Cenonn's How to Holofic and Writing in General

Cenonn is teaching the reader how to 3rd person

First person and second person narrators give a feeling of closeness. That's how they work. But what if you want a different narrator? What if your Holofic can't be told in the eyes of just one character? The solution to those problems is to have a third person narrator.

What's a third person narrator? It is the type of narrator who tells the story by referring to the characters by name and using pronouns like "he", "she", and "they." Third person is a narrator who is detached from the story and is not part of the cast of characters involved in the events.

Like first person, third person narrators are very common when trying to tell a story. We have -Rin_-'s Learning Together, Elias_Pedro's AlterMyth - A Hololive Fanfiction, and sayukaga_ming's HoloEN x Suzuhara Lulu: An Eldritch Incident. There are many other Holofics in third person but this is a guide on how to write them and not a list.

There are three types of third person narrators. I'll go over them in a jiffy.

There's the third person omniscient narrator. The omniscient narrator knows everything and anything about the story and the characters. This narrator can enter any character's mind, move freely through time, and give their own observations.

Next is the third person limited narrator. This kind of narrator sticks closely to a single character. It's like a first person narrator but they just use third person pronouns. The limited narrator can stick with one character for the entire story or switch between characters for different chapters or scenes. With the limited information, it would give much suspense and build interest.

Last is the third person objective narrator. This is a neutral narrator who doesn't show any character's feelings and opinions. The narrator will present the story with an observational tone. Kind of like making the reader feel like a voyeur by making them eavesdrop on the story without knowing the full context.

Now then... Let's talk about the advantages of a third person narrator. Take note of them whenever you're deciding if you'll write with that kind of narrator or not.

A third person narrator is more objective than a first person. I've said before that first person narrators are subjective, right? Whatever information a first person narrator would say, there will always be bias and stuff. Third person is pretty objective.

Why is it objective? Because the narrator and the viewpoint character are separate. A narrator may admit something that the viewpoint character doesn't agree with. It paints a pretty neutral view of things that a first person narrator can't do.

The next advantage is that a third person narrator is less suffocating. Being stuck with one perspective of a character can be pretty iffy especially if they are unlikeable characters.

I mean... Let's imagine that a narrator is someone you are stuck with while waiting for something. If the narrator is a funny and interesting guy, you'll gladly spend time with them. But if they are downright annoying, every second feels like an hour.

Creating interesting characters in general is hard so you might want to stick with a third person narrator. After all, in a third person narrator, you can jump around from one viewpoint to another. In case you are just sticking to one character, you can view them externally.

Another advantage is that a third person would give a sense of immediacy. In first person stories, the narrator is telling a story that already happened. Kind of how your friend would tell an event that happened to them in the past. See? It feels like there is no tension because you know they lived to tell the tale.

A third person narrator can talk as if the event is currently happening. After all, they aren't like the future character recounting their tales. They are like godlike viewers of the story or a camera recording the events. It feels like the story is currently happening as the narrator is telling us the story.

The last advantage a third person narrator can have is that the author has more freedom. I talked about how dangerous it is to switch narrators in the previous chapters. Third person, most of the time, wouldn't need you to switch at all.

You talked about how your story can't be told in just one POV, right? A third person can solve that. Since in third person, there wouldn't be much problems hopping from one character's viewpoint to another.

I just told you all about the advantages of writing in third person. In case you decided to write that type of narrator, I have a few advice for ya.

First and foremost, decide what kind of third person narrator it is. After all, each has its own advantages. Do you want to give thrill and suspense to your readers? Choose a limited third person narrator. Is your Holofic an epic saga that has a lot of important characters? Use an omniscient one.

Next... Always use third person pronouns. Make sure that you use "he", "she", and "they" when referring to the characters without using their names.

After that, you should switch the viewpoint characters strategically. Like I said, third person lets you switch POVs from one character to another without disorienting your readers too much. However, be very reasonable when you switch viewpoints. I said you shouldn't switch in the middle of a scene, right? The same is true here. You should switch after scene breaks or chapters. Got it?

And when you do switch, choose your viewpoint character carefully. If you will make a character to be the viewpoint, make sure that they are the ones who have the most to lose or learn. Which character has the highest stakes? Who has the most to lose in that scene? The character who is the answer to both questions should be the viewpoint character because their thoughts and reactions will give the most tension.

Another tip is that you should avoid making the narrator use first person pronouns. You might confuse yourself as the narrator and start talking into your own perspective. That's a no-no. Avoid it like the plague. Don't let your narrator say "I", "me", "my", "mine", "myself", "us", "our", "ours", and etc. Every time you finish a chapter, make sure to check for consistency in your POV.

When writing a limited third person narrator, the narrator should only know what the viewpoint character knows. Make sure to take note of your viewpoint character's limitations. Your narrator shouldn't talk about a detail that your viewpoint character doesn't know.

If you're writing an objective third person narrator, you should never go inside your characters' heads. An objective third person narrator doesn't know what your characters are thinking. The narrator is an outside observer and can only relay what they can see. If you want to show how a character feels, describe the physical details like eye moment, expression, and body language.

The last tip is that you should write with authority. Your third person narrator should be a trustworthy narrator with authority. The narrator is above the action and has a bird's eye view of the story. Along with the ability to know at least one character's thoughts, your narrator will be a reliable one.

Now then... You got those out of the way. You know your way around first, second, and third person narrators. We are done planning our Holofic!! I'll talk about one important thing you should keep watch of. It's the greatest challenge: grammar.