by Glory Lennon

Created on: July 14, 2009   Last Updated: July 17, 2009

Writers being vastly different each have their own favorite way of writing. While some may say the third person point of view is easiest, another may say they can't seem to get the hang of it and therefore grow to hate it. But with a few simple tips anyone can do a great job writing in the third person.

To begin the three different points of view should be clarified. First person is identified by the use of "me, myself and I". The article is the writer telling the story through his eyes. This is often a personal experience, the writer's opinion or, in the case of fiction, the writer pretending to be the main character. An example being: I wrote this article.

Second person is the writer speaking directly to the reader, easily spotted by the use of "you". This is seen as a friendly point of view because it instantly connects with the reader. The reader feels the writer is talking straight to him. An example of this is: Read this article and you will learn how to write in the third person.

Lastly the third person is basically a disembodied voice which stays a bit impersonal and detached when telling the story much like a narrator. This is readily identified by the use of "he, she, them and they" and absolutely no mention of "you, me, myself and I". An example of the third person point of view is: This article will tell the reader how to write in the third person.

The third person point of view is considered the most profession approach to writing because of its detached, un-opinionated tone and it is prized in Helium's Marketplace, so it is well worth mastering. To do this the writer needs to stick to the facts and any opinions he may have must be worded in such a way as to not sound like an opinion at all. That may be where people have a difficulty.

This is understandable. How in the world can an opinion be given without it sounding as such? It takes practice and diligence. For example, if the article being written is about tadpoles turning to frogs the writer shouldn't start off saying, "When I was a kid I was fascinated to see tadpoles turning into frogs every summer." That brings the article right back to the first person point of view and a personal account. Instead the article should say, "Kids all over spend summers watching in fascination tadpoles turning into frogs."

The writer has to pretend to be writing about the subject as if he isn't part of the story, because, basically, he isn't supposed to be unless he happens to be named Kermit The Frog.

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