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Last updated on Oct 14, 2025
The Ultimate Guide to Third Person Point of View (+ Examples)
Dario Villirilli
Managing Editor of the Reedsy blog, Dario is a graduate of Mälardalen University. As a freelance writer, he has written for many esteemed outlets aimed at writers. A traveler at heart, he can be found roaming the world and working from his laptop.
View profile →Third person POV uses a distinct narrator who is not a character in the story. This narrator is privy to the thoughts and feelings of characters and can relate as much — or as little! — information to the reader as the author desires.
As perhaps the most enduring point of view in literature, it offers a unique set of advantages to authors who use it, along with challenges. Here, we’ll simply cover everything you need to know about third person as a whole, and why writers might choose to use it over first or second person perspectives.
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What is third person point of view?
Third person point of view is a narrative style in which the narrator refers to all characters using the pronouns he, she, or they. An example of a sentence written in third person would be:
She waited for her food to arrive. “What's taking so long?” she thought.
Alongside first person POV, it’s one of the most popular and flexible viewpoints you’ll find in literature, in part because there are three types of ways in which authors can use it.
The three types of third person point of view
Third person POV is usually broken down into three categories:
- Third person limited. Third person limited tells a story using one character’s perspective at a time. Therefore, the reader is “limited” to that character’s mind. Read our full guide on it here.
- Third person omniscient. A third-person omniscient narrator is an all-knowing figure that can narrate a story through the thoughts, emotions, and experiences of multiple characters. Read our full guide on it here.
- Third person objective. This POV presents an unbiased, neutral narrator that simply describes events and isn’t privy to a character’s feelings.
Q: What is the single most important piece of advice for first-time novelists?
Suggested answer
Write the story you want to write, need to write--and want to read. Don't think about or worry about market trends, or how you will position your book on the market, or writing a book that will blow up on BookTok. A novel is a marathon, and in order to see it all the way through, you have to love your story (you can dislike some of your own characters of course, but you need to be deeply passionate about the overall story you are telling). In practical terms, by the time you write, revise, and publish your novel, it's likely that overall publishing trends will have shifted anyway. Write the book you want to write--things like what readers want, what publishers want, what agents want, can come later!
Kristen is available to hire on Reedsy ⏺
Write, and finish what you start.
That sounds simple, and even a little bit silly, but so many first-time novelists spend weeks, months, and then even years planning to write, but never write more than an outline or synopsis. Other writers who want to be novelists spend years starting book after book, never quite satisfied with the start they get onto paper, so they keep moving onto the next idea, and then the next, never following through on getting anywhere near halfway through a draft. They never consider an idea strong enough to demand the time, even though they want to write a book, and so they never write anything at all to completion.
To be a novelist, you have to complete a draft, but you cannot do that without sitting down, focusing on the story you want to tell, and writing it.
Everything else can come later. You can figure out genre later, you can revise and edit later, and you can even read more in your genre once you figure out where your story fits into the market. But the hardest thing for a first-time novelist to do, in most cases, is sitting down and finishing a novel-length draft. And that's what you have to do.
Jennifer is available to hire on Reedsy ⏺
Read many books in your genre and look for why you like that particular book or don't like it. Get a feel for what works and what doesn't. Try to read books that sold well and were published in the last 5-10 years. Publishing norms change and styles change with time.
For instance, in the past, much time was spent setting up the story, and many opening paragraphs may have been spent describing the scenery and visual elements. While those elements are still important, modern books move at a much faster pace and spend less time on these elements by using sentences of description woven into the narrative rather than information dumps and blocks of long description that can slow the pace.
So, reading current books in your genre is the best way to learn writing methods yourself.
Melody is available to hire on Reedsy ⏺
The greatest advice for new novel writers is to finish the draft before trying to refine it. You can get bogged down redoing the opening, but progress is made as you finally arrive at the end and have the entire shape of your tale. A complete draft, though rough, gives something to refine. Trust that clarity and style come out through revision. A book is less about inspiration and more about persevering, being there even when it's uncertain. Getting finished gets you there, and then you can actually begin writing the book you envisioned.
John is available to hire on Reedsy ⏺
Third-person is the point of view that gives authors the power of a movie camera: you can pan over to any character or situation, adjust for any angle, and zoom in and out of the scene depending on what you need. Speaking of which…
What are the advantages of third person POV?
Third person is no one-trick pony, and it’s common not just for its versatility. It offers many benefits to authors using it.
Let’s dissect it.
Third person stories often have a wider scope
First and second person stories can be restrictive if you want readers to see the bigger picture. Of course, one could argue that it’s possible to write a sprawling novel written from multiple first-person perspectives. But having an enormous cast all narrating in first person can be confusing, and would put a lot of pressure on the writer to sustain multiple convincing character voices.
That’s when third person comes to the rescue. Complex stories with a large primary cast often benefit from a narrator who can swiftly move between characters and locations, instead of being tethered to your viewpoint character.
Psst! For more help with characterization when dealing with a large chorus of characters, you can check out our free character profile resource below.
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It’s great for intrigue and suspense
One challenge of writing in first person is knowing how to toe the line between what your narrator knows and what they should reveal. Third person adds a little more distance, making it easier to flesh out main characters or move the story along without divulging information you wish to reveal later on.
Q: What techniques can authors use to hook readers from the first page?
Suggested answer
Start with your main character doing something somewhere and start in the middle of the action. If there is a hurricane coming, have them board up the windows of their home. If they are dreading an upcoming test at school, have them look over their last test grades and worry that this next test won't be any different.
You want to avoid "talking heads." This is what publishers think when there is dialogue going on between characters, and because there is no sense of "place" or "setting", the story comes off as characters "talking in space." This is why you want the characters to be somewhere and do something in every new scene you draft, not just the opening.
Readers like to visualize the action in a book, even if the "action" is inward. So start off with a visual picture of your main character doing something, and this should hook readers.
Melody is available to hire on Reedsy ⏺
I recall reading a memoir of a famous tennis player and he started it by plunging the reader into his experience of facing a relentless machine shooting balls across the net to him -- all the fatigue and pressure of trying to become a pro was encapsulated in the scene. Much more interesting than starting it with when and where he was born etc.
John is available to hire on Reedsy ⏺
Authors can capture readers' attention by starting with a moment of tension, curiosity, or emotional dissonance. Instead of gobs of backstory, they can present a character who must make a choice, a secret to guard, or an uncomfortable change. Voice is as crucial as action, as a good voice draws on and earns trust and interest. Unanswered questions and sensory details entice readers to get clarity. Above all, the opening must create a sense of the underlying stakes of the story, with intimations of challenge, revelation, or transformation to be achieved. Effective openings deliver energy with purpose, not mere din.
John is available to hire on Reedsy ⏺
This lends itself particularly well to thriller and mystery novels, where some holding back certain bits of exposition is essential to heightening the suspense. It can also be useful when writing any kind of novel that wants to deploy backstory or character history at a time when it can have maximum impact.
On the other hand, the third person isn’t just great for characters keeping secrets from the reader. An all-knowing narrator can also be useful for creating dramatic irony, revealing details that the characters don’t know themselves.
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Third person point of view can help you build up your world
A third person point of view can be a great choice when your story requires a certain amount of descriptive worldbuilding. Whilst first and second person narrators certainly talk about their environment, third person narratives can offer a more natural way to include worldbuilding exposition, especially when extended passages of description might be required.
A first person narrator probably might not take the time to intricately describe something they’ve seen a thousand times. If you live in a world where society is ruled by a giant brain from outer space, you probably wouldn’t pause your story to arbitrarily explain the backstory of ‘President Lobularr the Cruel.' But a third person narrator will have no limits to what they might want to zero in on at any point in the story.
Third person POV is a viewpoint that doesn’t distract from the narrative
In its enduring popularity, third person narratives have become the default mode of storytelling around the world, pre-dating even thelikes of Homer (the epic poet, not the animated nuclear engineer). As a result of its long and impressive history, this viewpoint has the benefit of instant familiarity.
Q: What are the most important habits for new writers to develop?
Suggested answer
Each writer is different, so it's important to figure out what works for you in terms of process and concrete habits (like how often you'll write, for how long, where you're write, etc.). That said, there are some absolutes.
1) The best writers are readers. You should be reading regularly, and that includes recently published work in your genre. That said, don't feel constrained to your genre; as long as you're reading, you'll be growing as a writer. Reading within your genre is simply important for knowing genre conventions/expectations and keeping up with the market.
2) Embrace feedback, and work to develop a thick skin. You'll only survive as a writer if you're able to brush off rejections and negative reviews. You want to be in a mindset where you can learn from constructive critique without letting it get you down. One strategy I suggest for dealing with rejection is to immediately send out another submission upon rejection. Every time you get a short story or agent rejection, send out another submission or query! Doing so allows you to bounce back and actively brush off the rejection until it's just second nature.
3) Find a community of writers that aligns with your values/interests. It doesn't matter whether that community is online or in person, but you need to be around writers who'll understand what it takes to be writing and working toward publication. Ideally, if you're on the traditional path, you want to find some writing buddies who are also on that same path, and if you're on the self-publishing path, then you want to make sure you have other self-pubbing authors to talk to. There's certainly crossover in terms of the act of writing, but having at least a few writing friends who are on your same path is invaluable when it comes to moral support, advice, and understanding.
4) Keep going. Be tenacious, and know why you're writing. Rejection and self-doubt are par for the course, but if you're determined to just keep writing, and you remind yourself why you started writing in the first place, you'll be putting yourself in a headspace to succeed long-term.
Jennifer is available to hire on Reedsy ⏺
Starting a story in third person helps readers settle in right away, rather than asking them to adjust to the particular voice of a first-person narrator or the unusual directness of second person. Ever found a story’s first chapter hard to settle into? This may be because of an unconventional narrative style or unanswered questions about who is doing the talking distracting you. Third person narratives are relatively easy to get into the swing of.
While many writers are keen to develop an utterly unique way of writing, most of the time, readers aren’t looking for something particularly experimental or opaque. In that way, the third person can be a writer’s best friend — a straightforward, versatile, and easily digestible narrative perspective that has stood the test of time.
Examples of third person point of view in action
Now that you know what third person point of view can offer, let’s see a few examples of it in literature. We use a mix of omniscient and limited in the below instances — see if you can identify which is which!
1. Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin
The morning had dawned clear and cold, with a crispness that hinted at the end of summer. They set forth at daybreak to see a man beheaded, twenty in all, and Bran rode among them, nervous with excitement. This was the first time he had been deemed old enough to go with his lord father and his brothers to see the king's justice fine. It was the ninth year of summer, and the seventh of Bran's life.
The man had been taken outside a small holdfast in the hills. Robb thought he was a wildling, his sword sworn to Mance Rayder, King-beyond-the-Wall. It made Bran's skill prickle to think of it.
Because of its sprawling cast, George R.R. Martin uses third person POV to great effect in his Song of Ice and Fire series. With each chapter break, Martin shifts to a new viewpoint character (while staying in third person), allowing him to span vast gaps in the geography of his world and give insight into each character’s personality.
In this particular scene, Martin’s third person narrator has the flexibility to play this scene through the eyes of a nervously excited seven-year-old while also revealing useful expositional details like the idea of a “King-beyond-the-Wall” and Westeros’s decade-long gaps between winters.
Q: Why is head-hopping considered a problem in fiction?
Suggested answer
While some well-known contemporary authors are famous for head-hopping (Stephen King probably being the most famous of them), and it sometimes works well depending on a story, it can lead to a lot of issues.
1) Clarity. If you're writing in close-third and head-hopping between characters, it's often tough for a reader to keep track of who's thinking/saying what. It's obvious to you as the writer, but when it comes to what translates onto the page, clarity issues are almost guaranteed, and it takes a lot of editing/tweaking in order to eliminate them.
2) Reader expectations. If you get in the habit of head-hopping between characters, readers are going to expect to know what your various characters are thinking at any given moment. That can cause problems for you as the author if some of the characters have big secrets which need to be kept out of readers' hands early on, as the reader will end up feeling like they've been misled by you when those secrets ultimately come out much later than is natural (if you're head-hopping in order to bring in relevant info/characters' thoughts as needed).
3) Any head-hopping you do is stealing time away from your main characters, assuming you jump into the heads of minor characters. That means readers have less opportunity to understand and engage with your main characters.
4) Length. Especially if you're on the traditional path, word count matters, and head-hopping can easily lead to ballooning word counts that will make it tough to find an agent or publisher.
5) Publication/Reviews. This goes back to reader expectations, but the simple truth is that many contemporary readers haven't read enough books with head-hopping to be comfortable with it or see it as a valid option, so head-hopping often leads to negative reviews or readers seeing it as a mistake/lack of editing. It's often seen as flat-out wrong/problematic rather than as a valid option. I'd argue that it is a valid option because so many famous authors clearly succeed in using it all the time, but it's less common than it used to be and does lead to headaches, so it's generally something I do recommend writers avoid (especially first-time writers who have enough on their plates already!).
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When there is head-hopping in a story, it detracts from the main character and makes the story too muddy. The reader won't know who the lead is in the story and who they should be rooting for. It also goes against traditional publishing norms of one point of view or multiple points of view with a different character viewpoint per chapter, with no more than 4 points of view in total for one book.
There are other ways for readers to know what a secondary character is thinking.
- That character can speak, so dialogue is used to convey their feelings.
- Physical expressions like clenched fists, smiles, etc., can communicate things to readers and other characters.
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2. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
The morning Early Jones arrived, the sky hung heavy and hot with rain. From the edge of the couch, Desiree listened to the spring storm as she braided Jude’s hair, remembering those first weeks in new Orleans, duckin with Stella under eaves when the showers caught them unaware. She eventually grew used to the capricious rain, but back then she’d shrieked at every sudden storm, laughing with Stella as they pressed against the side of a building, water splattering against their ankles.
In this passage from The Vanishing Half, author Brit Bennett describes a humid Louisiana rainstorm from the perspective of her protagonist, Desiree.
Instead of telling the reader that “it was a hot, rainy day,” this passage employs several “showing” devices, including strong verbs and sensory descriptions (“the sky hung heavy and hot,” “water splattering against their ankles”). Bennett evokes one of Desiree’s memories packed with specificity — the girls duck under “eaves” rather than just roofs, and the word “shrieked” conjures a very particular sound. The result practically drops the reader next to Desiree as she braids her daughter’s hair, half-lost in a ripple of nostalgia.
Written in third person, this passage is just as intimate and personal as it would have been were being narrated directly by Desiree, once again showing the versatility of this viewpoint.
3. 1984 by George Orwell
In its second minute the Hate rose to a frenzy. People were leaping up and down in their places and shouting at the tops of their voices in an effort to drown the maddening bleating voice that came from the screen. The little sandy-haired woman had turned bright pink, and her mouth was opening and shutting like that of a landed fish. Even O’Brien’s heavy face was flushed. He was sitting very straight in his chair, his powerful chest swelling and quivering as though he were standing up to the assault of a wave.
Like we mentioned earlier, writers who use third person point of view can control “camera angles,” so to speak. Unlike first person and second person, you’re not obligated to remain inside one character’s head. George Orwell takes full advantage of this: he zooms out to give us a snapshot of the entire setting, before zooming back in to focus in on O’Brien in this scene from 1984.
4. Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare
Come, bitter conduct, come, unsavoury guide!
Thou desperate pilot, now at once run on
The dashing rocks thy sea-sick weary bark!
Here’s to my love. O true apothecary,
Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die.
This scene from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is an effective instance of the dramatic irony that third person POV can offer. Romeo’s just discovered Juliet’s body. Unwilling to live in a world without the girl he has loved (for all of five days), he downs a vial of poison.
At this point, the audience knows that Juliet is not dead — but merely sedated in a ploy to escape her family. The gulf between what the audience or reader knows and what the character knows creates an almost unbearable tension, bringing the story to its climax as Juliet awakens to discover her beloved’s corpse beside her.
When should you use third person point of view?
That brings us to the ultimate question: should you use third person point of view in your own writing?
Q: Should I follow current trends or write the story I’m most passionate about?
Suggested answer
If you're planning on publishing traditionally, you need to write the story you're passionate about. The publishing industry is slow slow slow. If you're planning on submitting a query to agents and try for a deal with a big-publisher, it's likely that years will pass between when you start writing and when that book hits shelves. That's the simple truth. Even if you write your book in six months, chances are that it will take at least that, if not a few years, to get an agent, and then the agent will still need to sell that book, the publisher will need to see it edited, etc. etc. Even if you're planning on submitting your book to small publishers who work more quickly, it's likely that a few years will pass because they get so many manuscripts to review that you'll be one of many. Once they accept your work, it may well be a year or two before it's published.
The balancing act comes if you're a self-publisher writing to market in order to make a living. This happens for a rare few writers, but it does happen. Some of my clients make their livings off of books they self-publish, and they often publish 3-5 books per year. They write fast enough that they are able to write to market and follow trends, and it helps them make a living, but it really is a balancing act. You don't want to get so caught up in writing to trends that you lose your passion for writing and get bored or start putting out sub-par work, so it's important that you know who you are and what you want to write, and then you can focus on the trends/markets that relate to your own writing interests without getting needlessly sidetracked. (Note that making a living off of writing in this fashion also depends on you being not only fast and good, but planning ahead--editors, cover artists, etc. all book ahead, so you need to plan in advance in order for everyone to be on the same page and able to accommodate your timeline and catch that trend before it disappears.)
Jennifer is available to hire on Reedsy ⏺
If you write a book inspired by 2025 trends you might find that by the time it's ready for submission and even publication the trend has moved on to something new. It takes a long time to write a book: you have a better chance of sustaining momentum and enthusiasm if you stick to your passion project. I rather believe that readers pick up on that passion too.
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The issue with following current trends is that the trend may be over before you get your book completed and out to the world. If you write what you are passionate about, the story will usually end up being stronger because you are writing a story that means a lot to you, as opposed to writing something just because you think it might sell.
However, you want to be sure the story you are passionate about still has a strong possibility of selling by avoiding cliches and plots that have been overworked and overdone.
Strong stories that readers can relate to will have a good chance of finding an audience no matter the genre.
Melody is available to hire on Reedsy ⏺
As always, it depends on your book, and the story that you’re trying to tell. Before committing to third person POV, we recommend asking yourself these questions:
- How ‘close’ to you want to be to your characters? The flip side of third person POV’s flexibility is that it, by nature, keep the characters at an arm’s length. This means it’s not quite as intimate as first person, and you’ll sacrifice some immediacy for freedom.
- How will you reveal plot turns and secrets? In third person limited, the narrator sees and knows everything the main character does, and can reveal things about the protagonist that would not otherwise come out in the first person. Third person omniscient narrators are all-knowing and all-seeing — but they can choose not to reveal details.
- Which genre do you write in? Third person is so versatile that you’ll find it in almost all genres — but some genres may be even better suited for it than others. It’s a prevailing trend, for instance, in mysteries, thrillers, and epic fantasies.
If you’ve decided that you want to try it out, your next question may be which type of third person point of view is right for you. Head on to the next two posts in this series and take our quiz below for the answer.
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Which POV is right for your book?
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In the following posts, you’ll learn even more about which type of third person would best suit your own project, and get tips on how to write in third person to help you create a story that will be enjoyed by many more than three people, as it were.
