Writing in third-person intimate point of view (POV) allows the author to write deeply from a character’s perspective as in first-person POV, but it also allows the story to be told from several points of view—the changes just have to be carefully done to avoid head hopping. The reason to choose third-person intimate over omniscient POV is that the reader gets right into the mind of the character and so gets to know the characters more deeply than they would with omniscient POV. Because the story is told in the character’s voice, it’s more interesting and engaging than omniscient, which is a very remote way of telling a story. See my last post for an explanation of the difference between the two points of view. Beginner’s faults Unless they’ve done a lot of previous study of the writing craft, beginning authors who use third-person POV often think they’re writing in omniscient even if they’re not, and they usually start by writing in expositional rather than descriptive prose … [Read more...]
The Difference between Third Person Intimate and Omniscient Point of View
Do you wonder about the difference between third person intimate and omniscient point of view? Have you ever considered using an intimate point of view but aren’t sure what that means? If so, read on. Writing a novel? Feeling overwhelmed? Get new insight and inspiration with my FREE Novel Revision Checklist. DOWNLOAD IT NOW. You'll also get fortnightly articles on writing sent to your inbox. Why point of view confusion is common If you find the differences in third person point of view confusing, you’re not the only one. It was one of the aspects of writing craft that took me a very long time to get my head around. The problem is that the differences can be subtle, and though third person intimate writing can—and often does—go in and out of an omniscient point of view, a book written in omniscient point of view should never stray into an intimate point of view. What’s wrong with not being clear on the difference? When an author isn’t clear about which point of … [Read more...]
