Writing in the third person
Texts written by a narrator who is not involved in what he writes are known as third-person writing. That is, the narrator is oblivious to the facts. This is why he tells them from the point of view of the exterior of the events. It is used for different reasons depending on the interest of the writer. In literature and narrative, it works to create an atmosphere in which the narrator knows everything.
In journalism, it is almost mandatory to use it, because with this it is shown that the facts outlined are objective. For its part, in academic texts it works to give truth to what is said.
How to write in third person
The third person is a point of view in which the narrator does not participate directly in the story, although he may be aware of all the characters’ thoughts and actions (omniscient). With this technique, it is possible to give readers information that would not be accessible in other ways. The steps in this article list some idiosyncrasies of this type of writing. Follow them so you don’t confuse the audience or make it difficult to understand.
1-Understanding how the third person works
Understand how the third person works.
- In the third person, the narrator knows (and tells the reader) what the character feels and thinks, as well as what he sees and experiences in any given situation.
Familiarize yourself with the third person
- For example: “Carla turned on the bathroom light. Soon after, she felt a shiver go through her back. In front of her, less than a meter away, was a stranger. The young woman tried to decide between running away and facing him, but she couldn’t react – I was paralyzed with fear”.
- This excerpt not only describes what Carla is doing, but also what she thinks and feels at the moment
Understand the advantages of the third person
Understand the good and bad sides of the third person
- If you want to write a more character-focused story, it might not be cool to use omniscient third-person narration — since, in this case, it is impossible to explore in detail the perspective of whoever makes up the plot.
- If you want to highlight the plot itself, perhaps omniscient third-person narration is the best option — since you can switch between different characters, as well as play with time and space (when the resource is well used).
- Regardless of the perspective you choose, always make the plot clear and easy for readers to understand.
Remember that the third-person narrator can speak directly to the reader
Another advantage of this perspective is that the narrator can speak directly to the reader and thus create a more intimate and direct relationship with him.
- You might even write something like, “Dear reader, killing the character Alice was a difficult decision. Let me explain why.”
- You can also write things like “Don’t worry about Alice. She’s going to have a few good times, but she’ll recover and live happily ever after.”
Understand the variations in third-person types
The third person is broken down into a few different characteristics.
- In objective narration, the narrator is present in the story but is invisible. He tells the events that occur, but does not give his opinion. Think of it as a camera that follows characters across the screen, showing what they do and say, but without entering their minds.
- In subjective narration, the narrator discusses what the characters think and feel in each scene. He tells, in his own words, everything that happens in the plot.
2-Using the third person
Decide what kind of third-person narration best suits your story
If you want to explore an idea with multiple narrators, but demonstrate emotions through actions and dialogue, not thoughts, choose the objective omniscient narrator.
- If you want to write a story with a strong narrator who “speaks” for the characters, choose subjective narration.
Get used to writing in the third person
Remember that the third person is the one where we use he , she , they and they , while the first is marked by I .
- For example, don’t write “I arrived in town on a cold and rainy day”, but rather “She arrived in town on a cold and rainy day” or “Alice arrived in town on a cold and rainy day”.
Do not identify the objective narrator
When using the objective style, remember that the narrator is often an unknown individual, but one who is aware of everything that happens in the story. Therefore, do not give his name or any other information about him to readers.
- This is different from first and second person, in which the narrator is the big star of the plot.
Create a strong subjective narrator.
One of the best examples of this type of narrator is “Lemony Snicket”, a character from A Series of Unfortunate Events . This narrator identifies with the pronoun I , but also speaks directly to the reader and enters different characters’ perspectives throughout the plot of the books.
3-Avoiding some common mistakes
Tell the story from the same character’s point of view until you transition to another.
Otherwise, you may confuse the reader.
- Be careful not to make any narrative mistakes because of this character change. For example, while the narrator knows that it was Paul who slapped John on the back of the head, John has no idea who hit him—unless he discovers this information from outside sources or through the process of elimination.
- This type of error also makes the plot less plausible and lessens the impact of the characters‘ expressions. Be very careful.
- Double your attention so as not to confuse the thoughts of one character with those of another. While this is technically the correct way to use omniscient third-person narration, the feature leaves the reader confused when there are too many ideas to consider at once.
- Build dialogs consistently so you don’t create confusion. You may have to repeat character names quite often, especially if the story contains a very large cast.
Use concrete transitions to switch between characters
Create realistic ways to switch characters during narration so you don’t confuse the reader.
Give transition signals before changing perspectives
To do this, place the character at the center of the action and describe what happens to him in each scene.
- For example, if you’re going to switch from Paul’s perspective to John’s, say, “John put his hand on the back of his head, where he had been hit, and saw Paul coming after him. ‘Was he the one who attacked me?’ he asked.”
Put a character in the role of protagonist
This is an effective way to switch points of view: when a new character enters the scene, continue the narration from their ideas.
- For example: “Who was the asshole who hit me?” shouted João, slamming his glass down hard on the table. When he saw Paulo, he thought: ‘Who is this man?'”.
Try writing a shorter text with the third person omniscient
Before trying to use third person in a longer work, write short texts to get used to, even more you have no experience with writing and transitions.
Example of third-person paragraphs
1- Writing academic texts
Excerpt from the text Human rights. An essay on its history, its foundation and its reality, by José Martínez de Pisón
“Few issues have been more debated in recent times than the correct use of the term ‘ human rights ‘. However, few are more used in normal speech, in conversations, in international forums and seminars with a more precise meaning.
In all probability, any citizen who lives in societies belonging to the Western cultural tradition knows perfectly what is meant when reference is made to human rights ”.
2- Witness narrator
With this narrator, the only inclusion in the text is as an observer. That is, it is a character in the story who narrates what he observes or what was told to him. Writing in the third person characteristics
His work does not change history, it may not even be taken into account. Since he only knows what he sees or is told, he is a narrator with limited information.
In his novel In Cold Blood Truman Capote writes from the perspective of a witness narrator
“All the materials in this book that are not derived from my own observations have been taken from official archives or are the result of interviews with people directly affected; interviews that very often spanned a considerable period of time ”.
3- omniscient narrator
In the following text, a narrator is a third person who is not involved in the events that he narrates.
His identity and the source of his knowledge are unknown, although he appears to know everything, including what the characters remember. This is the so-called omniscient narrator.
The opening paragraph of One Hundred Years of Solitude, by the Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez
“Many years later, in front of the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía would remember that remote afternoon in which his father took him to see the ice.
Macondo was at that time a village of 20 houses made of clay and cañabrava, built on the banks of a river with clear waters that fell on a bed of huge, polished white stones, like prehistoric eggs ”.
4- Equiscient Narrator
The quiescent narrator is the one who tells the facts in the third person but who, unlike the omniscient, has limited knowledge. That is, he does not know everything, but only what the reader himself knows.
Excerpt from the story The night face up , by Julio Cortázar
“In the middle of the long hallway of the hotel, he thought it must be late and he hurried out to the street and took the motorcycle out of the corner where the doorman next door allowed him to store it.
At the jewelry store on the corner, he saw that it was ten minutes to nine; he would get to where he was going in plenty of time. The sun filtered through the tall buildings in the center, and he —because he didn’t have a name to himself, to go thinking— mounted on the machine savoring the ride. “
5- Multiple third person
This type of writing in the third person is the one that jumps from one character to another when he changes chapters. When he is with you, he is omniscient in that character‘s universe; you know what you think and feel.
But when he goes to another character, he only knows his universe, as in the example given, in which the narrator changes with the beginning of each chapter of the book. Writing in the third person characteristics
Excerpt from the prologue of A Song of Ice and Fire; Game of Thrones , by the author George RR Martín
Will sensed the tension around Gared’s mouth and the barely contained anger in the eyes under the thick black hood of the cloak.
Gared had been in the Night’s Watch for forty years, much of his childhood and all of his adult life, and he was not used to being mocked.
But that was not all. Will sensed something more about the old man than wounded pride. A tension too similar to fear was almost palpable in him ”. Writing in the third person characteristics
Excerpt from the first chapter of A Song of Ice and Fire; Game of Thrones, by the author George RR Martín
“There were twenty of them in all, and Bran rode among them, nervous and excited. It was the first time that he had been considered old enough to accompany his father and brothers to witness the king‘s justice.
It was the ninth year of summer and the seventh of Bran’s life. “
6- Third-person plural
“At the residence the claims were different. They valued tranquility very much. They were just looking for a space in which to pray, reflect and rest. At the same time, they wanted a common meeting point where they could chat until late ”.
7- Third-person singular
“The bohemian went into the forest without really knowing where to go. I had read something in the local books about the roads that led to the hermitage of San Cristóbal, but geography was not exactly its strong point ”.
8- In the past
“They met after a vacation with their parents in Rome. While the Carneiros were looking for adventure, the Pedrotes visited the eternal city to discover the local gastronomy. Ana Belén and Rosa met in line at a very famous pizzeria and the crush was instantaneous ”.
9- For a thesis
“In the United States, until the arrival of the 2016 Presidential Elections, the candidates’ communication consultancies showed no interest in the well-known fake news. Until that moment, the Democratic and Republican parties focused on doing politics in the most traditional way, with social networks being the small indication that something was changing. So, Obama laid the foundations, but it was with Donald Trump that the way of campaigning took a 180-degree turn ”.
10- For an essay
Capitalism began to be practiced consciously from the Industrial Revolution and The Wealth of Nations ( The Wealth of nacione s) developed by Adam Smith in 1776.
Scholars, especially Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, warned about the dangers of it and the need to establish a new economic order: Writing in the third person characteristics
“Until today, anti-capitalist movements spread throughout the world, but it seems that the economic and social system based on private property triumphs unconvincingly.”
