Third person point of view

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Third person—omniscient

Who's telling the story? In the case of third person-omniscient, imagine that the narrator of the story is a benign, curious god hovering above the characters, commenting on what they are doing and what they are feeling.

She noticed them immediately. Old habits died hard, and her eyes tracked the movement on the road even before her mind registered approaching danger — five men striding with the swagger of warriors. The only outward sign of her alarm was the tightening of her grip on the knife as she stripped a dead twig from the branch of the olive tree. There was no point in running. The men had seen her, and if she was their target they would catch her sooner or later. Sooner, she thought ruefully, remembering that her legs were not so limber as they once had been.

Drawing a deep breath, she spoke as calmly as she could. "Lyceus, I want you to take those olives to your mother, now."

The young boy at her side looked down at the basket he carried and hefted its weight. He could tell it was more than half empty. "But Aunt Gabrielle, we've barely begun."

"It's enough," she said, more curtly than she had intended. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the warriors step off the road and enter the far edge of the orchard. Softening her tone of voice, she spoke again, "I'm too tired to do any more work today. Run along now, before I change my mind."

With a grin of delight, Lyceus turned to dash away, then froze. "Auntie...those men..." He was young, but no fool, and his instincts were sharp, if less experienced than hers.

"Lyceus," she commanded softly. "Do as I say. Don't look back at them. Run."

As you can see, the reader is privy to the perceptions of both Gabrielle and her nephew. And as the cast of characters grows, the omniscient viewpoint allows the reader some glimpses into their thoughts as well. Anything that happens in this world can be described because the narrator is all-knowing, all-seeing.

The disadvantage to this point of view is that the reader may feel emotionally removed from the storyline — the narrator reveals a little about every character, so it becomes harder to strongly identify with any one person. In fact, if the writer isn't careful, the shifts in viewpoint from one character to another can leave the reader dizzy.

Third person—restricted

To foster greater emotional involvement by the reader, the third person perspective can be limited to just one character. The narrator is still an objective observer, but one who comments on the thoughts and actions that are available only to the chosen character.

Xena drove the head of the shovel deep into the loose dirt, then heaved the load up and over, dropping it into the pit by her feet. She steeled herself for the soft thudding sounds the dirt and clumps of grass made when they fell on the bodies below. Another stab with the shovel and she could feel sweat break out on her brow. That was a bad sign. The morning air was cool and she hadn't been digging that long.

"I wish you'd let me help," came a voice from over her shoulder.

"Gabrielle, I told you to stay back." She couldn't spare enough breath to adequately convey her anger. Another bad sign. She wiped her brow with the back of her hand, then went back to her task. The next load of dirt seemed a lot heavier than the others.

Time passed, marked only by the steady rise and fall of her shovel.

"Xena..." Gabrielle's voice sounded closer than it had before. "It's got to be safe for me by now. These are the last of the dead and they're nearly buried."

"Stay away!" snapped the warrior, careful to keep her back turned to her friend. A sudden wave of heat swept through Xena's limbs. Its passage robbed her of the strength to hold the shovel. She could feel her body sway, as if buffeted by the fire that raged inside her.

"Xena!"

"Stay...back," she cried out, but her voice was parched to a dry whisper.

The reader is aware of everything Xena is thinking and feeling, but Gabrielle's actions remain a mystery because Xena is not even looking at her.

Using this perspective allows a writer to keep their own prose style, and to interpret and comment on the character's behavior, while still offering depth of emotion. The same restricted perspective should be used consistently throughout a scene, but new scenes or chapters can start with a different character's restricted viewpoint.

Here are some examples from bards who have used third person well:

The Back-up Plan by Beowolf — In this comic tale, the third person—omniscient viewpoint reveals the thoughts and feelings Xena and Gabrielle hide from each other. The bard has devised a clever plan to deal with Joxer's unappreciated attentions, but Xena's afraid it may be too clever for their own good.

After the Volcano by Mary Morgan — The very tight use of third person—restricted heightens the intensity of this beautifully written story. The viewpoint is that of a man who observes Gabrielle's anxious vigil for Xena, missing since the eruption of an island volcano.

© 2009 Ella Quince