We’ve covered first person and third person omniscient POVs; now it’s time for third person limited narration. This is narrating a story in third person but limiting it to only one perspective at a time. When you’re in a person’s viewpoint, you can only tell what that person sees, does, feels, and thinks. (It’s like writing in first person.) You can have your character guess at what others think and feel, but you can’t say it for certain unless you are in that character’s viewpoint.
Switching POV Characters In Third Person Limited
You can switch viewpoint characters throughout the story, but you need to have a definite break to signal the switch to the reader. Most authors use line or chapter breaks to do it. When you do switch viewpoint characters, make sure to establish at the beginning who is narrating and where they are in the story. Breaks can allow for time, setting, and character jumps. Avoid confusing the reader by telling them immediately what changed. Here is an example.
Susan smoothed her red dress with sweaty hands. How did Anna forget to tell her that tonight’s gala was a black and white event? The only thing keeping her from running out the door was her need to find her roommate and murder her.
Jim couldn’t breathe. Not since the woman in the red dress entered the ballroom. He usually skipped these stuffy events but watching the red dart around the room was enough to make him reconsider. He would attend any event if she was there.
Each viewpoint establishes who, where, when, and even gives the current attitude of the narrator. The reader is quickly adjusted to the change and should have no problem following the story.
Difference Between First Person And Third Person Limited
Like first person POV, third person limited takes more time to tell what an omniscient narrator can say in a few words, but it’s more personal. First person and third person limited both get into the internal workings of characters, but they aren’t the same. The difference is immediacy. Let me show you what I mean.
I ran down the path to the river. Susan was there with a smile and a picnic basket.
Tim ran down the path to the river. Susan was there with a smile and a picnic basket.
Do they seem the same to you? It’s hard to spot the difference, but there is a subtle one that readers will notice over the length of a book. While both POVs are written in past tense, first person gives the impression of someone retelling their story, and third person limited makes is seem like someone is telling you what happens as it happens. Third person limited is more like a sports announcer. He is telling you in past tense, but you know it’s happening as he speaks. First person gives the impression that the events happened far in the past and the person is only just now telling you about it.
Final Thoughts
Third person limited is the most popular POV in fiction books. It gives the most versatility by being able to jump perspectives without losing the personal touch. It’s also the only POV out of the three that has an invisible narrator. The narrator doesn’t have a voice like in first person, and the narrator can’t have his own perspective on the story like third person omniscient. The narration is there solely to show the reader the story from different characters’ viewpoints. This is the POV to use if you really want to showcase your story and don’t want to call attention to your prose.
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