by PeggySue Wells @PeggySueWells
Third Person POV is characterized by pronouns He and She, They, and It.
In the Third Person point of view, the author tells the story of different characters. The story unfolds through the POV of one character at a time.
When using more than one character to tell the story, the author does not need to vary the chapters equally, or always bounce from the hero to the antagonist and back again every other chapter. Instead, the author is free to tell the story in the most compelling fashion. The reader is not counting which character has the most chapters in their POV.
The reader trusts the author to engage the reader by evoking emotion. Chapters told from the view point of the character who has the most to lose are filled with suspense. Conflict equals suspense and suspense is key for a compelling story. For my books, that means each chapter is written from the POV of the character who has the most to lose in that scene.
Additionally, this perspective is divided into
- Third Person Limited POV
- Third Person Objective POV
- Third Person Omniscient POV
A popular example of this perspective is the Lord of the Rings trilogy by JRR Tolkien and the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling. In Rowling's stories, the reader has access to scenes across time and space, but the reader is only ever in the head of Harry Potter himself.
In my novel Chasing Sunrise, most chapters are written from the Third Person Limited POV of the hero, Michael Northington. Some chapters are written from the Third Person Limited POV of the heroine, Elise Eisler.
In this excerpt from Chasing Sunrise, the reader sees the action from Michael's POV.
Chasing Sunrise
Hurry up and wait was the military’s motto. On this day Michael’s squadron had stood in formation on the base’s grassy parade grounds. Under the merciless heat of the afternoon sun, Michael felt like an egg in an iron skillet.
The unit commander liked everyone in alphabetical order. That placed Bryce slightly in front and to Michael’s left. To his right, the sun gleamed off the empty aluminum bleachers. The only other objects that broke up the monotony of the open field were a pathetic clump of three scraggly trees with barely ten leaves between them. They were too thin to cast a shadow, let alone offer some shade.
He estimated they had fried there for an hour when the commanding officer returned, a cold drink in his hand. “Your instructor for this afternoon has been delayed,” the CO announced.
No kidding. Michael fought the urge to roll his eyes.
“He should arrive anytime.” After finishing his soda in front of the sweltering men, the commanding officer strode over to the empty bleachers and sat.
Maintaining military bearing, Michael felt the sweat drip down his back. Somewhere behind him a man threw up. That caused the guy next to Michael to throw up. The chunky, vile-smelling vomit splashed on Michael’s boot.
Chunks. I hate chunks.
Still the group stood at attention.
During the next hour, the smell of sunbaked barf filled the air. A guy in front passed out and fell to the ground. Two others threw up. Unpleasant as those events were, Michael thought the distractions at least made the wait go faster.
Then Michael saw Bryce’s head move—barely perceptible, but his friend had spotted something to the left. Moving only his eyes, Michael glanced that way. Unfolding out of the wiry trees was a soldier, camouflaged to blend perfectly with his sparse environment.
He dropped from the tree without a sound and walked to the front of the unit. Michael inwardly groaned. This clown had sat frozen in a cramped position for more than two hours with virtually no cover and none of these experts in training had detected him.
The CO got up from his seat on the bleachers and met the stranger in front of the men. They shook hands.
“Ladies,” the CO yelled, “this is Major Corbin MacIntyre. I think you can learn a thing or two from him.”
Stories in Third Person
Books in Third Person POV include
- The Jack Reacher series by Lee Child
- Secrecy Order by PS Wells
- Unnatural Cause by PS Wells
- Homeless for the Holidays by PS Wells
Third Person Limited POV can be shared strictly from one character's telling of the story. Or Third Person Limited POV can encompass more than one character's viewpoint as long as the author stays in the head of only one person at a time.
TWEETABLE
Action and adventure, romantic suspense, military romance, and cozy mystery are the page-turning novels by P.S. Wells including Chasing Sunrise, Homeless for the Holidays, and The Patent. How to live better, easier, and simpler is the focus of her nonfiction including The Ten Best Decisions A Single Mom Can Make.
PeggySue is a frequent guest with media including Focus On The Family, Family Life Today, and Christian Product Expo. She regularly teaches at conferences including Write To Publish, Taylor University Writers Conference, Kentucky Christian Writers Conference, and the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association. Collaborator on multiple titles including books with Dr. Benjamin Hardy, Shemane Nugent, Pat Palau, and Pam Farrel, PeggySue is a writing coach. When not writing, she parasails, skydives, snorkels, scuba dives, rides horses, and has taken (but not passed) pilot training. Founder of SingleMomCircle.com, connect with PS Wells at www.PeggySueWells.com, on Facebook at PeggySue Wells, and LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/peggysuewells
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