Contemporary fiction skills: 4 tips for writing in third-person POV

Third-person point of view (POV) is the most popular narrative mode among writers. Why? Because it allows an omniscient narrator to tell the story, detailing the important story details with an overarching view of everything that is occurring.

This can be done in three different methods, all of which are effective for contemporary fiction novels:

1. Third-person omniscient POV: This is where the narrator knows everything there is to know about the story and characters involved. They can tell the whole story, everything the characters do and feel, as well as be an intrinsic part of the story themselves.

2. Third-person limited POV: This is where there is a narrator or multiple narrators who have limited information. They can offer what they know about the story and other characters but the suspense will build based around their not knowing everything.

3. Third-person objective POV: When the narrator is something like an eavesdropper, a voyeur who can hear the characters and tell the story but cannot tell you what those characters are feeling. This leaves the reader open to interpretation about their feelings and motivations, making it an effective literary device for building intrigue.

Now, the top four tips for writing in third-person POV

1. Choose your method

The first thing you have to decide is which of the above methods you are going to use for your story. Will you go with the most common, being the third-person omniscient POV? This may be good for first-time writers who want to be able to explore a whole situation without the limited and objective-styles’ inhibitors.

2. Switch viewpoints with style

Nothing creates a bold and robust narrative like switching narrator viewpoints. Conversely, however, nothing creates a missed opportunity like switching narrator viewpoints without any thought or strategy.

Why? Because switching viewpoints should be beneficial to the overall plot. You have to ask yourself “why is this character entering with their POV right now? Will it propel the plot or am I just bringing them in to remind the reader they exist?”

A character’s viewpoint should always further propel the narrative, enriching it and making it more suspenseful. This can be done through their actions, motivations behind those actions, thoughts and feelings about other characters etc.

3. Remember the right pronouns

This is a no-brainer, but when writing in third-person POV you have to use the right pronouns. This includes “he”, “she”, “they”, “them”, “it” and whatever other pronouns you choose to use for your story.

If you were to use pronouns like “I”, “my”, “me”, you would be writing in first-person POV (used in such novels like American Psycho and The Catcher in the Rye), and if you were to use pronouns like “you” and “yours” you would be writing in second-person POV (a rare literary style famous in novels like Bright lights, Big City and If on a winter’s night a traveler).

4. Choose your hero wisely

In the omniscient style, when choosing your novel narrator (who will likely serve as your main character), ensure that they will have a large stake in the story itself. Your narrator, whether a hero, antihero or even a villain, should have a lot riding on the story with a lot to win and a lot to lose.

This way, you are able to convey their thoughts, feelings and fears regarding the overall narrative which, in turn, will resonate with the reader. This is a piece of the puzzle that is making your main character/narrator more likeable or pleasurably unlikeable to readers.

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