AFAWN - 3rd Person Omniscient

If I had to pick one piece of advice I’ve received since beginning to write that I wish I knew from the very start, it would be this. Do not write in 3rd person omniscient!

When I was interested in publishing my first book, The Twisted Gate, I asked some friends and family if they’d be interested in acting as beta readers. One piece of feedback that stuck with me was the difficulty in connecting with my characters. Now, I’m an analytical guy, so I’ve always known that my strengths were more in plot development than in creating relatable characters. So, at the time I thought maybe this was just a weakness of mine I’d have to work on (it is, but it wasn’t just that). When I hired an editor, I made very clear that this one issue concerned me the most about my writing and I asked her if she had any tips for me. Almost immediately, she pointed out that I was writing in 3rd person omniscient.

3rd Person Omniscient is a style of writing where as the author in any given scene, you are floating above it all, able to observe everything that happens. You are able to hear what everyone says, know what their inner thoughts and emotions are, and see any and all actions that take place. The problem with this style of writing is that it forces you to constantly change the POV as you jump from character to character. This can be disorienting for the reader and make it difficult for them to connect with any one character. To resolve this, consider writing in 3rd person limited, which forces the reader to experience the scene through the senses of one character, typically your main character or maybe just the most important one in that scene. This will allow your readers to better connect with that character and feel like they’re more inside the story, and not just floating above it all.