The Journey to Writing a Successful Story: a tip book

Thoughts in Different Points of View

This was requested and I am very sorry that I couldn't get to it in time.

Anyway...

The user had asked how to write thoughts in different points of view. I wasn't entirely too sure what they meant, meaning are they wanting to know how to write thoughts in omniscient point of view or by switching from each character's point of view, and the question is how to distinguish both types of characters.

I thought I'd put both answers together and hopefully be able to answer the user's burning question.

I first want to start off with some introduction for the omniscient point of view.

There are various types of third person, mainly three:

- Third person limited which is like first person where the narrator knows only thoughts and feelings for one character only, but unlike first person, where you use "I," "myself," and "me," you use the "he/she" version.

- Third person multiple which is the same thing, only you're using different points of view. However, it's one at a time. Unlike switching like omniscient, you're only focusing on one character during each chapter or scene break.

- Third person omniscient which is where the narrator plays God; they know everything in the story, from the thoughts and feelings of each character to knowing what will happen in the story. The story can also include their comments as well.

In literature, the first two types are usually used because omniscient is the hardest point of view to master. 

One of the reasons why new writers are writing omniscient wrong, according to some research, they are confusing it with something called "head-hopping." Head-hopping is where you want to show what everyone is thinking and writes it down as if it were third person multiple. Of course omniscient can do that, but it should be used by the narrator's voice, not the character's.

When the character's voice is used in omniscient, the main issue is the fact that the character is talking about things they shouldn't know. The writer must be careful when writing in this type of point of view.

However, one must also need to choose which type of omniscient point of view that is needed for the narrator. You can choose objective, which is where the narrator is present, but they are invisible. They don't have a personality or any thoughts on the events and situations that happen throughout the story. They also don't know or or won't reveal the internal thoughts, motives, or feelings of the characters, but the narrator sticks to the external areas of the story. Kind of like how you watch a movie; you're following the characters around because of the camera - you, the viewer, only know of the scene and their expressions, but don't know what they're thinking.

Or you can choose subjective where it's the opposite.

So now to the actual question: how to write the thoughts?

In the objective POV, you can't write them down. It's okay to be like: "Yes!" said Mary as she smiled after she got off the phone.

As opposed to: "Yes!" said Mary as she smiled after she got off the phone, feeling a constant warm feeling in her body.

Remember, the narrator doesn't know Mary's thoughts or her internal feelings. So it cannot be revealed.

For subjective, it's different. Here's an example from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: And she tried to curtsy as she spoke—fancy, curtsying as you're falling through the air! Do you think you could manage it?

So there's an example of the narrator's part. Now how about the character's? Well, it's going to be tell-y. I don't want to be the barrier of bad news, but omniscient is pretty difficult to grasp (for me to tell you). So from my own research on this, it doesn't seem that you'll be using internal thoughts, like in Italics. However, you'd be describing them. Here's an example: "She ran down the empty street. Fear burned inside her like wild fire. The man was chasing her." 

As opposed to: "She ran down the empty street. The man was chasing her."

Now, let's move onto the second part:

If you're writing multiple characters and you're wondering how to distinguish their thoughts, it's kind of simple (in a complex way, if that makes sense).

You first have to understand the differences between each person. What are their personalities like?

Then try to write that in their point of view.

Here's an example:

Let's say Kelly is this silly, odd character who is very secure and confident. Her best friend is Jamie, a serious and insecure person who, in public, tries her hardest to act like an emotionless robot.

Both are very different.

When you narrate in Kelly's point of view, it needs to sound like a confident person who is very weird. And when you switch over to Jamie's point of view, it needs to sound like who she is as well.

When we're also entering their points of views, everything matters. Let's say Jamie - because she's insecure and serious - pays attention to the littlest details. Whether it's the wrinkles on someone's face or the way someone's eyes lit up when they meet another person; it tells you how she is so invested in the world around her, unlike Kelly who probably isn't. Who probably doesn't notice someone's eye color when meeting them, or doesn't notice the tone of voice someone has when they're being lied to.

These types of details will help distinguish the difference between them. But with their thoughts, you have to understand how they think. Maybe when Jamie is "talking" to someone, she's thinking of what their day would be like when they go their separate ways? Maybe Kelly thinks about what spaghetti tacos would taste like?