{"id":856,"date":"2018-01-22T10:28:30","date_gmt":"2018-01-22T10:28:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/?p=856"},"modified":"2022-05-30T15:41:21","modified_gmt":"2022-05-30T15:41:21","slug":"third-person-limited-point-of-view","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/articles\/third-person-limited-point-of-view","title":{"rendered":"The Ultimate Guide to Third Person Limited Point of View"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Third person limited\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/refiction.com\/articles\/point-of-view-definition\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">point of view<\/a>\u00a0sets up the reader to watch the story over the shoulder of a specific character. The reader learns only what this character sees, hears, senses, smells, touches, thinks, and feels. This character is called the Point of View (POV) Character, and the reader is limited to their mind.<\/p>\n<h2>Recognizing Third Person Limited Point of View<\/h2>\n<p>Read the first few pages of the story and watch for the following signs:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Is there \u201cI,\u201d \u201cwe,\u201d or \u201cus\u201d outside of dialog? That would be\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/refiction.com\/articles\/first-person-point-of-view\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>first person POV<\/strong><\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Is there \u201cyou\u201d outside of dialog? That would be\u00a0<strong>second person POV<\/strong>, or in some cases,\u00a0<strong>third person omniscient POV<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Are there only \u201che,\u201d \u201cshe,\u201d \u201chim,\u201d \u201cher,\u201d \u201cthey,\u201d and \u201cthem\u201d outside of dialog? That\u2019s\u00a0<strong>third person POV<\/strong>. It might be\u00a0<strong>limited\u00a0<\/strong>or\u00a0<strong>omniscient<\/strong>.\n<ul>\n<li>Do you feel like you\u2019re watching the scene from above, seeing everyone\u2019s thoughts, actions, or feelings, or being told things that a character couldn&#8217;t know? That\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/refiction.com\/articles\/third-person-omniscient-point-of-view\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>third person omniscient POV<\/strong><\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Do you feel there is a single focal character, and your knowledge of the story is filtered through that character\u2019s eyes? That\u2019s\u00a0<strong>third person limited POV<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Should You Write in this POV?<\/h2>\n<h4>The benefits:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>It\u2019s familiar. The majority of fiction novels are written in limited third person.<\/li>\n<li>It allows you to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/refiction.com\/articles\/the-secrets-in-your-story-how-to-write-great-twists\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">keep secrets from the reader<\/a>. Just keep your POV character ignorant about those plot twists, and you\u2019re good to go.<\/li>\n<li>It\u2019s flexible. You can control how close the reader feels to the POV character by displaying more or fewer inner thoughts. In\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/refiction.com\/articles\/how-to-write-action-scenes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">action scenes<\/a>, for example, you can easily cut down on emotions and thoughts and stick with the action for a fast-paced narrative.<\/li>\n<li>It lets you easily shift between POV characters. Unlike the first-person POV, where every &#8220;I&#8221; reads the same, limited third-person allows you to easily identify the current POV character. (But that doesn\u2019t mean you can skip between characters mid-scene. Keep your POV changes to scene or chapter breaks\u2014see \u201chead-hopping\u201d below.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>The disadvantages:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>It\u2019s prone to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/refiction.com\/articles\/point-of-view-common-errors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">POV slipping<\/a>. This occurs when you write in a detail that the POV character has no way of knowing, or when you describe something differently from how the POV character would think about it. Characters describing their own eye color or facial expression is a common example of POV slipping\u2014no one does that without a good, organic reason.<\/li>\n<li>It\u2019s prone to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/refiction.com\/articles\/point-of-view-common-errors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">head-hopping<\/a>. This occurs when you describe a group of people, and every sentence or paragraph comes from a different character&#8217;s POV. You can change POV characters, but you must alert the reader to it with a well-placed scene break or chapter break.<\/li>\n<li>It has clumsy pronouns. When writing an active scene that involves a lot of characters, it\u2019s easy to lose track of who\u2019s the current \u201che\u201d or \u201cshe\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Working with the Third Person Limited Point of View<\/h2>\n<p>In limited third-person point of view, the writer can keep readers at arms-length to give eagle-eye views of the situation, or bring readers in to hear every thought and feeling of the POV character. The first makes for quick, easy reading; the latter, for intense reading.<\/p>\n<p>In his book\u00a0<em>Characters and Viewpoint,\u00a0<\/em>Orson Scott Card explains third person limited point of view in terms of \u2018camera angles\u2019. This is an easy way to understand the levels of \u2018closeness\u2019 that writers can create with a character.<\/p>\n<h4>Deep penetration:<\/h4>\n<p>A common reference to this view is \u201con the shoulder.\u201d The goal is to make the reader sink into the main character and make every move with them. Use this angle in big fights and emotional moments where the stakes are high and the reader needs to be engaged on all levels.<\/p>\n<h4>Light penetration:<\/h4>\n<p>An easy way to think of this view is \u201cfrom two feet back.\u201d We can still be privy to some of the POV character\u2019s thoughts, but this angle is designed to inform the reader rather than to make them\u00a0<em>feel<\/em>\u00a0every beat. Use this angle in scenes with medium action and low stakes.<\/p>\n<h4>Cinematic view:<\/h4>\n<p>Use the cinematic view to help the reader orient themselves. It\u2019s best for setting, exposition, passage of time, and other instances where the reader doesn\u2019t need to know any of the POV character\u2019s thoughts. This doesn\u2019t mean we lose the POV character\u2019s perspective. All thoughts must still filter through the character\u2019s point of view. If something happens outside that point of view, the audience shouldn\u2019t know about it either.<\/p>\n<h2>Writing a Good, Tight Limited POV<\/h2>\n<p>First, remember that everything written in this POV must come from the POV character\u2019s consciousness. Avoid slip-ups by constantly asking yourself,\u00a0<strong><em>can my character know that?<\/em><\/strong><em>\u00a0<strong>Would my character note that?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Second, remember that your narrative is not objective. You&#8217;re not reporting events as they happen; you report them as your POV character sees them. When you think about it, every description you write reflects more on the POV character than on the object you&#8217;re describing. To nail the right words, ask yourself,\u00a0<strong><em>what would my character think about it?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This also means that you should describe only what your character notices. And the order in which you describe objects or locations is the order in which your character notices details. To get it right, ask yourself,\u00a0<strong><em>what would my character notice first?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In fact, every word you put on the paper is coming from your character\u2019s mind, even when it\u2019s not inner thoughts or dialog. Choose your metaphors and similes according to your character\u2019s inner world and frame of reference. Ask yourself,\u00a0<strong><em>if my character mentioned this detail out loud, how would she word it?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Common Pitfalls of the Third Person Limited Point of View<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Describing your POV character&#8217;s appearance is always a challenge, because a character rarely stops to take stock of her own looks. The simplest solution is placing the character in front of her reflection. Don&#8217;t. Resist this over-used solution whenever you can in favor of more creative methods.<\/li>\n<li>Writers tend to report other characters\u2019 emotions, especially by pinning on adverbs. When \u201cshe said angrily\u201d refers to someone other than the POV character, consider it as a POV slip, because you\u2019re giving the reader a direct look into the other character\u2019s mind. Instead, make that anger evident in the actions of the other character.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Examples of Third Person Limited Point of View Novels<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Classic:\u00a0<em>1984 \u2013\u00a0<\/em>George Orwell<\/li>\n<li>Contemporary:\u00a0<em>Orphan Train \u2013\u00a0<\/em>Christina Baker Kline<\/li>\n<li>YA:\u00a0<em>The Giver\u00a0<\/em>\u2013 Lois Lowery<\/li>\n<li>Middle Grade:\u00a0<em>The Dollmaker of Krakow\u00a0<\/em>\u2013 R.M. Romero<\/li>\n<li>Sci-Fi:\u00a0<em>Cloud Atlas \u2013\u00a0<\/em>David Mitchell<\/li>\n<li>Romance:\u00a0<em>Thanks for the Memories \u2013\u00a0<\/em>Cecelia Ahern<\/li>\n<li>Contemporary Military:\u00a0<em>Be Safe, I Love You \u2013\u00a0<\/em>Cara Hoffman<\/li>\n<li>Thriller:\u00a0<em>The Quest \u2013\u00a0<\/em>Nelson DeMille<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0Fantasy:\u00a0<em>A Game of Thrones \u2013\u00a0<\/em>George R.R. Martin<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"template":"","categories":[13],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/856"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/articles"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/858"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}