Interiority in Third Person Narrative
by Mary Kole | Former literary agent, now a freelance editor, writing teacher, and IP/story developer for major publishers and creators.
Writers need to work extra hard to convey emotion successfully in third person narrative, because this particular POV (point of view) creates a sense of narrative distance that puts space between the character and the reader. First person narrative closes this distance and creates a lot of immediacy and access to character, which is popular in middle grade literature and young adult fiction, especially. But first person POV is not the right choice for all projects. Sometimes third person narrative is the best option, but you don’t want to lose that emotional connection. So how do you tackle this POV problem?
Using the tool of interiority in third person narrative is not easy, but very important. If it’s missing, then the reader may feel disconnected from the story. At times, first person can seem more “up close” since readers are privy to the protagonist's thoughts, emotions and reactions in real time. The good news is that you can add these exact elements to your third person narrative, not just first person.
Interiority Is Essential for Third Person Narrative
Interiority matters because the character is usually the reader’s closest link to the events of the story, and readers relate to characters by accessing their experiences. Access to character feelings and their inner life also directs reader engagement. If something happens in the narrative and readers do not know how to feel about it (which should be rare since context and anticipation should be built into major plot points), they will look to the protagonist for a reaction, and make their judgments accordingly. If a protagonist responds to an event in a panic, then readers know the event is awful, etc.
If there aren't enough cues or reactions coming from characters for a while, readers can be left feeling uncertain or confused. This creates a disconnect between them and the character, and if that connection isn’t nurtured or too many gaps emerge, then it’s unlikely that they will form a meaningful bond with your manuscript. Especially in third person narrative, where the chance of disconnection is greater.
Interiority allows you to dig more deeply into a character’s thoughts and feelings in any given moment. This applies in third person narrative as much as first.
How to Create Engaging Third Person Narrative Point of View
Third person narrative is more “distant” than first person, which makes it more difficult for the reader to access interiority. As a result, third person writers need to work harder to make sure the reader comprehends the protagonist’s inner world.
In close third person narrative, readers only have access to one character for each scene or chapter. Writers can also stick with one character throughout—usually the protagonist—which is most similar to first person. Utilizing an “omniscient third” approach demands advanced characterization and voice for each character whose perspective you access, and I wouldn’t recommend this technique for writers early in their craft development.
Tools for Writing Close Third Person Narrative
In close third person narrative, authors have a few options. They can use a “thought tag,” putting a character’s thought in italics, then adding “s/he thought” after it. For example:
I’m going to fail this test, she thought.
Or they can just leave the text of the verbatim thought italicized and omit the tag. For example:
Why did I ever think calculus was a good idea? What an idiot.
You’ll notice that the substance of the thoughts are in first person, even though you are writing third person narrative overall. This is important to remember, as we usually think in first person.
Another choice is to include thoughts in third person narrative, without first person, dialogue tags, or italics. Then the substance of the thoughts will be in third person as well. For example:
She looked at the exam in disgust before handing it over and skulking away, certain she’d failed.
That sentence conveys a lot of emotion, without containing direct thought. You can also add dialogue and action to create a sense of the character’s emotional experience in third person narrative:
“This is just great,” she muttered as she trudged out of the exam room and slammed the door behind her.
Interiority helps readers connect with characters and convey emotion. You can do this through dialogue, action, or direct thoughts in third person narrative. To create a strong connection between character and reader, it’s important to inject emotion in writing.
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