I write my fiction in third person. There was never a question of first person for me; I could never write readable fiction in first person. Just not in my interest or my skill set.

Still, third person opens up so many expansive options! There are some great questions to ask yourself before you start an outline or start writing (if you’re a pantser like me) in third person.

1. HOW CLOSE DO I WANT TO STAY TO A SINGLE CHARACTER WITHIN EACH SCENE? You never want to “head hop,” but an omniscient narrator by definition can move from character to character to expose their thoughts and motivations, within a scene, without head hopping in a jarring manner. Would it be useful to do this within scenes? What would it add? What would it sacrifice?
2. DO I WANT DIFFERENT CHARACTERS’ POV TO BE THE FOCUS IN DIFFERENT SCENES? The limit is your creativity. It’s very possible to write each scene from a limited perspective, which jumping from character to character in different scenes. It’s worth considering what this approach might do for your story. Limited-omniscient can be very effective, combining many of the strengths of each side of that hyphen.
3. HOW MUCH SUSPENSE DO I WANT? HOW MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT MOTIVATION OR LOYALTIES DO I WANT MY READER TO HAVE? DO I WANT TWISTS? If you want to conceal information from your reader, you might be better off sticking to a single POV character in a more limited narrative style. This mimics the advantages of a first person point of view most closely.
4. CAN I WRITE AN OMNISCIENT STYLE WITHOUT HEAD HOPPING? It’s easier to spot and to avoid head hopping when you’re writing from a limited POV. When your narrator can legitimately jump around from character to character, it can be so fun (but difficult) to craft /navigate the shifts in perspective in such a way that the reader can follow them easily without feeling jarred. Subtly is key here.
5. WHAT MIGHT THIS STORY OR SCENE LOOK LIKE FROM ANOTHER CHARACTER’S PERSPECTIVE? Even if you don’t write scenes multiple times from multiple perspectives–which you might love doing or you might consider a waste of time, because we all write differently and enjoy different things about writing fiction–it can be very fruitful to consider what different characters are noticing, thinking about, and caring about as a scene progresses. It helps you craft more believable and authentic characters, whether they are carrying the POV or not.
6. SHOULD MY POV CHANGE AT SOME POINT IN THE STORY? If so, why is that? This can be a very effective strategy, and it’s certainly a legitimate choice. But it shouldn’t be done for no reason. If you do this, there should be a reason why you’re doing it that is clear to the reader by the time the book is over, if not at the time of the switch.

I use a third person limited POV in the first installment of my trilogy, available now. Books two and three use a more omniscient point of view as the story expands, focus shifts, and readers need access to more than one character’s perspective and knowledge.

Whatever POV you use, and especially if you’re using some variety of third, you want to be intentional about your POV choice: limited, omniscient, limited-omnisicent.

If your POV is fluid, it should be intentionally fluid, not haphazardly so.

• Meet Verony TODAY! Find redemption with her and the Crimson League
• She took part in a sorcerer’s coup, then changed her mind.
• COVER REVEAL!!!
• My characters are kind of like my kids
• We are go! With magic of a different kind in this one.