Yes, you can report a conversation to the reader, but they are still hearing the story from the outside looking in. It is hard to be relatable when you are writing in third person. Think of how a news reporter would portray the storyline, just with a whole lot more depth and detail! The Bad The writer shows no bias towards any character. You decide when the reader finds out each fact, each action, each word that is spoken, and ultimately what happens to everyone in the story.Īlso, a third person writer has no emotional involvement in what’s happening. After all, you created them! When writing in third person, you are in complete control, and can share your all-knowingness with the reader when you want to…or you can hold back. You know why they love and why they hate. You know their history, why they think the way they do, why they do what they do, what they did last week, and what they will do next month. This omniscient viewpoint is very valuable because it lets you inside each character’s mind. Conversely, when you’re writing in third person, you know all and see all: past, present, and future. There is nothing outside of that character’s perspective. In first person, everything is limited to what the main character-one person-sees and feels. You can paint a bigger picture if you are writing in the third person. Now, here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly about writing in the third person. The basic element of writing in third person is the fact that the writer plays the role of a narrator, and is not one of the story’s characters. Photo by designedbyjess Writing in Third Person

Another word for you in third person