Writing in Third Person Narrative

About this video

In a playful two-voice skit, Dale explains third person point of view for fiction writers choosing between first and third person. Third person limited lets the narrator stay close to one character without knowing everything, can feel like events are happening right now, and allows switching between different viewpoints or people in the story. Third person omniscient, by contrast, knows everything that has happened, is happening and will happen; he calls it the narrator of choice in really old texts and fairy tales and the oldest POV type, but also the least likable and least immersive, like talking to a know-it-all. He then introduces third person free indirect discourse, which blends the two: a narrator who can jump inside people’s heads and also step out to tell the story in general. He cites J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series as a popular example of that blended approach and calls it a solid, widely used choice, even if most people do not know its name.

Key takeaways

• Third person limited stays close to a character, does not require knowing everything, and can feel immediate, as if happening now.
• Limited third person also lets a writer switch viewpoints between different people in the story.
• Third person omniscient knows past, present and future, suits old texts and fairy tales, but is described as the least immersive option.
• Third person free indirect discourse merges limited and omniscient narration, moving between characters’ heads and general storytelling.
• The Harry Potter series is given as a well-loved example of the blended free indirect approach.

Episode details: published April 26, 2021 · 3:47 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Dale L. Roberts’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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