not impress the person evaluating your work because it lacks authority and underlines that it originated just in your mind and is insignificant in any way.

However, if you alter the example to the third-person perspective, you can reference your sources, which is exactly what you should do to improve your essay and research paper marks.

Let’s rewrite the line in a more expansive third person point of view:

“A psychological study from Karrie Goodwin shows that students thrive in virtual classrooms as they offer flexibility. They can make their hours and take regular breaks. Another study from high school teacher, Ashlee Trip, highlighted that children enjoy freedom, the ability to work at their own pace and decide what their day will look like.”

With a third-person narrative, you can present evidence to the reader and back up the claims you make. As a result, it not only shows your knowledge but also your diligence in researching and backing up your work with credible sources and facts rather than simply your opinions.

Advantages and Reasons to Write in Third Person Point of View

When compared to the first and second person, the third person can highlight more characters and cover a longer narrative arc.

A reader can see the story from every perspective, and each one contributes elements that a character lacks in the other, resulting in a rich, complex narrative.

The third person allows for greater adaptability; you can help your reader see everything, be everywhere, and switch between different characters’ stories. You can go from complete omniscience to a limited or close third point of view.

This latter strategy allows readers to have a greater understanding of a character and scenario by entering the characters’ thoughts, feelings, and experiences.

See also: How to Write a Book With No Experience for Beginners in 12 Steps

Writing from the third person point of view places the narrator above the action, creating a bird’s-eye-view of the story.

Because the narrator has nothing at stake, this perspective, combined with knowledge of at least one character’s thoughts in both omniscient and limited third person, lends the story a more authoritative, trustworthy tone.

Tips for Writing in Third 3 rd person

Before you begin writing your story, think about whether a third person perspective—limited, omniscient, or objective—will work best for it. Each has an advantage when it comes to narrative. Do you want the reader to remain in suspense and only learn what the main character discovers?

Next, write your story in a limited third person. Consider writing an epic narrative in the third person omniscient viewpoint, allowing your narrator to be all-knowing and featuring a big cast of people.

When using third-person pronouns such as “he,” “she,” “it,” or “they” instead of referring to specific characters by name, make sure to be consistent.

Every written work has a voice or point of view that appears to be directed specifically at the reader. This is not always possible, however, because academic writing is more objective than, example, a book.

Your academic work does not require you to “fluff” up your writing to inject your personality into it.

The purpose of academic writing is to consistently maintain a formal tone. Your next paper should be written to write in mind, rather than the writer or reader.

If you’ve only ever written in the first or second person, this is easier said than done. If you find yourself writing in the first person when writing your next paper, go back and alter it to a third-person perspective.

This is the point at which things become a little unclear. The key to writing in the third person is to use pronouns like they, it, he, or she. However, using them at the beginning of sentences can appear confusing and potentially mislead the reader, which is the last thing you want in your paper or essay.

Instead, consider using nouns at the beginning of sentences as an alternative. For example, when beginning a statement, use the actual subject—the writer or the interviewer—rather than he, she, or they.

See also:  15 Best Personal Finance Books for Freelance Writers

All academic writing, including reports, essays, and research papers, must be written in the present tense, especially when introducing new themes or discoveries.

As a result, you should write “This report analyzes” as if you are analyzing right now, rather than “This paper analyzed,” which appears to be correct because it occurred in the past and the writing is in the present.

The difference is that you should use the past tense when describing your research approach. This implies, for example, that you would use the third person to refer to “the equipment that was used” or “the results were analyzed by.”

If the topic of your report is something you are deeply interested in, it can be very tempting to include some of your own thoughts. Although you must coach yourself out of it.

In academic writing, you aren’t a commentator. You’re a reporter. It is important to let readers draw their conclusions without over-analyzing them or making the reader lean one way or another.

If you want to write from an objective point of view, see your characters as complete outsiders, keep in mind that your narrator is blind to their thoughts. As an outside observer, you can only tell the reader what you observe.

Write in a detailed style to convey emotions. Describing a character’s eyes and facial emotions can help to emphasize character growth, conflict, and plot development.

The third person uses pronouns such he, she, him, her, his, hers, himself, herself, it, them, their, and themselves. You may also use a name.

You is used in second person and is therefore not used in third person. The second person is used for the person that is being addressed.

The third-person point of view is aimed at the person or people being talked about, which is the type of writing you’d find in stories. When writing in third-person view, make sure to write in the present tense and avoid adding your own thoughts.

Writing in the third person in academic papers is easy to learn if you practice regularly and consistently. Examine and critique your work until it is regarded as the norm. Sure, it may be confusing at first, but you’ll rapidly learn the technique and be able to improve your papers and reports.

Keep in mind that the third-person narrator only knows what the character knows. Be aware of your characters’ limitations. Review your writing frequently to ensure that you haven’t given your characters information they shouldn’t have.

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For Authors

Writing in the Third-Person Perspective: A Guide

By: Ginger on January 17, 2020

Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve published a couple of articles on first-person perspective in writing – which can be a fun and productive exercise even if you ultimately choose not to pursue that style of writing in your work. But there is more than one way to tell a story, and many authors prefer writing in the third-person perspective.  So today, Ginger is giving the details on writing in that style, and some of the common issues to keep in mind while doing so.

When I wrote my blog post Defending First-Person POV , I didn’t anticipate the number of people who disagreed with me – and while I might not share their opinion, they all made valid points – and I think it’s a point worth discussing.

For a start – don’t listen to me! If you want to write your story in third-person, go right ahead. I just think the first-person perspective is a powerful one; but only if it fits what you’re trying to say.

But just as the first-person perspective empowers a reader to enter the heart and soul of a character, the third-person perspective is a powerful “God’s eye view” of a story, and isn’t just a robustly serviceable style of narrative, but one that offers a flexibility to your storytelling that the first-person perspective can’t equal.

I claim the third!

One of the reasons the third-person perspective style of writing is so popular among authors is because it’s popular among authors – it’s the default style of writing, and anybody who interested in writing and publishing has probably had their narrative shaped by books written in this practically ubiquitous style.

I speak from experience. While I might write in the first-person perspective now, it was James Bond, and The Saint, and Jilly Cooper’s romances that shaped the stories I like to tell, and they were all written in third-person perspective.

As I got older, the fantasy books I used to love were similarly written from this perspective – and, arguably, the most influential movies of all time similarly reinforced this because you got to see things that the hero or heroine wouldn’t – such as how Luke Skywalker had no idea that Darth Vader was up on the Death Star choking out his minions in the first few minutes of his story, but we – the audience – got to see that delightful scene ourselves (“Your lack of faith is disturbing.”)

A lot of thrillers, murder mysteries, and other genres employ this because it offers a great way to add exposition to a story which would be difficult in first-person perspective, and it allows a lot of flexibility in ‘flow’. An example of that would be following one character into a room, recording an interaction, and then following the second character out of the room.

I’ve always called it a ‘God’s eye view’ because you can literally dip in and jump out of any character’s scene, at any time, anywhere in your story. Its like playing that video game The Sims , where you have an overhead view of all the characters, and can zoom in on whichever one is doing something interesting at the time.

However, while this approach offers a lot of flexibility – it also presents challenges. One of the reasons I like writing genre romance, and writing in first-person, and even penning poetry is because it has a format . Rules. You know what you can and can’t do with it, and to quote T.S. Eliot: “When forced to work within a strict framework the imagination is taxed to its utmost – and will produce its richest ideas. Given total freedom the work is likely to sprawl.”  

For years, I worked in the advertising industry, and one of my mentors showed me how the more defined a client’s request is, the easier it is to fulfill. He quoted the great David Ogilvy, who said: “Give me the freedom of a tight brief.”

But for a lot of writers, the appeal is the freedom – and that’s why they enjoy third-person perspective so much. There’s nothing wrong with that – in fact, freedom of expression should be celebrated – but from a reader’s perspective, here are some things to keep in mind:

The Story Comes First

If there’s been a reoccurring thread to my blogs in recent weeks, it’s that you need to ruthlessly divorce story from writing . The story is the sheet music, and the writing is the instrument you play it on. Great works of literature could be considered a philharmonic orchestra, while genre books could be considered ‘pop music’ because they have mass appeal, but ultimately you should be able to take the writing style of one and marry it to the story of the other and still have something worth reading.

So, just as I recommended with the first-person perspective, make sure you have your story buttoned up first. Stories should have a structure – I enjoy using the story circle to figure it out – and the events of the story shouldn’t change whether you write it in the third-person or first-person (in fact, I even warned that if your story DID shift in your mind when you swapped writing perspective, you should go back and reexamine it because your character’s motivation is probably a little off.)

The advantage of doing this is that you then have a ‘map’ of the story, and a map of what all the characters are doing throughout the story. Then you can dip in and write specific scenes about specific characters with a freedom you don’t have in first-person perspective.

I’d even go so far as to draw out a timeline of your story and actually highlight the journey of each of the characters – maybe drawing a line with a different colored pen. That way, you can see what order things happen in, and decide which characters you should focus on at different points in the story.

If you’re a pantster rather than a plotter, this suggestion might be a bit off-putting to you. If that’s the case – ignore it. Pantsters normally have a talent for sewing a parachute after they’ve thrown themselves into the first chapter, and with any luck they’ll have finished it by the time they reach the words THE END. However, as a reformed pantster, I’ll tell you that plotting a story is a REALLY powerful step and you should start experimenting with it more often. 

Watch for Transitions

As an editor, the most frequent problem I came across in other people’s books was when they shifted focusing on one character in a scene, and moved onto another character without so much as blinking.

I won’t take a real example, but this is a fairly close one from a book I edited recently:

Marcus walked into the room, and found Neil waiting for him.  He put his hands on his hips and snorted: “What are you doing here, Neil?”  He narrowed his eyes, balling his hands into fists.  “Leaving, actually.” With a snarl, he turned and strode out of the room. He couldn’t believe the cheek of that guy! Fortunately, Denise had her office just down the hall, so he strode down there to vent to her about his colleague.

Chances are, that might have read fine to you – but you might also have got hung up on the ‘he’ bit. When we started that scene we were following Marcus, and he put his hands on his hips. The next ‘he’ refers to Neil, though – and that’s who balls his hands in response, and then strides out of the room.

Without specifically calling them out by name, it’s difficult to know which ‘he’ is who, until you finish the sentence and gather context. If you think this is a valid complaint, just imagine an entire chapter written like this – with shifting perspectives from multiple characters, many of whom are referred to as simply ‘he’ for the majority of their bit.

There are various ways to address this. I like the method in which chapters are written using third-person perspective, but you only follow one character through that scene. If the perspective shifts, you shift chapters. This makes it clear who is being written about, but you can still pop in and out of different character journeys in a way you can’t if you’re writing your book from the first-person perspective of just one or two characters.

Another option is simply tighter editing – be sure to use names where you can, to clarify whether or not ‘he’ refers to Neil or Marcus. If that gets a bit repetitive (trust me, it will) you should come up with a consistent two-word descriptor for that character which is interchangeable (for example, ‘the steely eyed inspector.’) That way, you can make it clear.

Finally, you could have a section break – or just describe the shift better. For example, you could add a single line to the paragraph above which helps the reader ‘shift’ from Marcus to Neil:

Marcus walked into the room, and found Neil waiting for him.  He put his hands on his hips and snorted: “What are you doing here, Neil?”  Neil had been waiting for him for fifteen minutes, just to make a dramatic exit.  He narrowed his eyes, balling his hands into fists.  “Leaving, actually.”

That single line stops the reader in their tracks and forces them to think: “Oh, I see, we’re seeing things from Neil’s perspective now” and subsequently, the next few ‘he’ sentences are clearly referring to Neil.

It’s a straightforward approach, but very important. As I’ve said before, the essence of good writing and editing isn’t perfectionism, but flow. You want to make sure your writing is clear, and a reader can be immersed in it without anything throwing them back out into reality when they don’t ‘get it.’ That can be a typo, a misused word, or a scene in which it’s confusing which character is doing what.

Cut the Fluff

Using third-person perspective, you can dip in and out of any scene, at any point in the story, and present it to the reader – but before you do, you should ask WHY.

While there’s nothing wrong with longer books – heck, Stephen King has made a career of them – there has to be some meat to what you write. Chopping and changing and switching character perspectives is fine – as long as the scenes you include actually add to the story, either in terms of moving the plot forward, or providing characterization.

This is another reason why the first-person perspective is popular with romance genre authors – because their books are generally designed to be on the shorter side, and by writing from only the hero and heroine’s alternating perspectives, you only have to write about the events they witness, experience, or learn about. This means you can’t put in scenes that don’t fit those perspectives – for example, writers would have had to nix the scene of Darth Vader choking his subordinate if Star Wars was a romance novel (although given the onscreen kiss in Star Wars is between Luke and Leia, maybe it’s a good job Star Wars isn’t a romance novel.)

While you have more flexibility to follow other characters in a third-person perspective story, you have to be disciplined about whether you should . Switching perspectives can interrupt the pace of a book as it is, and if you indulge yourself by writing a scene that doesn’t really drive the story or enrich the characters – even if it’s really, really good – it might be a better idea to shelve it to preserve the pace and brevity of your novel.

Of course, if you’re anything like me, you can feel incredibly protective of some scenes you’ve written – and nixing them would be like cutting off a metaphorical finger. However, unless you can definitively define how the scene progresses the book, it doesn’t.

Again, this is where plotting comes in so handy. If you plan out your story as I described above, outlining the experiences of each character and how they intertwine, it’s easier to choose which scenes to include, which events to mention in passing, and what to leave unwritten. Look for scenes in which character threads overlap, or in which one character’s actions impact the lives of other characters. These are the clues that the scene is important to include. If in doubt, ask yourself: What about the plot won’t the reader understand if I do leave out the scene?

If the scene isn’t a supporting pillar for the story, or a rich tapestry of characterization, it’s just words on a page; and I usually remove them and store them in a separate document which I can then offer as bonus content to fans, or to cannibalize for cute turns of phrase or good description. Words don’t need to be wasted – either by including them unnecessarily in your manuscript, or by not saving them to repurpose them.

The third-party perspective is a very popular choice of writing and reading style, and not without good reason. While a lot of authors swear by it – especially over first-person perspective writing – it does come with some challenges to be aware of. Hopefully this blog covered some of the most important ones, and will help you hone your craft as you write in this point of view.

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Previously:

Writing in the First Person Perspective – A Guide

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Your second example with Marcus and Neil is still an error. You shouldn’t switch perspectives within the same scene. There should be no mention of the 15-minute wait. Marcus can’t know that, and his is the current POV. If there’s a break in the chapter, or if a new chapter has begun, then you can switch POVs to anyone. But you need to stay there.

A more subtle (and common) error would be if Marcus described Neil as “very angry.” Technically, that’s a POV switch, too. It should read, “plainly very angry.” Again, Marcus can’t know what’s in Neil’s mind, but can determine it from his face, actions, etc. So words like “clearly” and “obviously” are often necessary to reinforce the main POV when thinking about how another character feels.

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7 Essential Tips for Writing in the Third Person

Table of contents

Alana Chase

Whether you’re a student, business professional, or writer, knowing how to write well in the third person is an essential skill.

But you may not be sure of all the rules or how to make your third-person writing shine.

As an editor and writing coach of 11 years, I’ve taught students and writers at all levels how to master the third-person point of view (POV). All you need to get started is a good understanding of third-person pronouns and a bit of practice for consistency. 

By the end of this article, you’ll know when and how to use third-person perspective. You'll also find helpful tips for taking your third-person writing to the next level.

Key takeaways 

• In the third-person perspective, the narrator is separate from the story. 
• Third-person perspective uses he/him/his, she/her/hers, and they/them/their pronouns. 
• Consistency is key: Don’t switch between perspectives in a single document.
• Practicing third-person writing and editing your work is vital to improving your skills.

What is third-person point of view (POV)?

In writing, there are three ways to tell a story: first-person, second-person, or third-person POV. 

First-person POV is from the narrator’s perspective: 

“ I saw the bird steal my sandwich, and I ran after it.”

Second-person POV is from the reader’s perspective: 

“ You saw the bird steal your sandwich, and you ran after it.”

Third-person POV, however, separates the narrator from the story and uses third-person pronouns (like he/him, she/her, and they/them) to describe events, actions, thoughts, and emotions. Characters are referred to by name or one of these pronouns: 

“ Alex saw the bird steal his/her/their sandwich, and he/she/they ran after it.”

Third-person POV is used in all kinds of writing — from novels to research papers, journalistic articles, copywriting materials, and more. Check out some examples below.

Examples of third-person perspective

• In a novel: “Robb and Jon sat tall and still on their horses, with Bran between them on his pony, trying to seem older than seven, trying to pretend that he’d seen all this before.” (From A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin)
• In a news article : “This weekend, Iceland experienced nearly 2,000 earthquakes within 48 hours. And they’ve kept coming since then – in swarms.” (From “Thousands of earthquakes have scientists watching for a volcanic eruption in Iceland” on NPR’s website )
• In copywriting : “Balm Dotcom’s formula has antioxidants and natural emollients to nourish dry lips.” (Website copy describing Glossier’s Balm Dotcom lip product )

7 tips for writing in the third person

Just like the first and second person, you’ve probably already written in the third person before. But to do it well , you’ll need some key tips and tricks in your writing toolkit. 

Let’s dive into the seven essentials for third-person writing.

Tip 1: Use third-person determiners and pronouns 

In grammar, determiners introduce and modify nouns. They’re used to specify what a noun refers to (like “ my laptop”) or the quantity of it (like “ many sandwiches”). 

Meanwhile, pronouns are substitutes for nouns, referring to people, places, or things. For example, “Caroline [noun] is a skilled musician, and she [pronoun] especially loves playing the piano.”

When you write in the third person, use only third-person determiners and pronouns. Let’s take a look at the different types of pronouns. 

Tip 2: Use names for clarity

In third-person writing, using names is crucial for clarity, especially when multiple people/characters share similar pronouns. Strategically incorporate names into your writing to help readers keep track of who’s who. 

For example:

‍ “She submitted the script draft to her, and she made suggestions for changes.”

‍ “Mira submitted the script draft to Lynn, and Lynn made suggestions for changes.”

Tip: Use a character or person’s name when introducing them in your writing. Then, alternate between using pronouns and their name to prevent confusion.

Tip 3: Keep the narration neutral

When you write in the third person, your narrator is an uninvolved observer. They have no opinions on the people, places, things, or events they describe. Their words and tone should be neutral (but not boring).

To achieve this in your writing:

• Think of your narrator as a reporter. Their job is to detail what’s happening, when and why it’s occurring, who’s involved, and any background information that can give context. They don’t offer a personal interpretation of events. Instead, they provide facts and supporting details.
• Save the judgment for characters. Rather than having your narrator share their critique of events or individuals, have a character offer their opinion — either through dialogue, actions, or reactions. For instance, instead of writing, “Dr. Shaw was a courageous woman,” let a character convey admiration by telling Dr. Shaw, “I’ve always admired your fearlessness.”
• Be objective with your descriptions. Avoid subjective adjectives and focus on observable features. For example, instead of describing a landscape as “breathtaking,” write that it’s “marked with snow-capped mountains and patches of tall pine trees.” 

Tip 4: Use descriptive language

Showing — and not just telling — is essential when writing in the third person. Instead of stating emotions and experiences outright, immerse your reader in your character’s reality. Create vivid descriptions of their thoughts, feelings, and surroundings. Use language that engages the senses: sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste. 

For example: 

“Aisha was nervous.”

‍ “Aisha’s hands trembled, and her tongue felt dry against the roof of her mouth. The spotlight above the stage shone white-hot, causing beads of sweat to form along Aisha’s hairline.”

Tip 5: Be consistent

Once you establish a third-person POV, stick to it . Avoid switching from the third person to the first or second person. Otherwise, you’ll confuse the reader and disrupt the flow of your writing.

“Hannah felt a surge of excitement when her telephone rang, anticipating good news about her mortgage application. I felt my heart rate quicken as I answered.” (Switches from the third person to the first person)

“Hannah felt a surge of excitement when her telephone rang, anticipating good news about her mortgage application. She felt her heart rate quicken as she answered.” (Remains in the third person)

Tip 6: Practice

Writing in the third person might feel strange at first, especially if you’re used to using the first or second person. However, it’ll come more naturally to you with practice.

Here are two writing exercises you can try right now:

Writing Exercise #1

Take an excerpt from an article or book written in the first or second person and rewrite it in the third person. Below is an example using The Catcher in the Rye , whose main character is named Holden.

Before: “The other reason I wasn’t down at the game was because I was on my way to say good-by to old Spencer, my history teacher.”

After: “The other reason Holden wasn’t down at the game was because he was on his way to say good-by to old Spencer, his history teacher.”

Writing Exercise #2

Turn on a movie or television show, mute the sound, and closely observe two characters. Give them each a name. Using third-person pronouns and their names, describe the characters’ actions and what you believe they’re thinking and feeling. 

Above all, write in the third person as often as possible , following the tips in this guide. Remember, your writing skills are like muscles: The more you exercise them, the stronger they become. 

Tip 7: Carefully revise 

After you’ve written something in the third person, carefully review and revise your work. 

Check that your writing :

• Uses third-person determiners and pronouns accurately and consistently
• Incorporates names where pronouns may cause confusion
• Maintains a neutral tone, where your narrator doesn’t offer personal opinions or interpretations
• Doesn’t shift to the first or second person

Make changes where necessary, then read through your work a final time.

AI tip: Wordtune can help you self-edit and help improve your writing overall.

Paste your work into Wordtune’s Editor, or write in it directly, and use the features to shorten or expand your sentences, make your tone more casual or formal, and more. Wordtune will also automatically flag spelling and grammar errors and suggest ways to improve concision, clarity, and flow.

Get Wordtune for free > Get Wordtune for free >

Bonus tip (advanced): Learn the different types of third-person POV

Did you know there are three types of third-person POV? Getting familiar with them can help you make your writing even more impactful.

• Third-person objective , where the narrator is “a fly on the wall”: They provide an objective account of events without exploring people/characters’ emotions or thoughts.
• Third-person omniscient , where the narrator has unlimited knowledge of all events and characters’ thoughts and feelings. 
• Third-person limited , also called “close third,” where the narrator has access to just one character’s emotions, thoughts, and experiences. 

With this knowledge, you can choose the right perspective for your writing depending on its purpose, tone, and goals. 

For instance, use third-person omniscient to show readers what’s happening with everyone in your novel. Or, you could go for third-person objective in an academic paper where you must present facts without sharing your interpretation of them.

Writing well in the third person takes thought and effort. You must use third-person determiners and pronouns, weave in descriptive language, and keep your narration neutral. You also need to be consistent with your POV, ensuring you don’t accidentally switch to the first or second person. Finally, review and revise your work to make sure it’s clear and error-free. 

Using this guide — and Wordtune’s tools to polish your writing — you’ll get the hang of the third-person perspective in no time.

To continue sharpening your writing skills, read our articles on mastering tone of voice and writing concisely (with help from AI). Then, check out our proofreading guide to keep your work flawless . 

What is a third-person word example?

Third-person words are pronouns like “he,” “her,” “they,” “it,” “hers,” and “theirs.”

Should I write in the first or third person?

It depends on the closeness you want to create with your audience. The first person allows for a personal connection between the narrator and the reader, while the third person creates distance between the narrator and the audience.

What are the disadvantages of writing in the third person?

Third-person writing can lead to a lack of intimacy with the reader. This can be a disadvantage for some writers but an advantage for others, like those in academic and professional settings.

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First Person vs. Third Person: A Discussion of Point-of-View

Looking at a novel written in first person and a novel written in third person to discuss how point-of-view ultimately shapes your fiction writing.

The Writing Cooperative

Point of view is a crucial element in any work of fiction that can make or break what the author is trying to accomplish if chosen incorrectly.

For example, most young adult novels are told in first person because first person allows young readers to instantly connect with the main character from page one, while adult novels are often told in third person because many adult readers prefer to learn about the main characters through action and circumstances and don’t necessarily need to inhabit the main character’s headspace for an entire novel.

Let’s take a look at two books specifically: Benjamin Alire Saenz’s LGBTQ-themed YA novel Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is successful for being written in the first person, and Stephen King’s adult horror novel The Shining is successful for being written in third person… but why?

First Person in Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Written by Brian Rowe

Author / Teacher / MFA in Fiction. ( [email protected] )

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Last updated on Nov 15, 2022

Third Person Limited: A Personal and Engaging POV

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Editor-in-Chief of the Reedsy blog, Dario is a graduate of Mälardalen University. As a freelance writer, he has written for many esteemed outlets aimed at writers. A traveler at heart, he can be found roaming the world and working from his laptop.

Third person limited is a point of view in which the narrator tells the story from one character’s perspective at a time, using the pronouns he, she, and they to describe their thoughts and actions.

Ursula Le Guin provided a succinct definition of this limited viewpoint: “Only what the viewpoint character knows, feels, perceives, thinks, guesses, hopes, remembers, etc., can be told. The reader can infer what other people feel and think only from what the viewpoint character observes of their behavior.”

In this part of our guide to literary points of view, we’ll break down what it means to write from a limited perspective, examining the benefits and potential pitfalls. 

Third person limited has access to a character’s thoughts

Third person limited offers access to a character’s inner thoughts and emotions, much in the same way that first-person narration does. As a result, it creates a sense of narrative empathy, making it easier for readers to imagine themselves in the viewpoint character’s shoes — or as their confidante. 

Let’s look at an example from Orson Scott Card’s Ender's Game :

But Ender knew, even as he thought it, that Peter wouldn’t leave him alone. There was something in Peter’s eyes, when he was in his mad mood, and whenever Ender saw that look, that glint, he knew that the one thing Peter would not do was leave him alone. I’m practicing piano, Ender. Come turn the pages for me. Oh, is the monitor boy too busy to help his brother? Is he too smart? Got to go kill some buggers, astronaut? 

Card gives a peek into our protagonist’s thoughts: from his deductions of another’s behavior (“But Ender knew [...] that Peter wouldn't leave him alone”) to Ender’s imagined harassment by Peter, we’re right there in our protagonist’s head. 

When handled well, you could argue that third person limited is even more intimate than a first person narrative. Instead of a protagonist telling you their story, you are indirectly encouraged to experience the story as the protagonist does . A powerful trick of the trade!

Narrators are more reliable than in first person 

In addition to creating empathy and intimacy between the reader and the viewpoint character, the third person limited perspective benefits from greater objectivity. First person narrators can have biases, limited self-awareness, or a reluctance to share crucial facts 一 making them unreliable at times. An external narrator, instead, can describe things more accurately, adding meaning and context to a character’s behavior (and transformation ). 

For example, in A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole, the narrator puts us in the head of his buffoonish protagonist — showing us what he’s thinking while also reminding us to take it all with a grain of salt:

A green hunting cap squeezed the top of the fleshy balloon of a head. The green earflaps, full of large ears and uncut hair and the fine bristles that grew in the ears themselves, stuck out on either side like turn signals indicating two directions at once. Full, pursed lips protruded beneath the bushy black moustache and, at their corners, sank into little folds filled with disapproval and potato chip crumbs. In the shadow under the green visor of the cap Ignatius J. Reilly’s supercilious blue and yellow eyes looked down upon the other people waiting under the clock at the D.H. Holmes department store, studying the crowd of people for signs of bad taste in dress. Several of the outfits, Ignatius noticed, were new enough and expensive enough to be properly considered offenses against taste and decency. Possession of anything new or expensive only reflected a person’s lack of theology and geometry; it could even cast doubts upon one’s soul.

A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole

Only a third person could inform the reader that, while Ignatius judges other people’s fashion as an ‘offense against taste’, he himself looks preposterous. Through the added context, we quickly learn about the contradictory nature of the character, something he wouldn't have told us if we were getting the story directly from him. 

The ability to zoom out and portray characters through a ‘cinematic lens’ contributes to the popularity of this POV, but there are more perks to it, such as keeping the reader on the edge of their seat.

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It maintains a level of uncertainty and surprise

In the mystery, suspense, and thriller genres, you’ll commonly see third person limited narration. Compared to other POVs, it’s a natural way to tell a story that has a lot of unknowns — things like revelations, and plot twists.

An omniscient narrator, by their very nature, knows who the killer is in a mystery but they must carefully omit details to keep the mystery alive. A limited third person narrator, on the other hand, only reveals what the viewpoint character knows, which allows the reader to uncover the mystery only as it occurs to the protagonist. If the focal character is surprised by a plot twist , the reader will be as well.

For example, in Agatha Christie’s classic Murder on the Orient Express , detective Hercules Poirot is on a train on his way back to London, when he is informed about… a murder:

“Ah! my good friend,” cried M. Bouc. “Come in. We have need of you.”

The little man in the window shifted along the seat, and Poirot squeezed past: the other two men and sat down facing his friend.

The expression on M. Bouc’s face gave him, as he would have expressed it, furiously to think. It was clear that something out of the common had happened.

“What has occurred?” he asked.

“You may well ask that. First this snow-this stoppage. And now—”

He paused—and a sort of strangled gasp came from the Wagon Lit conductor.

“And now what?”

“And now a passenger lies dead in his berth—stabbed.” 

Murder on the Orient Express, Agatha Christie

It’s the inciting incident that sets Poirot on a ‘journey’ to find out who’s the culprit. By having an up-close but limited access to his viewpoint, the reader will be able 一 as the story unfolds 一 to feel his confusion, frustration, and excitement in trying to solve the case. 

However, despite its engaging qualities, this POV requires some craftsmanship to ensure that it doesn't slip through the cracks.

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Writing with it requires discipline and focus

The most common pitfall with the third person limited POV is head-hopping, which is when the narrator reveals the thoughts or feelings of a non-focal character. In other words, they ‘hop’ between the heads of multiple protagonists, instead of sticking close to their focal character. 

For example, imagine a scene where your POV character, Ciara, is speaking to a priest: 

Ciara finally mustered up the courage to ask the big question. “Were you there when my sister died?” Father Walsh paused. Not wishing to upset the poor girl, he quickly concocted a version of the truth that Ciara could handle.

This would be a misuse of the third person limited, as there’s no way for your main character to know Father Walsh’s reluctance — unless she is a mind reader, in which case, all bets are off. You can, however, demonstrate Father Walsh’s reluctance by employing some classic show, don’t tell action . Your POV character can observe him avoiding eye contact, stopping and starting sentences, or fidgeting with his cuffs — all evasive gestures that suggest reluctance or deceit.

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Head-hopping is not ideal when it happens with omniscient narrators — but positively disastrous with a limited POV. While modern editing programs will detect when you're shifting between passive and active tense, they won't be able to warn you when you've accidentally swapped your point of view character. In this case, the professional eye of an editor can surely help to revise your manuscript and keep your perspective consistent.

Pro tip: When writing in third person, try to avoid filtering , which occurs when you over-contextualize the actions of characters. F.e. the sentence “Eavesdropping, she realized they were talking about her.” could be more directly expressed as: “She eavesdropped. They were talking about her.” This keeps the character close and the narrative vivid.

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Limited Narrator Example: Murder at Reedsy Manor

Let's take a look at a limited third person perspective, with another murder case...

The third person limited is a favorite POV of authors and readers alike, but fiction has a place for its omniscient counterpart too. If you're ready for a 'wider' viewpoint, head on to our next post on third person omniscient.

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Are Book Reviews Written in First Person?

Writing book reviews is a fun and simple way to practice your writing and get your writing published for people to read and engage with. Despite the simplicity of a book review, it’s only effective if you nail the perspective and tone.

Book reviews are not written in first person. Though some book reviews are written in the first person, this perspective is suited to a more casual and relaxed tone. A professional book review should be written in the third person and voice opinions in a straightforward and well-informed way.

This article will tell you everything you need to know about perspective and tone in book reviews to take you from novice to pro in no time.

Narrative Perspectives Used in Book Reviews

Before a writer types a single word, they’ve already made choices about their text. One of these choices is what narrative perspective they’re going to use. 

There are three main categories of perspective, namely:

• First-person uses the pronouns “I,” “me,” “my,” and “we.” This perspective situates you, the narrator , as the “main character.” The first-person perspective is the most informal and is often used in novels, blog posts, and casual book reviews. 
• The second person uses “you” and “your.” Picture this as the narrator talking to themselves in a mirror or giving instructions to a friend over the phone. This is the least commonly used narrative perspective. 
• The third person uses pronouns like “they,” “them,” “she,” and “his,” as if talking about someone that isn’t included in the conversation. This is the most authoritative perspective. 

When assessing any piece of writing, context and a writer’s choice of narrative perspective is crucial. Every choice a writer makes is made intentionally to communicate something to their audience.

The third person is the ideal perspective to use when you’re writing a review for several reasons. While this isn’t a universal law that every reviewer abides by, it’s a highly prevalent pattern with its purposes. 

For practical examples of the differences between narrative perspectives, read through Grammarly Blog ’s article. 

Why You Should Review Books in the Third Person

Sometimes, reviewers use the first-person perspective in their reviews, but the context is essential. This makes sense if someone is writing a book review for entertainment or just starting out writing casual reviews for their own enjoyment.

When it comes to professional reviews, they’re almost always in the third person, as this creates just enough distance between the writer’s opinion and the facts presented in the book and the review. 

At the end of the day, book reviews are opinion pieces, but how that opinion is presented is just as important as the opinion itself.

People aren’t reading a book to learn whether the reviewer thought the main character wasn’t relatable to them or that they didn’t like how long it was. People read reviews to know whether they should read the book and what to expect.

A book reviewer’s job is to analyze the book’s strengths and weaknesses and judge whether the author achieved what they wanted by writing the book. 

The New York Times has a page dedicated to the latest book reviews from the best reviewers in the game, so you know where to go if you need some inspiration. 

How To Write in the Third Person

There are a few ways to better understand and improve your use of third-person perspectives. The first is knowing that there are three kinds of third-person perspectives:

• Third person limited is not the protagonist’s voice but speaks from their perspective and only sees and knows the things the protagonist does. 
• Third-person omniscient uses information about every character and event at any given time, regardless of whether or not the protagonist is aware of what’s happening. 
• The third-person objective is the perspective you should use in a book review. The writer is outside, looking in and presenting what they see. 

Even if you don’t use the other narrative perspectives for book reviews, it’s essential to know the relationships between them to distinguish which to use in what situations and, more importantly, why certain ones better fit specific conditions. 

Be Consistent With Your Third Person Perspective

Once you’ve landed the correct perspective for your review, you must remember it while writing. It’s easy to get carried away with writing and switch perspectives without even realizing it, and while this can be used to further a story, it doesn’t suit a book review.

Once you begin writing in the third person objective, stick to that throughout the article and only break into another perspective, such as the first person, in a way that makes sense. 

Write Confidently and Let Your Voice Show Through

Finally, writing in the third person comes with a greater sense of authority than the other perspectives, something you need to use to your advantage. Write confidently, and ensure that your unique voice comes through in your review while sticking to the facts. 

Ensure that you use firm and authoritative language throughout your review. 

This is more natural with third-person writing, as first-person reviews can end up with lines like “I think” or “I felt like.”

Third-person writing should avoid doubtful language and use lines like “this author succeeded in” or “the book fails to portray.” Remember, this review could be someone’s first impression of the book, so be unbiased and direct. 

Tips for Writing Book Reviews

Anyone can write a good book review with the right tools . Other than remaining consistent with a third-person perspective, there are several factors to consider while writing your review.

Some essential tools that will help you elevate your review-writing skills are:

• Read book reviews: “Watch and learn” is a valuable moniker for writing book reviews. The more you read , the more you can pick up on patterns and conventions in tone, language use, and format. Reading makes better writing. 
• Follow a format: Stick to a standard book review format, which will help you develop a unique voice and prepare you for the conventions you’ll need to follow when publishing a serious book review. 
• Develop a voice: Despite following a format, you must ensure that your writing isn’t bland. Let your personality and style shine through in everything you write, amateur or professional. 
• Remain firm and objective: The point of a book review is to determine if a book achieved what the author created it to, so that’s what you need to focus on. Discuss what you liked and disliked about it, based on the author’s intentions. 
• Be fair and reasonable: Try to avoid becoming too opinionated, and remain professional and fair when passing judgment on someone’s writing, which will make your reviews more reputable.

While it’s possible to write book reviews in the first person, the third person narrative perspective innately has a more authoritative and professional tone, which is ideally what every reputable book reviewer should embody in their work.

Rachel Le Mesurier

Author of The Musician's Promise Series

• Jan 1, 2022

Writing Tips - Using the Close Third Person

Updated: May 2, 2022

Every writer has their preferred 'POV' (meaning 'point of view') to write from. Some swear by the first person as it feels more 'in-the-moment', while others prefer third person because it allows them to reveal things to the reader that the character wouldn't necessarily know.

My preferred POV is something called the 'close third person', which works a bit like a crossover between the two. Here's a little rundown of how to use the close third person, and where it can be especially useful...

First person - ‘I’. Usually written entirely through one narrator’s point of view.

Second person - ‘you’. Almost never used in fiction.

Third person - Character names and ‘he / she / they’. Varies a lot in style, from ‘omniscient narrator’ viewing events objectively, to ‘close third person’ which is told closely through the eyes of the character.

Using the Close Third Person effectively

There are many times when it is not appropriate to show what is happening through the character’s eyes. It takes up extra words, and can make the writing tiresome to read as excessive use can turn the narrative into a stream of consciousness.

For example,

“She felt the waves lapping against her feet” - close third person (CTP)

Rather than:

“The waves lapped against her feet”- omniscient narrator (ON)

HOWEVER. There are several instances where is can be extremely useful to use the CTP rather than the ON.

Using the CTP to create characterisation

Imagine that this girl, whoever she is, has just been through something traumatic. Imagine, perhaps, that she’s lost someone she loved, or she’s struggling with her mental health and is trying to gather herself. She might have gone to the water’s edge to take a moment to herself. She might take some deep, steady breaths, concentrating on how it calms her. She might focus on the feeling of the water lapping against her feet, and it might prompt her to remember a happier time. Suddenly, the water lapping against her feet is no longer just a physical observation, it takes on a powerful meaning for her. Now, while using the ON voice above isn’t wrong, it is far more effective to use the CTP because it allows the reader to connect with that character and experience what she is going through.

This is a useful thing to do with all genres of writing, but I particularly like to use it to make characters more three-dimensional, especially villains. Think about Scar from the Lion King. What makes him such a great villain is that he isn’t just pure evil; we see that he has a rejection complex which drives a lot of his motives, and later on in the movie we see that he is frightened and haunted by guilt. It makes him far more interesting than if he had just been pure evil. He is actually based on Claudius from Hamlet, another fantastic villain. Why? Because he’s human- he feels remorse, guilt, fear, jealousy and love as well as being a bad guy. And he’s engaging, because Shakespeare gives us the opportunity to glimpse the story through his eyes and feel what he is going through. I’m not saying that you should write random soliloquies in the middle of your story, but if you happen to be writing from your villain’s POV at any point, giving them a few moments of CTP will allow them to become far more three-dimensional than just telling the reader what they’re doing.

Using the CTP to create emphasis

Let’s use the same girl again. This time, she’s not traumatised- she’s Rapunzel. She’s never been outside her tower, she’s never felt the grass beneath her toes or felt the warmth of a hug. She’s experiencing this world for the very first time, and it’s incredible to her. You could still use the ON here- it’s not wrong- but how much more effective to allow the reader to see this moment through her eyes. Even better, add in some MORE description to highlight just how incredible this moment is for her.

“The waves lapped against her feet” - ON

“She jumped as she felt the waves lapping against her feet, the water refreshingly cool to her aching toes.” (CTP)

See how much more effective that is? Suddenly, the reader becomes aware that something mundane and ordinary to us is almost magical to this girl. We feel her excitement, and we feel closer to her as a result. If you use this sort of voice for everything, it will get tiresome very quickly, but for something amazing or out-of-the-ordinary? It allows the character to share the magic with the reader, which is a wonderful feeling.

This is particularly effective if you are writing from the POV of a child, as they tend to have a certain innocence and naivety of the world which leaves them in awe of things that are fairly ordinary to us as adults. It helps the reader to get into that child’s mindset. It is also extremely useful if you are writing fantasy, as it can help the reader to adapt to the wonders of unfamiliar worlds and experiences as they see it through the eyes of someone else who is experiencing it for the first time, making strange concepts seem far more accessible as well as making the reader feel as though they are on the adventure with the MC rather than just observing it.

Using CTP to portray an unreliable narrator

This one is trickier, because the reader often won’t find out until later that the account they have just read is unreliable.

“His eyes flicked over to her and he smiled warmly.” (ON)

Fine. But what if he didn’t...?

“She noticed his eyes flick over towards her, and he smiled warmly.” (CTP)

Ah. Now it’s from CTP, and we have a margin of error. What if he’s not actually smiling at her at all? What if he’s actually smiling at the person standing behind her, who he’s secretly in love with, and she just thinks he’s smiling at her? The reader probably won’t notice at the time, but when they hit the twist in your tale later on and flick back to this bit, they will realise that they’ve been subtly tricked. And readers LOVE to be tricked.

Sometimes, this is also a useful tactic to use even when the reader knows that the character is barking up the wrong tree. For example, if something happens in the novel but it is witnessed by a child character and they misunderstand what is happening, even if an older reader can decipher between the lines what is actually going on. Think about the novel Atonement, when Bryony witnesses her sister and Robbie having passionate sex in the library. 11-year-old Bryony sees what is happening, and the reader knows exactly what’s going on, but Bryony misunderstands and thinks that Robbie is attacking Cecilia. Without the CTP, it would be very hard for the reader to distinguish what Bryony is seeing (or thinks she’s seeing) from what is actually happening.

Using the CTP to create tension

The CTP can be a very powerful tool for creating tension, especially if you are writing horror, romance, thriller or another category which would involve characters’ hearts pounding. If their pulse is racing, you ideally want your reader’s to be doing the same. How? Through the CTP.

Think about what happens to you when you’re in a tense situation. Let’s not make it too scary or steamy; let’s say a game of hide-and-seek. You’re hiding in a dark cupboard. You know that someone is coming to get you. Your senses will be going into OVERDRIVE. You can’t see, but this will only heighten the senses you can use. Now read this, and see which is more effective:

“She hid in the dark, trying to stay as quiet as possible. He entered the room, and paced the floor near her hiding spot, listening out for any signs of movement. Then, slowly, he walked towards the cupboard where she was concealed, and grabbed the handle.”

That was ON. It was fine, nothing wrong with it, but it didn’t really get your pulse racing. Now try the CTP version…

“She made herself as small as she could, her heart pounding as she tried to control her trembling limbs. It was too dark in the cupboard for her to see, but she held her breath as she heard the ominous squeal of the living room door. He was here.

His slow, thudding footsteps creaked against the floorboards as he entered the room, so heavy that she could almost feel each one trembling through the floor. Then all went silent.

Her heart was beating so hard, she feared that he would be able to hear it even through the heavy oak door. Then, to her horror, the footsteps started up again, this time drawing nearer to her hiding place. Even from this distance, she could smell the musty cologne on his wrist as he reached for the handle, and she forced herself not to scream.”

It takes up more words, but isn’t this SO much more exciting to read? This is one of those occasions where using the ON would actually feel wrong, because it would break the tension. If you want your reader to feel what the character is going through, you need to tell them what is happening through the character’s eyes. In this instance, what the character feels is actually more important than the details of what is happening.

This example could also be useful for the unreliable narrator situation. The ON perspective doesn’t give you any flexibility, but the CTP leaves room for questions as she can’t actually see what’s going on. Perhaps he flings open the door, and she realises that it’s not actually the person she was expecting, but someone completely different. Readers do love to be tricked.

In summary, the CTP can be a very useful tool if it’s used correctly, especially if you want to make your reader engage with a character, create tension or set up a thrilling plot twist that will make your reader both love you and hate you all at once!

Do you have a favourite book written in the close third person? Maybe you use it in your own writing? Tell me about it in the comments below!

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Using Third Person vs First Person Novel Narratives

Les Edgerton

A source of discussion that always comes up at the beginning of my classes is whether the writer should use first- or third-person. The short answer I usually give, is: “Whatever the material calls for.”

Since that doesn’t adequately address the question, I go on to amplify the answer, and that’s what I’ll do here as well.

First, I ask the student who wants to employ first-person why they chose that stance. Almost without exception, they’ll state, “Well, it’s just more intimate. Third person is too formal for the character I want to create for the story.”

That’s when I proceed to knock holes in that theory.

Before I do that, here are a few things I’ve observed. More beginning writers than established writers tend to write in first-person. Far more people who’ve been published are aware that third person is considered the “professional” POV and that first-person is often considered the “amateur” POV.

Now, before everybody starts yelling at me that there are tons of excellent books out there written in first-person, let me assure you I’m well aware of that. If I may, I’d like to refer you back to my short answer: “Whatever the material calls for.” There are often times when the material calls for first person. However… not as often as is sometimes realized.

Let me explain.

The chief reason many agents and editors prefer third person and call it the “professional” POV, is that the overwhelming percentage of successful books and bestsellers are written in third person. This isn’t an accident. There are reasons this is the case.

Actually, the overwhelming majority of manuscripts that arrive in a publisher’s or agent’s office are written in first-person. If that’s so (and it is), then why would more third-person efforts become published? Well, because many more manuscripts are submitted by beginners than by pros. By the time one goes from the beginner’s group to the published group, the numbers in the second group have dramatically diminished. That means the second group is going to be predominantly writing in third person. Fewer people by far in that group, but a much higher percentage of publishable manuscripts. Most in third person…

This simply goes back to my observation above that more beginning writers employ first-person than do seasoned pros. Editors and agents have also noted this fact. Overwhelmingly so do beginners prefer to write in first- rather than third-person.

That means that when a gatekeeper encounters a first-person manuscript, it goes without saying that a little red light goes on (from his/her past experiences) that chances are pretty good this mss came from a… less seasoned writer. And, it’s just a fact of life and the business of writing that the newer the writer, the less likely the mss will be of publishable quality.

Does that mean when your first-person opus lands on an editor’s or agent’s desk it is doomed from the start? Of course not. But, a writer should be aware that there’s a bit of a bias already in place against first-person.

If it’s a book that should have been written in first rather than third, and it’s written well and is of publishable quality, no problem. Any good editor or agent will be able to tell within a couple of pages if it’s written well or not, no matter what POV stance the author has elected.

Why do agents and editors feel this way about first-person?  This gets to the heart of the matter. The reason many hold first-person in a negative light is that anyone who’s read many manuscripts knows that a great many first-person novels are thinly-disguised autobiographies, usually espousing some recently-learned political or social philosophy, or, if not that, their imitation of some current (or just-over) line of bestsellers. At present, this includes vampire or zombie opuses, or invincible characters who look suspiciously like Jack Reacher but have different names.

Another reason many choose a first-person narrator is that it seems easier to newer writers. Many (many!) first novels are written with characters saying and thinking things the writer him- or herself thinks in their own minds. Novels that are fiction in name only; primarily many are just vehicles to assign the writer’s own thoughts to in a loosely-degenerative plot.

Those are all secondary reasons why some writers choose first-person. Overwhelmingly, however, the biggest single reason lots of writers choose first is that they feel it’s a more intimate POV. It seems to make sense. After all, if one is writing “I” from their character’s POV, one can’t get much closer to the character, can they?

You saw this coming, didn’t you!

Of course there’s a way to achieve the same intimacy with third person as there is with first. And, it’s easy.

Simply by employing a close third person, not a formal third. A narrative that uses a close third achieves exactly the same intimacy with the reader as a first person does. The good news is that by using a close third person you get all the positives and none of the negatives of first person.

The bad news is… well, there isn’t any bad news. It’s a win-win situation.

And, how does one achieve this magical close third that feels like first person with none of the baggage of first? 

Again, it’s easy. You simply substitute personal pronouns for the character’s name. That’s it. Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?

Let’s take a look. Examples are the best way to prove a point.

I’ll give you a section of narrative in which a formal third is used. Then, I’ll give the same passage in first person. And, finally, I’ll follow that with the same narrative, only this time with personal pronouns in a close third person. I feel confident that as soon as you read them you’ll see and feel the difference.

From my short story, “My Idea of a Nice Thing” first published in Breeze and included in my short story collection, “Monday’s Meal.” (The two people are at an A.A. meeting and it’s about a third through the story.)

First, the passage in a formal third person:

            “My idea of a nice thing,” he said, “would be a world where you could get drunk and it wouldn’t harm you, physically, anyway.”

            Raye turned and offered her hand. “My name is Raye.”

            “Hi, Raye. Emory. Like the board.”

            Raye didn’t quite get it and first and then she did and smiled.

            “I liked what you said that time, about sorting yourself out.”

            Again, Raye didn’t get it at first, and then she realized he must have been at the meeting she’d first gotten up and spoken at.

            “Well, yeah,” Raye said, “It’s kind of like that, but boy did I get in trouble saying that!”

            “From Jim, right?” ‘You shouldn’t talk about the joys of drink at a meeting or a place where that’s all the people think about?’ That Jim?” He grinned, and Raye saw he had great teeth, even and white, and what was nice was the way he smiled. Like he was unaware of how great his teeth really were, that he was smiling just because he was happy or had thought of something funny. “There’s been talk of replacing ol’ Jim. He gets his meetings mixed up, thinks this is Parents Without Partners.”

            There must have been something in Raye’s face that made him realize he’d said the wrong thing.

            “Look, I’m sorry. Let’s get out of here,” he said. “Go get a drink.”

            They use the same pickup lines here that they do in bars, Raye thought.

            “I don’t mean a drink with liquor in it,” he said. “I mean a Coke or something, but in a bar. This place feels like a hospital. It’s depressing.”

            “This is a hospital… Emory,” Raye added his name haltingly, knowing that once she’d said it she was going to leave with him.

That’s a formal third. Now, read the same passage as first person.

            “Raye,” I said, turning and offering my hand. “My name is Raye.”

            I didn’t quite get it at first and then I did and smiled.

            Again, I didn’t get it at first, and then I realized he must have been at the meeting I’d first gotten up and spoken at.

            “Well, yeah,” I said, “It’s kind of like that, but boy did I get in trouble saying that!”

            “From Jim, right?” ‘You shouldn’t talk about the joys of drink at a meeting or a place where that’s all the people think about?’ That Jim?” He grinned, and I saw he had great teeth, even and white, and what was nice was the way he smiled. Like he was unaware of how great his teeth really were, that he was smiling just because he was happy or had thought of something funny. “There’s been talk of replacing ol’ Jim. He gets his meetings mixed up, thinks this is Parents Without Partners.”

            There must have been something in my face that made him realize he’d said the wrong thing.

            They use the same pickup lines here that they do in bars, I thought.

            “This is a hospital… Emory,” I added his name haltingly, knowing that once I’d said it I was going to leave with him.

And, finally, the same passage as a close third. See if you don’t agree it feels exactly like first person.

            “Raye,” she said, turning and offering her hand. “My name is Raye.”

            She didn’t quite get it and first and then she did and smiled.

            Again, she didn’t get it at first, and then she realized he must have been at the meeting she’d first gotten up and spoken at.

            “Well, yeah,” she said, “It’s kind of like that, but boy did I get in trouble saying that!”

            “From Jim, right?” ‘You shouldn’t talk about the joys of drink at a meeting or a place where that’s all the people think about?’ That Jim?” He grinned, and she saw he had great teeth, even and white, and what was nice was the way he smiled. Like he was unaware of how great his teeth really were, that he was smiling just because he was happy or had thought of something funny. “There’s been talk of replacing ol’ Jim. He gets his meetings mixed up, thinks this is Parents Without Partners.”

            There must have been something in her face that made him realize he’d said the wrong thing.

            They use the same pickup lines here that they do in bars, she thought.

            “This is a hospital… Emory,” she added his name haltingly, knowing that once she’d said it she was going to leave with him.

See how by simply replacing the POV character’s name with personal pronouns instantly transforms it into a read that feels exactly like first person. The same level of intimacy? Kinda neat, isn’t it!

How do you know when the “material calls for first or third person?”

There’s a handy-dandy litmus test. If you can substitute personal pronouns for all the “I’s” in the narrative and it doesn’t affect the story… then it should be in third. If it does affect the story and in a negative way, then it should be in first. Most of the time I think you’ll find that it works better in third person. A close third person.

Personally, I often write in first person. Mostly for short stories. For novels, occasionally I’ll use first person, but mostly I opt for third. A close third.

Try it yourself. Take a passage written in a formal third (where the POV character’s name is used often) and rewrite it, taking out all the instances where the name is used and substitute personal pronouns for the POV character’s name. (This is once the character’s name is on the page and the reader knows who the “he” or “she” is.) Then, recast it in first person and compare the close third version with the first person version and see if you don’t agree they feel pretty much the same.

Or, take a previously-written passage in first person and substitute personal pronouns for the I’s. If you don’t feel any or very much difference, guess what? It might be a better POV to use.

Hope this helps!

Blue skies, Les

*  *  *  *  *  *

Three of his novels have been sold to German publisher, Pulpmaster for the German language rights. His memoir, Adrenaline Junkie is currently being marketed . Work of his has been nominated for or won: the Pushcart Prize, O. Henry Award, Edgar Allan Poe Award (short story category), Derringer Award, PEN/Faulkner Award, Jesse Jones Book Award, Spinetingler Magazine Award for Best Novel (Legends category), and the Violet Crown Book Award, among others.

Les holds a B.A. from I.U. and the MFA in Writing from Vermont College. He was the writer-in-residence for three years at the University of Toledo, for one year at Trine University, and taught writing classes for UCLA, St. Francis University, Phoenix College, Writer’s Digest,  Vermont College, the New York Writer’s Workshop and other places. He currently teaches a private novel-writing class online.

He can be found at www.lesedgertononwriting.blogspot.com/ .

34 comments on “Using Third Person vs First Person Novel Narratives”

Love close (I call it deep) pov. I did have one character who demanded first, but otherwise, I'm Deep 3rd all the way. Doesn't mean you can't have more than one POV character in the book, but I prefer reading 3rd. (And don't get me started on present tense... ugh.)

I prefer reading third person all the way. It's got to be a super-likeable funny main character to keep me engaged in first person. And I find present tense so distracting. I have a really hard time reading it, although I have seen it used well in some short stories.

Thank you for this clear, well thought out defense of third person, Les. Had a hard time getting past the 'less than' of 1st, but I get what you're saying.

One more reason to use third (deep third) - I'm writing a 3 book series. The voice that came to me in the first story was first person, so I wrote it that way. The second story should be third - but my editor told me I'd have to stick with 1st the whole 3 books.

Or, I could rewrite the first in third.

Um, no thanks.

I read your article with great interest. You are very good at what you do! I am writing a novel in omniscient 3rd POV. Is that the same as close third person?

Mary, don't make it more complicated than it is. A close third person is simply one that uses personal pronouns instead of the character's name. It simply closes the psychic distance and gives it the same feel as first person without the negative baggage. There's a red flag for me in your comment--the "omniscient" third person. An omniscient pov--the "god" pov--has been verboten for about fifty years. As a society, we no longer believe in the omniscient god and therefore literature doesn't believe in it. It's virtually unpublishable. It's why we no longer see references to diety capitalized. I'd urge you to read Janet Burroway's craft book On Writing for an excellent explanation of this. In my opinion, this is the best book on writing ever published. But, I'd really avoid omniscient povs!

I have until tomorrow to submit 50 pages for a workshop in April and I've been writing in third person for the first time (my debut novel is in 1st- yup, just like you said above-first time author and all that). Readers have been saying the new story seems too distant. Went through and changed those "names" to the personal pronouns and voila! all the difference. Thanks, Les. Couldn't have come at a better time. I know there's a bit more to it (like observations that this character would make in a particular scene that only she would be attuned to to make it seem more "close") but your quick fix gets me most of the way there,

Happy you saw the differerence, Maggie. Actually, there's no more to it than that. You simply report from the same limited stance either a first-person or third-person character would make. No more, no less.

Though I have to consider myself a beginner, third person is my preference – partly because most of what I personally read is in third, but mostly because I like stories with multiple plot threads. Sharing other character's POVs to advance their threads. I'm sure you'll receive much push-back on first person being a tendency for beginners. Also, I'm not so sure the third-person bias you mention is still so true, given the explosion of first person series we are witnessing. Publishers, I'm sure, are still looking for what is popular.

Hi Jerry--I don't think there's been much change in beginners using first-person--pretty sure it's the same as it's always been. What you may be seeing is the product of lesser publishing as more indies get into the mix. But, quality publishing remains pretty much the same, I believe.

I sincerely wish I could edit my posts here to clean up errors. Oh well.

I use third person where I need multiple POV characters. First person if I only need one POV character

Hi Les! (I just started reading HOOKED--you can't ignore that many recommendations, but first time I've seen you blog). THANKS for addressing the subject. First as a reader I'm feeling vindicated because I really can't stand READING books in the first-person. Never quite sure why. Maybe 'cause the MC can't say anything positive about herself without being stuck up, or point out her own flaws without sounding falsely self-deprecatory--heck, the minute they start to talk about themselves at all, it's ruined for me.

So. I think I write a close 3rd in the heart of scenes--with dialogues, interactions. But surely there's more to it than replacing pronouns? I pick a POV and mostly stick with it for the scene, using italics for their thoughts if needed. I spend a little more time getting in their heads. I'm not Hemingway.

Having said that, Mary had a good question. My "narrator" is at other times more of an omniscient one; I have a definite voice (I'm told, hoping that's a good thing). If I juxtapose two seemingly unrelated sentences for effect, giving the reader a potential "ah-ha" moment, isn't that the work of an omnisicent narrator? Or dropping bits of back-story, world-building--there isn't always a character to attribute those thoughts to.

I really don't know if I'm conflating omniscient and close 3rds in a way that could be disastrous. It feels natural but the POV-police could give me a ticket if they caught me.

Hi Gabriella, I have to confess I cringe every time I read the words "omniscient pov." I'd really urge you to forget about omniscient povs. They're truly considered archaic and have been for many ages.Nobody's interested in a character that sees everything, knows everything, is everywhere and all-knowing. We have the Bible for that and don't really need another such narrator... one's enough... 🙂

Very interesting. I hadn't know there was a bias against first person. As it is, I write almost always in deep 3rd. Where I struggle with using only pronouns for the pov character is when there are conversations between two males or two females. Sometimes I find I have to use the POV character's name instead of the pronoun for clarity. In your example, if Raye had been male, how would you have handled it? Would you simply have used Emory's name instead of he in every instance, and said "the man" for the first "he' when Ray doesn't know his name? It sounds a bit stilted that way, especially in the long paragraph.

Hi Deborah, There has been a bias against first person for many decades among gatekeepers. It;s not as well-known today as there are far fewer people who've paid their dues by learning the history of publishing and how it works. There are people today who don't realize that self-publishing is just another word for vanity publishing. But, the first--person bias exists. It isn't the kiss of death, but it is a potential bump in the road to publication; As to your question, the sex of the character doesn't matter in the least--it's still written the same way. Why would the sex of the character make any difference?

very interesting article. thanks so much for the info Les. shame you have the same typo repeated three times in the examples 🙂

Sorry I can't reply right now but came down with a severe case of the flu two days ago--as soon as I'm up to it I'll address the issues--thanks for your patience! Blue skies, Les

This flu is so dreadful! I'm sorry you have it, Les. I had it and it kept me down for five days solid, even with Tamiflu. Feel better soon!!!

No flu for me, Butch. Sorry you got it. Of course, I rarely leave the house. I'm intrigued with writing in present tense. In fact, I rewrote a piece that was past tense. What do you think about that? At first I thought the change would be difficult, but after a short time, I fell right into it.

Cheers! And Happy B-Day, again! Jim in Mt

Hi Jim, About present tense--in general, I abhor it. It always draws attention to itself and largely seems to appear in new writers who are trying to look "original" and different. Mostly, they look like new writers trying to look original. The only more egregious things i see are attempts at second person--ugh! The "past tense" of stories has been used so many millenia, it's actually the "present" tense of fiction. Present tense is simply trying to be too cute by half. It's like thinking first person is more intimate when third person can be just as intimate. When a writer starts trying to be different, usually he/she comes across as mostly due to a bit of an inferiority complex. Just tell a story--that's all that's important. The bells and whistles can only distract. There are only two rules to a good story--be interesting and be clear.

I'd never heard this explained in quite this way before. Thanks!

When I use deep POV I can get more emotion into my writing because I'm in my character's head. For me, it's much more than just a change of pronouns; it's sharing the inner thoughts and fears of the character with my readers. Although none of my five books are written in first person, young adult books are generally written (and bought by editors) in first person.

Fae, the term "deep pov" is relatively new to me. If it's the same as a close third, it's been around for several decades and I've been urging and promoting it forever. Funny, I had a new student in our last online class session who kept saying she was focusing on achieving a "deep pov" and I had no idea she was talking about what we've always termed a close third. She seemed to view it as something new but it's been around forever and has made the difference between publication and not getting published often. She was also trying to make it more complicated than it was, I think. I know I learned about it in high school and I'm 75, so it's nothing new. Just maybe not taught that much...

Thanks for having me on, Jenny. Sorry it took awhile to respond but I was actually near death. Didn't think I was going to make it there for awhile. In closing, let me recommend again the best book on writing ever published---Janet Burroway's Writing Fiction. It's the most intelligent, most comprehensive book on quality writing ever written.

Oh no!!! The flu is just vicious this year. I'm so sorry you had a bad case! I was lucky to get Tamiflu early so I was only down a week and my fever didn't top 105. I know many, many people who weren't as lucky.

liked the way you explained it..it made a lot of sense

Is there a general rule for work that is intentionally autobiographical?

Hi Quine, Yeah, there's a rule--autobiography, by definition is exactly like memoir. It's always cast in first person. It has to be--it it isn't, it isn't autobiography. Not sure what "intentionally" autobiographical means... Is there such a thing as "unintentional autobiography?"

[…] Every story has large, overarching elements writers have to deal with. Daeus Lamb gives us theme made easy, and Les Edgerton unpacks using 3rd person vs. 1st person novel narratives. […]

My debut novel is making the rounds of agents. A comedy/romance told in first person. I knew I was facing steep odds the moment I wrote it. I also knew it had to be in the voice of the protagonist. A writer should trust their gut. The idea is the tell the best story they can and if they are good enough the book will find success.

Good stuff. Thanks!!!!

[…] Link to the rest at Writers in the Storm […]

My mind is distracted today, so I'll have to read the comparison on a day when I can see the difference - I found it difficult at best. But, I will say my Middle-Grade is about a kid who's suffering and it's hard to write anything other than first-person. And, young readers prefer first, and find third person uninteresting (tweens hardly care whether a person turns on their heel, or the armrest of a couch is torn). Still, I do try (perhaps unintentionally) to include deep third POV within the text.

I think what also bothers me is the issue of publishers preferring third, because it increases the chance of a best-seller. Always the money issue (perhaps they didn't read A Walk to Remember, and many other best-sellers in first person - perhaps they need to put greed aside for a change (no pun intended)).

[…] Using Third Person vs First Person Novel Narratives […]

[…] you write in third person or first person? Why? Writers in the Storm has an excellent article on third person vs. first person writing and the considerations that should apply to an author’s choice in the […]

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Are There Any Books That Blend First-Person Narration with Third-Person?

I was wondering if there are any books that blend first-person narration with third-person. What I mean by this is that the story is simply narrated by one character in first-person, and that character serves as a third-person narrator. Is this considered experimental in fiction or common?

Clarification: I have a YA Fantasy novel that is primarily told with one character narrating. However, when this character is not in the scene, or chapters, the book reads like it's written in third-person. And when that character is in the scene, it switches back to first-person with the mention of I, signalling that this character is back in the scene.

• perspective

Presumably you're suggesting that the character act as a third-person limited narrator for sections and the rest is in first person of the same character?

It's unusual, but not unheard of - and typically there's a clear narrative delineation between the sections. The Lovely Bones for example switches from third to first person upon a character's death (and the first person narration is from the deceased's POV) and it can be useful as a way of clearly showing separation of the "main" narrative from a framing device and can potentially even be required in order to make such a frame work (such as journal entries and so forth, a character writing about themselves in the third person in their journal is going to get very weird, very quick!).

As a guideline you'll want to make sure the shifts between the two are obvious and intuitively followed, especially if you plan on switching back and forth, but there are no rules about doing this or not doing it, as ever the driving force must be;

What does it bring to the story?

If it makes the story better then all well and good - since it's unusual enough to be potentially considered a gimmick I'd want to be darn sure I was doing to genuinely make the story better, to achieve something that wouldn't work as well as just picking one or the other. If you ever find yourself tempted to do it simply because you find it easier to write a given section of the book in a particular POV then nine times out of ten you're going to be better off fixing the underlying problems rather than duct-taping a bit on in a different POV.

Update - The OP has clarified the situation somewhat in a comment:

Okay, I have a YA Fantasy novel that is primarily told with one character narrating. However, when this character is not in the scene, or chapters, the book reads like it's written in third-person. And when that character is in the scene, it switches back to first-person with the mention of I, signalling that this character is back in the scene. Is that okay

There's nothing wrong with doing that particularly - and that's actually somewhat more common since you aren't using the same character from the first person as the third person narrator. Using the "I" as a switch indicator is reasonable, You mention switching on a scene - you may be best off keeping the switch to a hard boundary such as a chapter. This will keep it easy to follow, if you were swapping back and forth mid chapter it's highly risking coming off sloppy.

• Okay, I have a YA Fantasy novel that is primarily told with one character narrating. However, when this character is not in the scene, or chapters, the book reads like it's written in third-person. And when that character is in the scene, it switches back to first-person with the mention of I, signalling that this character is back in the scene. Is that okay? –  user42900 Commented Apr 27, 2020 at 16:58
• 1 @JRosebrookMaye As this is a slightly different scenario from what you discussed in the OP I've edited a response to this in to the answer. –  motosubatsu Commented Apr 27, 2020 at 17:05

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