The more I write, the more I move toward what I'm jokingly called 3rd person far. It's one notch closer than max zoom out on Omniscient. I'll change POVs, I'll pick a person in a scene as my primary POV to follow, but that doesn't stop me from marking digging into someone else's head. These are all tools a writer should use, and use the one you think tells the story best and people can keep their pet peeves on a leash.
Great rant. I use a mix of third close and third Omni in the same book and I hope it gave someone a headache.
;-).
Thst said, I personally find head hopping in a scene distracting when I read, so I tey to do single scenes from one character's POV, but fire fights and space battles are just hard as hell to do that way. First also makes space battles a tad more difficult, and I am honestly surprised no one complained about it after reading Galaxy's Most Wanted!
*raises hand* Yup. I asked whether you were using 3rd omniscient on one of your manuscripts because it isn't commonly used in the manuscripts I read. Plus, writing 3rd omni is so far outside my own comfort zone for writing and giving critiques that I end up focusing on story structure, grammar, typos, punctuation, and word choice when critiquing. It's why we've begun asking for a heads up on the story's genre and viewpoint, so that we don't give you bad advice.
I've enjoyed 3rd omni, but it is so tricky to do well. Because the narrator's voice is the focus, you have to weigh how much to share with the reader.
There was a book series by two big name authors that had the narrator's voice bopping in every once in a while to tell the reader that the characters in the scene don't die but become fast friends into old age, like the grandfather in the Princess Bride movie. That totally trashed the story tension for me, and I won't re-read those books again despite the fact that one of those authors is still a personal favorite. 🤦♂️ Another negative example is the original Dragonlance novels. There was no common narrator voice, and that was so full of head hopping it was ridiculous, IMHO.
Prime example of 3rd omniscient done well: Alan Dean Foster ghost wrote "Star Wars" for George Lucas. Read the deathstar trench scene when he flows from tiny battle to tiny battle while keeping you deep in the tension and involved with the pilots of those beat up Y-Wings and X-Wings. 🫡 Someday, I would love to write 3rd omni that well. 🤞
TL; DR: I look forward to reading more of your manuscripts, Jesse. 🙂
I'm going to write everything in 4th person present tense. Stories from the perspective of the Borg's collective hivemind.
Also, agree with you here. Do what you like. Rules are for dorks.
YES!!!!!
The more I write, the more I move toward what I'm jokingly called 3rd person far. It's one notch closer than max zoom out on Omniscient. I'll change POVs, I'll pick a person in a scene as my primary POV to follow, but that doesn't stop me from marking digging into someone else's head. These are all tools a writer should use, and use the one you think tells the story best and people can keep their pet peeves on a leash.
Great rant. I use a mix of third close and third Omni in the same book and I hope it gave someone a headache.
;-).
Thst said, I personally find head hopping in a scene distracting when I read, so I tey to do single scenes from one character's POV, but fire fights and space battles are just hard as hell to do that way. First also makes space battles a tad more difficult, and I am honestly surprised no one complained about it after reading Galaxy's Most Wanted!
Interesting and thanks for sharing
*raises hand* Yup. I asked whether you were using 3rd omniscient on one of your manuscripts because it isn't commonly used in the manuscripts I read. Plus, writing 3rd omni is so far outside my own comfort zone for writing and giving critiques that I end up focusing on story structure, grammar, typos, punctuation, and word choice when critiquing. It's why we've begun asking for a heads up on the story's genre and viewpoint, so that we don't give you bad advice.
I've enjoyed 3rd omni, but it is so tricky to do well. Because the narrator's voice is the focus, you have to weigh how much to share with the reader.
There was a book series by two big name authors that had the narrator's voice bopping in every once in a while to tell the reader that the characters in the scene don't die but become fast friends into old age, like the grandfather in the Princess Bride movie. That totally trashed the story tension for me, and I won't re-read those books again despite the fact that one of those authors is still a personal favorite. 🤦♂️ Another negative example is the original Dragonlance novels. There was no common narrator voice, and that was so full of head hopping it was ridiculous, IMHO.
Prime example of 3rd omniscient done well: Alan Dean Foster ghost wrote "Star Wars" for George Lucas. Read the deathstar trench scene when he flows from tiny battle to tiny battle while keeping you deep in the tension and involved with the pilots of those beat up Y-Wings and X-Wings. 🫡 Someday, I would love to write 3rd omni that well. 🤞
TL; DR: I look forward to reading more of your manuscripts, Jesse. 🙂
Always appreciate you as a beta reader! You give great insights and wisdom, and that time was no exception. We are both going to make great things!
💪
What a lovely, Epic rant! well said, and totally agree.