The Complete Guide to Writing Fiction in Third Person

Third-person point of view feels like the default in the literary world. Many novels refer to main characters using the pronouns “he,” “she,” or “they,” rather than the “I/me/my” of first-person narration.

Let’s explore the advantages and disadvantages of this perspective, along with some other concerns unique to this point of view (POV), including:

• Narrative Distance (Limited vs. Omniscient)
• Multiple perspectives
• Head-hopping
• Third-person present tense

How Close Should You Get?

Whereas first person involves immersing yourself in one individual voice, third person allows for varying degrees of “narrative distance,” also known as “psychic distance” — that is, how close the reader is to the characters’ thoughts.

These levels of narrative distance give rise to different classifications of third person, namely limited and omniscient.

Imagine how different the Harry Potter series would feel if it had been written in first-person instead of third-person POV. Here’s my rewritten excerpt from The Chamber of Secrets:

“Fascinated, I thumbed through the rest of the envelope’s contents. Why on earth did Filch want a Kwikspell course? Did this mean he wasn’t a proper wizard? I was just reading ‘Lesson One: Holding Your Wand (Some Useful Tips)’ when shuffling footsteps outside told me Filch was coming back. Stuffing the parchment back into the envelope, I threw it back onto the desk just as the door opened.”

And here’s the original version for comparison:

“Fascinated, Harry thumbed through the rest of the envelope’s contents. Why on earth did Filch want a Kwikspell course? Did this mean he wasn’t a proper wizard? Harry was just reading ‘Lesson One: Holding Your Wand (Some Useful Tips)’ when shuffling footsteps outside told him Filch was coming back. Stuffing the parchment back into the envelope, Harry threw it back onto the desk just as the door opened.”