Below, Big Cypress National Preserve. I drove through there on a dirt road way back when, so far from anywhere that I was really glad I was carrying an early version of the cell phone. (Of course, looking back, there likely wasn't any service in the middle of the Everglades.) In any event, I'm glad to see this vital part of our ecosystem hasn't changed. Photo posted to Facebook by Dennis Ludwig, June 2025.
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| Florida Sunrise by Martha Riegart West |
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| Found on Facebook, 6/25 |
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WRITING - POINT OF VIEW, Part 4
Third Person
Third Person is by far the most common Point of View in Fiction. It's what seems to come naturally when someone sits down to write. Below, a few of the various approaches to using Third Person.
1. Third Person (he/she) but told from only one Point of View. Essentially, the book would be little changed if written in First Person (I/we).
2. Hero and Heroine POV. The story is told from the viewpoint of both main characters. Back in the day, when I first joined RWA at the end of the 20th c., I saw this approach carried so far that one chapter told a scene from the POV of her heroine, then the EXACT SAME SCENE was rehashed from the POV of the hero. Aargh! Rejected it then; my lips still curl in derision at the thought. However . . .
It is perfectly acceptable for the Hero and Heroine to each have their own chapters, usually carefully labeled with their name at the top, as long as the story keeps moving forward and does not repeat itself!
This strict One Chapter for Each Character was mostly practiced by Harlequin, the expected publisher for new authors, so it was one of the many "rules" budding authors had to learn.
3. Hero and Heroine POV within the same Chapter. Most publishers were a bit more flexible, allowing the POV to change if a double space was inserted between the two POVs. This is an attitude, if not a strict "rule," which still prevails in the industry.
4. Multiple Points of View. (We are now getting into my territory. I began writing with Multiple POVs, paused for a while to conform to the print market of that time, before happily leaping into indie publishing and throwing all rules out the window.)
Multiple POVs does not mean "equal time." It simply allows someone besides the Hero and Heroine to express their opinion, whether it's a one-liner or a few paragraphs giving us a slightly different angle on the story. As an example, in my most recent WIP, I begin the book with an entire scene in the POV of the Hero's brother.
5. "Head-hopping." This is a term viewed in horror by much of the publishing community, the biggest no-no after Telling instead of Showing your story. This is particularly true of publishers catering to readers with little more than a grammar school education. But for readers who like to keep their wits sharp . . .
The secret in successful "head-hopping" is to make it clear whose head you're in in the very first sentence of the paragraph. That way, only the most sluggish-minded reader can miss who has the POV. I head-hop all the time, though I draw the line at head-hopping within a paragraph!
6. Dialogue POV. (Best title I can think of for this one.)
There are a few books told almost entirely in dialogue, with only an occasional bit of narration. Definitely a form of Multiple POV, as the story stays so long in each speaker's head that we see the story from each character's Point of View. Personally, I find this a bit much. I don't like to stray from the main characters' heads for that long.
Note: This POV could also be considered as writing in Multiple First Person, as each character is telling the story from the "I" Point of View. But since there is also narration in both Author and Main Characters' POV . . .
SUMMARY. There are a LOT of ways to write in Third Person. Beginning authors should study the style of the published novels in the genre they're writing, paying particular attention to the accepted practices of the print and/or e-publishers you are targeting. Indie authors, go for whatever works best for you. Just be extra careful if you're experimenting with head-hopping. Readers get really upset if they can't tell who's saying what to whom. Make your POV changes really clear.
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This week's Featured Book was selected from the News Headlines. (You may recall the story about two Chinese arrested for bringing in a fungus that could harm our agriculture.)
My Contemporary Adventure/Romance, Hidden Danger, Hidden Heart, is set in shoreline Connecticut, agricultural Spain, and agricultural Florida. Since I lived nearly thirty years on the Connecticut side of Long Island Sound, followed by forty years in Florida, and have at least visited the agricultural fields of Spain, I think I can say that I know the settings pretty well. I also have the experience of a WASP/Spanish-Catholic culture clash in the family. (I'll never forget the Christmas I made aprons for all my new Argentinian relatives and was told (apologetically), "We don't wear aprons."
All of the above, plus awareness of the danger of agricultural sabotage, plus a good bit of lively imagination went into the making of Hidden Danger, Hidden Heart (available from most e-vendors). I hope you'll give it a try.
When Ashley van Dyne, founder and president of an organic foods
business, finds herself in the middle of a world-wide threat to the food
crop, she has no choice but to turn to entrepreneur Rafael Guerrero,
resulting in a resounding cultural clash on two continents. There is
also the problem of Ashley's young sister and three other teens who have
no idea they are being used for a terrorist's personal agenda. Hidden Danger, Hidden Heart offers Suspense, Romance, Drama . . . and a
warning.
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For a link to Blair's website, click here.
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Thanks for stopping by,
Grace (Blair Bancroft)
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