What point of view do writers use to narrate their stories? Some writers choose the First Person Point of View because they feel free to express the thoughts of the main character by injecting the voice of the character. It’s the most comfortable to write because it’s the most intimate point of view of all. But among newbie writers, the Third Person Point of View is exceedingly common. Why? Because it gives writers the freedom to go beyond what the MC can see from every angle. They think they’re playing it safe, but in actuality, they’re playing with fire.
First of all, they have to know that there are 3 types of Third Person Point of Views: 3rd Subjective (limited), 3rd Objective, and 3rd Omniscient. Beginners fail to distinguish between them and end up doing what’s known as “head-hopping.” The head-hopping occurs when a writer jumps into each character as if in 1st POV but while using “he” or “she.” So this is why I’ve decided to do a post on the different types of 3rd POV.
3rd Subjective (limited) POV is where the narrator can tell the entire story but by revealing the inner thoughts and feelings of one (main) character. The rest of the characters is shown only by their actions and dialogue. This is where the head-hopping can be prevalent. The writer must not go into the heads of the supportive characters.
3rd Objective POV is where the narrator doesn’t reveal the inner thoughts and feelings of any particular character. The readers are left to view the actions and dialogue of all characters. It’s almost like watching a movie. You know there is a main player, but the scene is from a distance and you’re not told of what’s in his head.
3rd Omniscient POV is where the narrator becomes the god-like or the know-all story teller. Readers are privy to each and every character’s inner thoughts and feelings. The narrator can go inside of one character to another throughout the story. The downside of this is that the readers might feel too distant because there is no one character they can define themselves with.
So there it is. The answer you’ve been bugging me for. I could go into details by showing you examples, but that’s not for free. I’m a paid editor somewhere...like here. Thanks for the visit, and happy writing~
