In the final installment of my series on Narrative Viewpoint: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly, I’d like to talk about the “viewpoint” that annoys me the most. In fact, I question whether it’s even a legitimate narrative point-of-view at all. It’s what I call “third-person ugly”—not quite third-person limited or third-person omniscient, but some monstrous thing in between.
This “narrative viewpoint” is downright monstrous! |
Understand third-person: read George R.R. Martin! |
By beginning the story in the most intimate of the third-person viewpoints, the author has made a certain covenant with the reader that, yes, this will be a third-person limited story! But then the author suddenly—and inexplicably—breaks that covenant by shattering the intimate bond between the reader and the character. Just when we thought we were getting to know the character—wham!—we’re forced into someone else’s head!
Every time I see this in a novel it reminds me of the movie The Matrix. Being in the story world is like being plugged into the Matrix through a single character’s point of view. Let’s say it’s Neo. We’re rocking along in Neo’s mind, following his actions though the story when suddenly, back on the Nebuchadnezzar, someone rips the plug out of Neo’s head and tries to plug it into Trinity’s head. For an instant we’re disconnected from the Matrix; we’ve been thrown out of the story. And as soon as we get back there, we’re wondering: What happened, who am I?
Don’t unplug the reader from the Matrix! |
So here’s my view: Unless a writer is going to risk everything with a true third-person omniscient point-of-view—and I mean risk everything since this can be the worst viewpoint of all when it’s not executed masterfully—then just stick to third-person limited and play by the rules. No shifting viewpoints until after a scene break or chapter break. Period.