Pointers for Story Lines

3rd person Pov

Pov means point of view. A specified or stated manner of consideration or appraisal; Standpoint.

An opinion, attitude, or judgment.

The third person point of view is a form of storytelling in which a narrator relates all action in third person.

Example:

Paradise was a female gently raised in the proper traditions of the aristocracy. She'd been working on her physical conditioning for the last two months—quite diligently, actually—and he could feel the excitement rolling off of her as she wound up her duties here and prepared to exit her position. There was, however, a very good chance that after the orientation tomorrow evening, when the real work started, she would find herself either bowing out ... or being asked to leave.

It was going to kill him to see her fail.

But better that than her dying out in the field just to prove the point that she was so much more than what her aristocratic station dictated.

Blood Kiss (Black Dagger Legacy #1) / Author: J.R. Ward

We are given the opportunity to see one character's innermost thoughts and feelings. In other words, the narrator's ability to tell us about thoughts and feelings is limited to one character. This example is third-person limited.

Another common form of third-person is third-person omniscient, in which the narrator is able to tell us the thoughts and feelings of every character that appears. This author does that with her books.

Another example:

"He is just what a young man ought to be," said she, "sensible, good humoured, lively; and I never saw such happy manners! -- so much ease, with such perfect good breeding!" Jane Austen in Pride and Prejudice

With third person point of view, the options are endless as you choose your viewpoint character(s).

This is the most commonly accepted viewpoint in literature and it makes it a bit easier when it comes time to sell your writing.

Third person personal pronouns include he, she, it, they, him, her, them, his, her, hers, its, their, and theirs.

Third Person Personal Pronouns:

Subjective: he, she, it, they

Objective: him, her, it, them

Possessive: his, her, hers, its, their, theirs

Understand when the first person is preferable to second or third person.

I (Ana) write in first person, but Debbie prefers 3rd person, so you have to choose what's best yourself.

You must determine which point of view you want to use.  

"Do not use the first person" is perhaps the most unfortunate writing myth that handicaps inexperienced writers.

Back to 3rd person point of view now.

The question is, which is best: third person objectivity or first person subjectivity?

And the answer, as ever in novel writing, is that it depends on the story you want to tell and the effect you want to create.

Third person point of view is more objective than first person; it's less claustrophobic and more immediate.

When you've got an idea for a story, a few characters, an idea of the plot, you have to figure out who is going to tell it.

The point of view in fiction determines whose eyes the reader experiences the story through.

Choose wisely.

~Ana & Deb