How to Write Third Person

Using the third-person perspective gives an author of fiction more freedom.

Third person is a point of view used in fiction writing. In a third-person narrative, the story is told using third-person pronouns such as "he" and "she." Third-person narratives offer the most freedom for the writer because she can describe any scene and any character interaction without being limited to a single character's viewpoint.

Instructions

1. Choose a scope for your third-person narrative. One common form is the omniscient third-person narrative. This is sometimes called a "God's-eye view" because nothing is off limits. Your narrative voice can see anything and everything going on in the story, and relay that information to readers.

2. Consider a limited third-person narrative if you don't want to use the omniscient. In limited third-person, the narrative sticks closely to one character or a few characters. The reader only sees what they see, and can't see anyone else's inner thoughts and feelings.

3. Use third person to its full potential. In omniscient third person, you can point things out to the reader that your main character or protagonist doesn't know. This is one advantage over first person, which uses the pronoun "I." For example, in a mystery story, the reader can know that the villain intends to kill the hero before the hero knows that he is in danger. This can be used to build suspense and reader engagement.

References

• Creative Writing Now: How to Write Short Stories from Inside Your Character's Head