Using The Third Person Viewpoint When Writing Your Novel
The most commonly used viewpoint when writing fiction is the third person viewpoint.
This method uses pronouns such as "he" and "she".
When using a third person viewpoint, you will have a couple of choices.
You can tell the story from the view of a single person, or you can choose to tell the story from the views of several people.
Using a single viewpoint in the third person has basically the same advantages and disadvantages as the first-person viewpoint.
The primary difference is that the third person approach is less intimate.
This is especially useful if you are trying to avoid excessive self-pity or self-indulgence in the main character.
For example if you are trying to tell a sad story through the eyes of the victim, then it is very easy to come across as whining to an unsympathetic reader.
However, if you tell the same story in the third person, then you will soften the effect and will be more likely to win the reader's sympathy.
Using a multiple viewpoint in the third person can be a huge challenge.
For one thing, it is very easy to disorient the reader.
If you jump back and forth between two or more characters constantly, then the reader will get dizzy.
Most of us would rather live in one head at the time and try to guess what the other person is thinking.
It is a good practice to try to stay in one character's head for a given scene.
You will have to decide which character's feelings are the most important to convey in that particular setting.
If the scene is particularly long, then you may get away with swapping your point of view once, but in most cases you should stay with one viewpoint per scene.
One more thing to keep in mind is that you must manage your pronouns when using multiple viewpoints.
You certainly do not want the reader to be confused about who "you" is in a given scene.
This method uses pronouns such as "he" and "she".
When using a third person viewpoint, you will have a couple of choices.
You can tell the story from the view of a single person, or you can choose to tell the story from the views of several people.
Using a single viewpoint in the third person has basically the same advantages and disadvantages as the first-person viewpoint.
The primary difference is that the third person approach is less intimate.
This is especially useful if you are trying to avoid excessive self-pity or self-indulgence in the main character.
For example if you are trying to tell a sad story through the eyes of the victim, then it is very easy to come across as whining to an unsympathetic reader.
However, if you tell the same story in the third person, then you will soften the effect and will be more likely to win the reader's sympathy.
Using a multiple viewpoint in the third person can be a huge challenge.
For one thing, it is very easy to disorient the reader.
If you jump back and forth between two or more characters constantly, then the reader will get dizzy.
Most of us would rather live in one head at the time and try to guess what the other person is thinking.
It is a good practice to try to stay in one character's head for a given scene.
You will have to decide which character's feelings are the most important to convey in that particular setting.
If the scene is particularly long, then you may get away with swapping your point of view once, but in most cases you should stay with one viewpoint per scene.
One more thing to keep in mind is that you must manage your pronouns when using multiple viewpoints.
You certainly do not want the reader to be confused about who "you" is in a given scene.
