Third-Person Writing in Five Tips

Virginia Van de Wall reports:

"Decide between omniscient or limited. Determining which third-person POV you’re going to write from is crucial. With omniscient third-person, you, as the narrator, are all[-]knowing and can write from multiple characters’ POVs. With limited third-person, you, as the narrator, can only see into the mind of one character. Limited-third person is definitely the more popular choice, as omniscient can be hard to perfect. Are you writing in the past or present? It’s very easy for writers to switch back and forth between past and present without even realizing it, resulting in seemingly sloppy work. The trick is to be conscious of your tense as you write...Have a defined voice. Make sure you have thought about your characters’ personalities before you begin writing...Once you have determined this, make sure to really make their personalities and voices clear when you write. As the narrator, your scenic descriptions and explanations should be neutral, but the minute you enter your character’s mind your words should be bursting with personality...Don’t get choppy. When writing in the third person, it’s easy to fall victim of the ‘he said, she said’ narrative. Instead of describing your scene in the ‘She did this. She did that. She thought this.’ fashion, make sure to spice it up and add colorful language. Is there another way you could describe your MC? Could you combine a few sentences to make a more coherent thought?...Stick to your POV. After you have started writing, make sure to stay consistent. You don’t want to switch between the first[-]person and third[-]person perspective and confuse your readers!"