Defining Point of View: Part 3 - Third Person Point of View

Welcome to the last post in the Defining Point of View series. We will be discussing third person point of view and its different variations. Get comfortable. This isn’t a super long post, but it will take you a few minutes to read.

If you haven’t read the previous posts, you can do so by following the links below:

Defining Point of View - Introduction
Part 1 - First Person Point of View
Part 2 - Second Person Point of View

Also, some of the research for this post was accomplished at the following sites:

The Writing Gym and The Blue Quill

Third Person Point of View

In third person point of view, the narrator isn’t important, or even known for that matter. Unlike in the first person point of view, where first person pronouns are used, the words “he” and “she” are used to reference a character in third person point of view. Make sense so far? Good, because that is the gist of using the third person point of view. The hard part is implementing it correctly!

Of the variations listed below, third person omniscient is my favorite. It just seems to allow for so much more freedom when I write. How, you ask? I can show the reader what I intend to show them, not only by actions of the characters, but by what they are feeling and thinking. To me, it’s about using the full arsenal of weapons when it comes to writing. However, I’m sure some people find the others to their advantage.

Here are some popular variations of third person point of view:

Third Person Omniscient – This variation, as mentioned earlier, allows you to tell the reader exactly what is going on inside various characters’ heads in regards to their thoughts and feelings, while also showing their actions. Here’s one of my examples:

John couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He thought the flash of bright, red light that streaked across the sky might’ve been lightning. Rubbing his eyes, he looked a second time and realized, as it flashed in the same place again, that it wasn’t, nor was it a figment of his imagination.

Notice some of the key words used in this example, particularly the phrase: “he thought”.  Using this phrase would indicate to the reader, maybe on a subconscious level, that what he or she is reading is currently going on inside the character’s head. You wouldn’t be able to do this, at least not to my knowledge, with the following variation.

Third Person Objective – The author can only tell, or show, the reader what is happening with a character, but is not allowed to go inside their head to figure out what they are thinking or feeling. This requires a bit more talent as you’ll have to convey everything to the reader through the characters’ actions alone. As an example of this:

Jennifer stirred in bed. The thin white cotton sheet clung intimately to her body as she rolled to face the nightstand. With eyes half open, she reached over to switch the alarm clock off when the man in the shadows reached out and grabbed her arm. Her scream pierced the quiet night and died abruptly as she was forced violently back into the dark oblivion.

Notice that there aren’t any references to “she thought” or “she was thinking”. When the man grabbed her arm, we couldn’t know what types of horrible thoughts going through her head (although we had a sense of what they might be by her scream.) The character’s mind is a “no trespass” zone for the author in this style.

Third Person Limited Objective or Limited Omniscient – Notice that I included two under this heading. This is because the “limited” variation indicates a concentration on one single character throughout the story. So, for third person limited omniscience, you’re allowed to go through every single thought, feeling, and action, but with only one character. Likewise, in third person limited objective, you’re allowed to view all of the action, but only with one character. Catch my point?

If anything, just remember that, in the third person point of view, the narrator (who is usually inconsequential) is the third party in the story. He is the one telling the reader what is happening, what is going on inside a character’s head, what actions they are taking, and so forth.

That’s it! That’s the extent of what I wanted to share with you in regards to third person point of view. There are some other minor variations to this point of view, but I found that the ones I listed were probably the most important to learn. If you weren’t aware of some of this information earlier, do you now find you have a better grasp of the subject?

Some Final Words

I hope this series accomplished what I intended; to better equip you and me with the knowledge that we, as writers, need. Without the knowledge, we are like carpenters without tools, not very useful or competent. I learned a good bit by writing this series as well as by doing some research in regards to it. I hope you did too!

Feel free to share what you felt with the rest of us regarding this series. I’m not perfect, and I suspect that I may have missed a point or three along the way.