Jumping around

This is not about trampolining it's Third Person Limited Perspective

This is what I understand so far - although often I feel like I can diving in without a clue!

It is a fun perspective,  you can change the viewpoint to more than one character. This can be confusing for the writer and reader. Ensure a new viewpoint is clearly marked - the characters name at the beginning of a chapter is common.

Remember in this style the narrator does not have a voice - this would be omniscient.

What is good about it? 

Many viewpoints.

Characters are she, he, and they, not  I, we, and us.

This is when you have a given scene from a particular characters viewpoint. Nothing is written that the character cannot see or know. For example they cannot see their cheeks redden, they can feel the heat.

Description is through a characters eyes, what they can't see you don't write.

It is a reliable perspective as the reader can obtain more information from many sources.

Thoughts are generally in italics or ".."she thought  or - ...-   I hate italics as they are hard to read, my eyes are not as good as they used to be!

You can swap between close up narrative - as if you are on the character's shoulder- and camera - as if you are watching the scene from a camera mounted on the wall. 


I am still a little confused between this and first person - ho hum, I'll get there. I think I have written Intimate Lines in third limited. 

Here is an excerpt -

Nadia watched him pull the door open with one hand whilst the other swept through his wild hair. If he was trying to smarten his appearance before asking Jessica for a favour, he was wasting his time. She lowered her head and the ghost of a smile graced her lips. Jessica didn’t do favours, and he didn’t do smart. She knew who he was. Jack Peterson, the college art teacher and heartthrob of many a student’s dreams. He attended the gallery’s shows, pausing to admire a worthy painting or wrinkling his nose in dismay at what some people call art. She had watched him drinking coffee in the Cup and Kettle, so engrossed in a book that he didn’t notice the tipping of the cup paused mid-flight, until a drip landed on his jeans, adding to the artwork of stains.

            ‘Oh Jack darling, how pleasant to see you on this miserable grey day,’ Jessica glided across the gallery and place two perfectly formed air kisses either side of his stubble shadowed cheeks. Her eyes flitted across his dishevelled appearance and her nose twitched.

Jack smiled. ‘Jessica. You are looking as beautiful as ever. How is business?’ He glanced around the pristine gallery with its most recent works of art displayed in a sensitive and attractive manner.