The Big Question: First or Third

[Orion]

I write in third person limited. It means that you are narrating from the character's point of view but only with the information that character knows.

[Orion]

I actually read that some people see third person limited and third person omniscient different to how I do. Some say limited means writing in third person but only from one point of view for the whole book (eg. Harry Potter) and that third person omniscient is the head hopping style (which I write and prefer). The next level up from that is universal omniscient or something similar where the narrator knows all (eg. little did John know he would meet that same guy again tomorrow).

[Super Buu]

Though people will tell you not to, there's no reason why you can't switch perspectives from limited to omniscient and so on. Many writers go from past into present tense in scenes that call for more vividity. I like doing it for fights and dreams and such.

[Orion]

I prefer head hopping since it allows you to explore what's happening in a variety of characters heads instead of just the one. I realise that you don't get as much development of the main character but that doesn't bother me.

Perhaps I'd look at the third person limited style for a certain type of book, one that doesn't have a shit ton of characters and back stories, but I like to write big epic stories that involve many people and it's just too tempting to see the world through other people's eyes.

[Blue]

The Wheel of Time series and The Shannara books are prime examples of the head-hopping style.

[Piper Juunanagou]

Doesn't the perspective change occasionally in Harry Potter?

[Kaden]

It definitely does. There are plenty of times where you get Hermione's or Haggrid's or Vlodemort's snake's perspective.

[Orion]

Oh. I heard that it was mostly from Harry's perspective, and Rowling employed things like the invisibility cloak for Harry and the readers to learn things that he couldn't know otherwise. I haven't actually read the series though.

[Jonathan Meer]

Game of Thrones does it

[Kaden]

Oh. I heard that it was mostly from Harry's perspective, and Rowling employed things like the invisibility cloak for Harry and the readers to learn things that he couldn't know otherwise. I haven't actually read the series though.

You should. It's incredibly well-written.

[Jonathan Meer]

Agreed. Both technically and substantially.

There's a significant shift in tone over the course of the series, though, so if the first couple seem childish, soldier through.