Impulsiveness : Acts on instinct without careful planning.
Perfectionism : Sets unrealistically high standards, leading to self-criticism.
Indecisiveness : Struggles to commit to decisions or choose a path.
Arrogance : Overestimates one’s abilities and dismisses others.
Pessimism : Habitually expects negative outcomes in most situations.
Cynicism : Distrusts the motives and sincerity of others.
Overconfidence : Places excessive faith in one’s skills, often underestimating risks.
Stubbornness : Resists change and refuses to adapt to new ideas.
Jealousy : Feels envious of others' success or possessions.
Insecurity : Experiences frequent self-doubt and a lack of confidence.
Procrastination : Tends to delay tasks, often leading to missed opportunities.
Passivity : Avoids taking initiative and relies on others to act.
Aggressiveness : Responds with hostility or force rather than reason.
Selfishness : Prioritizes personal gain over the welfare of others.
Fragility : Is overly sensitive to criticism and easily discouraged.
Egotism : Constantly focuses on oneself and one’s own importance.
Defensiveness : Quickly rejects or rationalizes away critique or new information.
Manipulativeness : Exploits others to fulfill personal needs or desires.
Recklessness : Shows a careless disregard for potential risks or consequences.
Resentfulness : Holds lingering bitterness and grudges over perceived wrongs.
Distractibility : Finds it hard to maintain focus amid competing interests.
Impatience : Lacks the willingness to wait, often spoiling opportunities to learn.
Perfunctory : Performs actions in a mechanical, uninspired manner.
Self-Doubt : Consistently questions personal abilities and decisions.
Arbitraryness : Makes decisions based on whim rather than reason or evidence.
Rigidity : Is inflexible and unwilling to consider alternative viewpoints.
Gullibility : Trusts too easily, often leading to being misled or deceived.
Obsession : Becomes excessively fixated on particular ideas or details.
Aloofness : Maintains emotional distance, appearing detached or indifferent.
Intolerance : Refuses to accept differing perspectives or lifestyles.
Writing Advice for Brainstorming
Mix genres and time periods: Experiment by combining elements from different eras or genres to create unique settings and narratives.
Use "what if" scenarios: Pose unexpected questions (e.g., What if time travel operated on emotions rather than mechanics?) to spark novel ideas.
Draw from diverse mediums: Engage with art, music, or even scientific papers to inspire unexpected plot twists.
Embrace absurdity: Let illogical or surreal ideas guide you; sometimes the wildest thoughts lead to compelling stories.
Reverse clichés: Identify common tropes in your favorite genres and deliberately invert them to create fresh perspectives.
Incorporate personal anomalies: Transform your idiosyncrasies and personal struggles into rich, multi-dimensional characters.
Use mind-mapping: Visually plot your ideas in a freeform way to uncover hidden connections between disparate elements.
First-Person Singular: First-person singular narration uses the pronoun “I” and is the most commonly used form of first-person point of view. This style is perfect for character-driven novels and creates a close, immersive connection between the reader and the story. However, this type of narration limits the author and the reader to a single character’s experiences, feelings, and knowledge.
First-Person Plural: This first-person narration style utilizes the pronoun “we” and is less commonly used. It combines the intimacy associated with first-person with the flexibility of third-person omniscient. First-person plural can be effective when done well but can be tedious and is limited to the collective voice.
Second Person: Second person utilizes “you” for the narrator but is more commonly used in short stories. This style easily fosters close bonds between the readers and the characters as you start to feel as if they are you.
Third-Person Limited: Narration in third person limited relies on she/her, he/him, they/them, etc., pronouns as well as the character’s name. This point of view limits the author and reader to one character’s perspective allowing the writer to exercise the closeness of first-person singular through thoughts and feelings while also offering the broader perspective of third person.
Third-Person Omniscient: This type of narration also utilizes the character’s preferred personal pronouns and name and gives the narrator god-like storytelling abilities as they can reveal any character’s thoughts, go to any time or setting, know information the characters are unaware of, and comment on events in the past, present, and future. The degree to which these abilities are used is up to you. Third-person omniscient is popular among novelists with large casts and complex plots. However, this style can lead to too many shifts in perspective.
Tips for Choosing POV
You may find that you have a preferred point of view and then realize it’s not a good fit once you start writing your story. Many writers worry about finding their voice, but sometimes the story finds it for you. If you’re unsure which point of view to choose, consider these tips to help you pick.
Explore your options. You won’t know which POV to use unless you try them all. Try writing or rewriting a scene from your story in each POV to see which style fits your novel best.
Establish your POV. Once you’ve picked a style, stick to it and let your audience know which character they’re experiencing the story through.
Note limitations. POV will decide what information your character is privy to and thus determine their actions and opinions. Take time to review your work with your character’s limitations in mind to keep your writing accurate.
Don’t be afraid to change. If you find yourself drifting into another POV as your novel progresses, don’t shy away from revising your work into the best perspective for your story. It’s also important to note that some books shift from first to third to second, and it may benefit you to find examples of novels with varied narration to help you learn to master this style.
A Quick(ish) Comprehensive Guide to Writing in Third Person Limited
When we write, one of the very first aspects we consider is the perspective of the story. Is it in first person? Second person? Third person? Third person point-of-view is arguably the most flexible perspective, but that also makes it difficult to fully grasp and harness.
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INTRODUCTION
Let's begin with the fundamental questions: what is third person and why do people use it?
> What is Third Person POV?
Third person POV is simply a narrative style in which the narrator has a broader view of all the characters and their thoughts. Unlike first person, which is seen through the eyes of one person, calling for the use of pronouns such as I, me, or my, third person uses pronouns such as he, she, or they to refer to everyone, including themselves. As the reader, we aren't meshed into the main character and viewing the story that way. Instead, we're moreso hovering from above and observing collective events, actions, and even thoughts.
There are three MAIN types of this perspective: third person omniscient, third person objective and third person limited.
Omniscient is where the narrator knows everything about the characters, events, and emotions, revealing many, if not all, of these aspects of the readers.
Objective is when the narrator focuses solely on the actions and behaviors of the characters, without providing insight to thoughts or emotions. It's an objective narration style.
Limited is where the narrator focuses on one character (which would likely be the protagonist) and centers the story around that character.
> Why Use Third Person?
To put it simply, third person can allow you to write more. You have access to multiple POVs and there is often less bias. In first person, the narrator is the character, which can cause warped views influenced by their bias.
However, for third person, the narrator is an external voice (oftentimes you), so while there can be some bias depending on the character you're hovering, there is significantly less.
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THE BASICS
In this post, I won't be talking too much about third person omniscient because it's more uncommon in writing. Instead, I will be talking about a popular variant of third person limited in which we use the POVs of multiple characters one at a time.
> Using the Correct Pronouns
In first person, we use the pronouns "I, me, my, we, etc." to describe the narrator. In second person, we use the pronouns "you, your, etc." to describe the protagonist. In third person, we use the pronouns "she, he, they, etc." to describe the protagonist.
Avoid using first or second person pronouns unless you're writing thoughts or dialogue.
> Making the POV Clear
Since we're using the perspectives of different characters (at different times), it's imperative to clarify who the perspective belongs to. You can do this simply by listing the POV before writing the part or by starting a new paragraph, which begins with a sentence starting in active voice by the focused character.
EXAMPLES
Lexi's POV:
She was astounded when she realized that...
V.S.
Lexi was astounded when she realized that...
Both examples are in third person and evidently centered around Lexi.
> Be Consistent
Be consistent with pronouns; unless you're writing thoughts and/or dialogue, make sure you're always using third person pronouns to address everything. It's easy to let it slip, but it's important not to.
Ex:
WRONG: She stares at the mirror. My hair is kind of messy, so I grab the brush.
CORRECT: She stares at the mirror. Her hair is kind of messy, so she grabs the brush.
Another thing to consider is keeping the type of third person POV consistent. If you're writing in third person limited, don't suddenly switch to omniscient. Granted, many readers may not be able to identify this kind of mistake, but it's good to practice consistency!
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GENERAL TIPS
Now, let's discuss some general ideas to keep in mind when writing in third person limited.
> Use Names
You might be thinking what? No duh I have to use names, but I'm being dead serious. In third person, you might find yourself writing out names of characters more often than when you might be using first person. This is because pronouns get confusing. If there are two girls talking, then which one is 'she'? Remember that your protagonist is also an outside character.
Use names, use different ways to identify people (the taller student, the younger employee, etc.), because even if you know who is who, the readers might not.
> Objectiveness
One of the pros of using third person to storytell is the objectiveness that it grants. First person comes with many biases, which can warp how the reader views the characters, actions, and events of the story.
However, in third person, you want your narrator to be as unbiased as possible. Be objective. Describe things as they are. Sure, sometimes a character's opinion might influence the story, but it shouldn't be too excessive.
> Be Descriptive
I'm sure I've said this only about one million times now, but third person POV is broad. You can talk about anyone, anything, and you can even explain events unrelated and outside of your protagonist's bubble, which you normally can't do in first person.
So be descriptive. You don't have to worry about how a specific may view something because we're in third person. There's so much more for you to describe, you just have to take advantage of it.
You can describe your protagonist's enemy with both distaste and detached neutrality; you can describe minute details of a tree without making your main character seem overdramatic--you just have to do it.
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ADDITIONAL TIPS
> When to Change Perspectives
In third person limited POV, it's common and often necessary to change the character the narrator hovers around. This is because only following the protagonist is, well, quite limited. So, when do we change which character we follow?
Show Events Outside of the Protagonist: If you have part of the cast (such as the antagonist) that's taking action outside of what the MC is aware of, and you want to show what's happening, this is a good time to switch perspectives!
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Show Different Reactions to the Same Event: Let's say an intense incident just occurred that affected multiple people. Switching perspectives here can be quite useful because it allows you to show how different characters handle and view the same situation. This also helpful because it gives the reader deeper insight to the characters!
> Incorporating Character
I talked about this alone in a separate post, but I'll reiterate it again. Many people believe that third person POV is less interesting because there's "less personality" in its writing compared to first person.
This is mainly due to the standard objectivity that comes with third person, but it doesn't mean you can't include hints of character within your writing outside of dialogue and thoughts.
At the end of the day, it all comes down to word choice and a bit of sentence structure. Different words and phrases have different connotations, and though it seems like a very subtle detail to focus on, it does impact your writing.
Try to use vocabulary that fits the character you're hovering. Vocabulary that they might use.
If you're writing from the perspective of an angrier character, maybe you'll use cruder language during their section. If it's a more dramatic character, perhaps you'll use more theatrical language and flowy sentence structures mixed with choppy ones.
EX:
1. He felt stupidly annoyed at the man's assumptions.
2. He felt irritated at the man's assumptions.
3. He felt fed up with the man's assumptions.
Those three examples all have similar meanings and identical sentence structures. However, you'll notice that there are slightly different connotations per each sentence.
For number one, it sounds like the character is upset that he's so annoyed. This offers the idea that the character feels he shouldn't be as annoyed as he is, quietly hinting that he isn't the type to get ruffled easily or at least, not towards such assumptions.
For number two, the statement is very direct. The character is irritated. He might not be as displeased as number one or three, but he is still annoyed. However, the forwardness of the statement might suggest that he's a pretty straightforward guy who's expresses his emotions frankly.
Lastly, for number three, the character sounds more tired and possibly angry. He's done with the assumptions. It can be assumed that he's the type who's more likely to take action than the other two.
Now, these are really simple examples, but you can see that the word changes do slightly alter the meaning of the sentence and evoke separate emotions based on the character of the perspective's owner.
If the character uses the word "excessively" instead of "very," we might think that the character is more eloquent.
Yes, all of these descriptions technically belong to the narrator, but there's no linear way to write the narrator. In this case, they act like a mirror, reflecting the voice of the character.
CONCLUSION
We're at the end! This was a MUCH larger post than I expected to write, so kudos to anyone who's read more than 50% of this LOL.
All in all, third person POV isn't actually terribly difficult to get the hang of. You'll need some practice, as with anything, but you'll understand it better the more you work on it--with or without my help!
The biggest point is to make sure your pronouns are in check. Don't use "I, me, my or you, yours, you're" unless you're writing dialogue or thoughts!
Hope this has been helpful! Reach out to me for any questions; I'd love to answer them!
Deep Point of View - a way of writing fiction in third-person limited that silences the narrative voice and takes the reader directly into a character’s mind.
While third-person limited writing attaches to a single character and refers to them by their name or pronouns, deep POV takes it one step further—eliminating filter words and writing as the character instead of about them. For example, consider the following sentence:
He peered out the window. “Are they coming for me?” he wondered as he listened to the sound of distant hoofbeats.
The above could be written in deep POV as follows:
He peered out the window. Were they coming for him? Hoofbeats rumbled in the distance.
How to Write in Deep Point of View
If you’ve decided to bring the reader in close by using deep POV, apply these 8 writing tips as you begin to craft your story.
Create an in-depth character sketch before you write. In order to speak as your point-of-view character, you need to really know who they are. Create an in-depth profile of your character, including everything from their backstory to what they do for a living. This will help you create the character’s voice and inform their motivations for what they say and do.
Use the character’s voice instead of the narrative voice. With deep third-person POV, you’re cutting out the middleman and getting information right from the source—your POV character. When you shift into this perspective, the narrative voice suddenly feels like an author intrusion which distracts the reader and pulls them out of the moment. Be sure to write from your character’s mind.
Get rid of dialogue tags. The first time you establish that you’re writing in deep POV, the reader knows we’re in the character’s head, so you don’t need dialogue tags attached to thoughts. Including phrases like “she felt” or “she said” would keep the reader at a distance, so write sentences without those markers. For example, instead of saying “Jeanie felt Bob’s behavior was out of character,” get into Jeanie’s head and say, “Bob never acted this way.” You’re explaining the moment from Jeanie’s experience rather than from an outside observation.
Know the limits of writing deep point of view. Since deep POV is a variation of third-person limited, you follow just one character and only know the information they know—so no head-hopping. In deep POV, you know only what your viewpoint character knows. You also see what they see, feel what they feel, and hear what they hear. Your reader should be experiencing the story as your character experiences it. If another character is angry, your viewpoint character will observe their expression or read their body language, so tell the story from how they experience that interaction.
Show, don’t tell. Showing rather than telling paints a picture for the reader. It creates that immersive sensory experience that is unique to writing in deep POV. Write the sights, sounds, and feelings of a moment as if the reader were experiencing them in real life.
Use the active voice. Use active verbs rather than passive voice constructions to place an action at the center of a scene. Consider this sentence, which uses passive voice: “Jon was buried under the wave.” The wave was the actor and Jon was the thing acted upon, but the moment of action is missing. An alternative that uses active voice might be: “The wave curled and buried Jon under ten feet of water and foam.” In this construction, the action verbs “curled” and “buried” demonstrate the wave acting upon Jon. The mentions of the depth and the foam add description. Another alternative that uses active voice might be: “Jon fell under the wave, the weight of the water unbearable and suffocating.” In this sentence, Jon is the actor; the action he takes is to fall. The writer also shares what the water feels like. Where possible, prioritize using active verbs over passive voice constructions to bring the action in your scene to life.
Use internal dialogue to place the reader in the character’s head. Deep POV allows readers to be included in a character’s thoughts. Cut out filter words to get the reader into the character’s head to hear internal dialogue for themselves: “Jim stared at the pizza and debated whether or not to eat another slice” vs. “Jim stared at the pizza. Should he have another slice?” Notice how in the second example, the internal dialogue in deep POV slips into the present tense while the other text remains in past tense. Writing character thoughts in present tense takes the reader into the moment as if it’s happening in real time.
Use deep POV in scenes that call for it. You might write your book in limited third and reserve deep POV for scenes that warrant a more introspective look. Consider this example: “Sara noticed he wasn’t wearing his wedding ring and wondered if he deliberately took it off before he met up with her.” That’s an interesting observation in a story and worthy of deeper exploration. Try cutting the distance between Sara and the reader: “His wedding ring was missing. Did he take it off before he got here?” g was missing. Did he take it off before he got here?”
Reasons to Write in Deep Point of View
Deep POV, sometimes called close third, can be a hard writing technique to perfect. Once you learn how to capture your POV character’s voice, you’ll soon learn the benefits of writing from this perspective.
Just like first-person writing, third-person deep POV focuses on a single character.
Deep POV creates deeper connection between readers and characters. Deep POV shortens the narrative distance between readers and the POV character, forging a deeper connection between the two. Unlike stories with third-person omniscient narrators, a story written in deep POV allows readers to look through the character’s lens and follow the plot from their perspective.
Deep POV strengthens character development. In deep POV, a reader is nestled inside the character’s head, privy to their thoughts and desires. Authors can use this ability to reveal more about who a character is, including personality traits and motivations. Deep POV gives readers a front-row seat to a character’s evolution through the narrative arc of a story.
Deep POV makes a storyline come alive. Deep POV creates an immersive experience for readers. It places them in a position to hear, see, and feel a story instead of being told what’s going on. When a writer uses deep POV, the character’s experience and the reader’s experience are one and the same.
Deep POV is a more concise way of writing. By removing dialogue tags and unnecessary adverbs and filler words, deep POV achieves tighter writing. For example, read this line: “Jay was terrified of the principal. She always yelled at him during recess when he wasn’t doing anything wrong.” Now consider this version of the line rewritten in deep POV: “The principal walked toward Jay, who trembled. What had he done wrong this time?”
I've recently been using this writing software called ellipsus ever since google started putting ai in google docs. It's amazing and feels more polished. I love it!
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