Each time she sat down to write, she knew it was of utmost importance to not only write with clarity, but find a viewpoint that suited the story best. She would sometimes stare at the computer, scratch her head, get up to walk to the kitchen to get some water or stop to sort through papers, then eventually plop back down in front of the screen that certainly wasn’t friendly often.  She at first drew a blank, but eventually began to formulate her idea so it would be understood.
This was the life of a writer. And she knew this to be true. It was her duty to write a story that would capture the reader, hold them rooted to the seat. Â There was an awareness that from the eyes of the protaganists and antagonists would come a well spring of interactions (i.e. plot twists) that would unfold into something familiar, or excitingly unfamiliar, but interesting, for the reader.
A powerful tool for communication, she thought, was third person narrative. “Third person narration comes in three forms; limited, objective and omniscient.  Within each, there are challenges,” she mused introspectively.  “Difficulties that must be overcome, but can only be overcome through daily practice.”
She imagined what it would be like to write a limited third person story, knowing that the only thoughts that could be known in the work were the thoughts of the protaganist. Â It would be difficult to move a story forward having only the device of dialogue and the visual actions of the other characters to move things along. But the challenge was one that did not daunt.
The water sat on the desk, jiggling as she typed.  “Objective third person.”  It was complex to develop a story not being in any character’s head, but only recording those things seen and heard, nothing more, she thought.  Her nose wrinkled as her personal preference rose to the surface, as though she were having an allergic reaction to the objective third person viewpoint. But, she knew it would one day serve her to learn how to write this way for a novel. Journalists, she knew, employed this method of writing daily.
Finally, she pondered the one most ventured by writers, omniscient third person. This method, although saddled with its own difficulties, seemed to be, in many respects, the easiest for writers, she imagined. She grabbed a yellow notepad and jotted down a few notes, adding yet another item to her already too long to do list.
The phone began to ring, but she ignored it. She needed to complete her thoughts on third person and could not be interrupted. As she turned her attenetion back to the issue at hand, she realized that third person was a powerful tool, no matter the form. She gazed out the window and thought about all the writers who have created life changing stories in third person. She wondered if she could employ it with the same power and strength of those who came before her. Although not entirely sure, she knew that come what may, she would try. It was her destiny as a writer…and nothing would cause her to stray from her path.
——
I’m sure it was evident in this piece that I was employing the very thing I was talking about, third person narration.
PDF 
if you liked that, then you'll like these:
I saw the moon dripping with the Tender juices of the hot summer night, Da...
This book by Thomas Sawyer Spivey  wasn't easy to stay with. Once you get p...
january 2010 • long pond, pa
Tags: writing
