All About Writing in Third Person

Third person (he, she, they) is one of the standard points of view for writing fiction. In this video, I’ll explore the advantages and disadvantages of this perspective, along with some other concerns unique to this POV, including:

+ Limited vs. Omniscient
+ Narrative distance and tone
+ Multiple perspectives
+ Head-hopping
+ Third-person present tense

Background Music by Vindsvept:
+ “Leaving the Dream”
+ “Woodland Lullaby”
+ “Frozen in Time”
+ “The Fae”
+ “Deliverance”
+ “The Forgotten Forest”
+ “Illuminate”
+ “Nightfall”
+ “Skymning”

SOURCES:

Defining Third Person (0:00)
Limited vs. Omniscient (1:48)
Advantages (5:33)
Disadvantages (14:46)
Third-Person Present Tense (21:04)
Summary (23:48)

[InfidelProductionz]

I fell like the use of present tense in The "Hunger Games" made it feel more immediate and caused me to doubt the safety of the protagonist/Narrator.

[totallyanonymousbish]

I began writing my first novel in 1st person but after some time I got confused because in my mind I couldn't figure out if my character's actions were that of my character or would potentially be those of myself. So now since I changed to 3rd person my protagonist really feels like a different person.

[b.s.]

I caught the little amused laugh you almost had when using “a stark difference” pun. Lol

[TheCloserLook]

Another great video. Keep up the good work :)

[swine]

Amateurs. I write in 5th person:

I write my characters and story from the perspective of someone else's book.

[TheReadingWerewolf]

I love how you use examples from real books. I find it very helpful! And I'm sure it's a whole extra effort to add to these already amazing videos!

[wesleywalkerthewriter]

The bane of all art: "out of style". The point of art is to create style. Well done on the video.

[mpfvbfd]

6:20 In the first book, a game of thrones, there's a stark difference in what Ned, an honorable lord and Sansa...

Oh you! XD

[wuchan]

Your videos are great! It’s hard to find authors that talk plainly about these things like you do. They always speak indirectly about everything. They take writing and put it high on top of some mountain and suggest it’s unreachable (except by them of course). What they say is absolutely useless unless someone is completely stoned. You, however, walk into the room and turn the light on. You lead your viewers by the hand like a mother leads her scared child around the room, looking under the bed, in the closet and in every dark corner — to prove there is no monster in the room. Thank you for your work.

[SanzuFabrications]

I don’t even need to finish watching this to know it’s gold. Keep up the great work!

[Be_Khaos]

Thank you! I watched your “All About Writing in First Person” video and admittedly, I wanted to write my book in the first person because I thought it would be easier to write and more relatable to the audience and myself. What I see and how I feel as I go about my journey. But, after watching this video, I realise that writing in the third person is far better suited. Describing the characters, their motivations, the dialogues and the worlds they live in through a third person narrative allows for so much more detail and insight. So hence forth, i’ll write in third person. I’ll keep in mind to have one character’s POV per chapter though. It makes sense not to jump around but your reasons for not doing it added some clarity to any confusions I had.

Many Thanks,
Be Khaos

P.s. Also *Liked* and *Subbed* ☺️

[EmptyKingdoms]

_Why on earth did Filch want a Kwikspell course?_ is such a great _free indirect speech/thought_ slipping through.

[adambeer]

My favorite third person novel is “The Giver” by Lois Lowry, and it was actually a book we just finished reading in English class.

[firstnamelastname-buxm]

This series of videos is fantastic. The epsiode "show don't tell" enabled me to pick up a pen and attempt to write fiction for the first time since I was a small child. So now, I'm coming back and forth to these videos, for little titbits of information. I'm basically learning as I go.
Its been a lot of fun so far!
Thankyou for these!

[DefektiveEnvy]

Thank you thank you for doing a whole video on 3rd person, including Omniscient! This is the deepest dive I’ve seen on the subject. I’m always begging creators to go into the differences

[galaxylucia]

What sets this video apart from other videos on POV is your use of EXAMPLES!! Thank you!

[jmiogo]

Thank you for not being one of those cheap click-bait self promotional channels, where an unpublished “author” gives advice as a means to sell their self published book.

Very happy I found you. Thank you!!!

Sub

[EmptyKingdoms]

Virginia Woolf used head-hopping much better than most writers. And to greater effect.

[reggielovato]

Harry Potter would be interesting to read in first person

[whatwereyoumadefor]

This is the type of video that makes me love writing and reading even more. It also articulates why I like 3rd-person omniscient. I've read so many of those books growing up. I know it has fallen out of favor, but I hope it makes a come-back soon.