It sometimes helps to think of viewpoint as a kind of camera, with the author using the viewfinder and zoom functions. How the author handles this 'viewpoint camera' determines how the reader will see the story and characters.
Think about the range of cameras that are available today. Google Earth uses satellite view and can zoom in from hundreds of miles out to a close-up view in streetscape. At the other end of the spectrum, developing technology has given the world tiny cameras on the end of probes that can send back pictures from inside the human body. (This might be getting closer to first-person point of view: knowing what is going on inside only one person's body and mind for the whole book.)
Omniscient Point of View
Omniscient viewpoint is not tied to one character. Like Google Earth's satellite view, the author can pan across a vast landscape, seeing all and knowing all (and reporting it all to the reader). It's then possible to zoom in; first on one person, then on another. But 'viewpoint cameras' have one advantage over normal cameras: they can also tap into any character's thoughts. (Now that's something that technology has not yet mastered: a camera with ESP.)
There are drawbacks to using omniscient viewpoint. Firstly, readers can become dizzy because of constant movement from one character's viewpoint to another's. They lose track of whose head they are supposed to be in. They never really identify closely with any one character. The minute they start to get comfortable looking out through one character's eyes and feeling that person's emotions, they're rudely yanked out and sent into someone else's head. In addition, knowing what everyone is thinking can destroy tension and suspense.
Third Person Limited Point of View
The limited third person narrator experiences the whole story, scene by scene, through the eyes of one character at a time. This does not mean that the story must be told only by one person. It is quite okay to switch to another character's viewpoint occasionally, but there should be only one viewpoint character in each scene. (In omniscient viewpoint, the viewpoint could change a dozen times in one scene – or the author could show what a whole group of people is feeling or thinking.)
Points to remember About Using Third Person Limited Viewpoint
- The viewpoint character can see, hear and feel only what he experiences directly. He can only guess at what other characters are thinking – he doesn't know for sure.
- Never switch viewpoint in the middle of a scene.
- There must be a clear break between one viewpoint character and the next -- a line break (between scenes) or a chapter break.
- If more than one viewpoint character is used in the story, the author must make it clear whose viewpoint is being used as close to the beginning of the scene as possible.
Third person limited point of view (or POV) is a good choice for most writers. It enables writers to build suspense by showing what different characters feel and think, while allowing readers to identify closely with the Main viewpoint character. Those new to plotting and writing a book will find that the whole process becomes much easier once they have decided how to handle viewpoint.
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