is there a hierarchy of clues via the senses? he mentions an auditory clue being the thing that you're gonna wanna look for when in first person and talking about ex. John walking through the door, you're gonna wanna express that the MC heard the door open due to that being the auditory clue to let the MC (and reader) know that someone came through the door. so it was sound first, then sighting John who came through the door. what i'm wondering then: is that hierarchy (hear, then see, etc.) a stricter rule (not Law, mind) than a guideline you can decide to take or leave?
Suddenly a comment will strike you, and you will know what must be done. You will scroll up, finally setting your mind to that task, and you will click Like.
11:23 What happens if you're writing a story in which you would only show the protagonists? It's kind of like a mix between omniscient and limited view.
I would appreciate some clarification from anyone who can help me please. when the narrator talks about weather and or landscape or whatever, to set a scene or describe setting, etc, and the character isn't experiencing it, is that still third person limited? For instance in Harry Potter, there is usually mention of seasons or weather outside of the castle, or descriptions and actions of other students and Harry may or may not have experienced, witnessed, and does not appear to be relaying the info through through the narrator. It reads comfortably, to me. Are these just narrations regardless whether they're limited vs omniscient? Can the narrator mention what he or she wants to, even if the main character isn't around nor the one involved? Mentioning a snowy day is omniscient if the character is sleeping? Or can my narrator mention things like that in the story and still me third person limited, just not with the main character directly experiencing it? Sorry if this is confusing, I've been trying to figure it out for a long time now and it's frustrating because there are plenty of answers about character thoughts and feelings, but no help when it comes to narration questions not involving character thoughts and feelings, such as landscapes, weather, architecture, etc. I understand those things should be revealed through the experience and voice of the character, but sometimes I think it's nice to say that it was a rainy day, just o set the mood and atmosphere, while the kid was playing in the basement, maybe not knowing it was raining outside. The reason I'm trying hard to figure out the rules of omniscient vs limited narration (minus characters' thoughts and feelings, because I think I understand that rule) is because I'm trying to write a story and think that third person limited is a good choice for me, but I want to be able to talk about the setting and various minor yet immersive things here and there (like in the Harry Potter examples above) and I don't know if by including those things such as describing the weather, time of day, setting, other characters, etc, when the characters isn't necessary around (upstairs, asleep, not really observing the things the narrator is describing) if the narration will become omniscient by default having included those descriptions, or if it's still considered third person limited. I guess I am getting confused when it comes to narration in general; setting, history, landscapes, appearances, descriptions, etc. If a character is sleeping or elsewhere, can I describe the owl perched on the branch outside his window or not? To me, the owl perched on the branch outside the kid's window is just setting the scene, informing the reader, laying out the setting; night time, tree near house, etc. But I am not allowed to mention the owl perched on the branch outside his window during third person limited, unless the main character is present, observing these things? I think I might like to mention the owl watching over him while he sleeps, or simply build the setting by letting the reader know the tree outside his window was close and had a visitor perched upon it. I have to write in omniscient to mention it? Please help.
Also, mentioning the weather when the character is asleep isn’t omniscient. Third person is a narrator telling you a story. If it was first, that would be confusing. But it’s not. It’s just a statement about the setting. Perfectly fine.
The question is who is telling the story? Third-person allows you to use both the limited perspective of a single character and the opportunity to step back and use a very mild form of omniscient. But it's probably not a good idea to mix the two much. You can do it like J K Rowling did in HP, but the writing will be better if you refrain from breaking POV by popping from limited into omniscient. You can get away with "popping" from one to the other if you make sure there is a visible transition in the text from one to the other to avoid confusion.
Hi @quillink3817 did you ever write your story? It’s 4 years later so maybe you don’t need this answer now, but I’m writing it to cement the ideas in my own head. Harry Potter is third person limited which means the prose are flavoured with the perspective of one character throughout a scene. Mostly that character is Harry, but sometimes Mr Dursley or one of the baddies will have a scene coloured by their own perspective and that’s all part of the nature of third person limited. If the series was in third person omniscient you’d have one scene where we see inside the thoughts of Harry, then Mr Dursley, then Mrs Dursley, line by line as each one speaks, all within one scene. In third person limited, it’s pretty common to start with setting and weather before zooming into a scene flavoured with one character’s perspective. Think of it as a camera that can go anywhere but is magnetised and always drawn back to certain characters where it likes to sit on their shoulder, pick up in their thoughts and see the world from their perspective. It’s still the narrator telling the story (3rd person) so they might have a look around the setting (typically at the start or the end of a scene) but, for the main body if the scene, they’ll get drawn in to the POV of one character or another whom they’re most interested in. Hope this helps. Happy writing!
@@ecrusar5216 Screenplays are usually written this way: simply a description of what people say and do and what we can see and hear in the environment, since we can't see into characters' minds. Super hard to pull off in a movel
In one of Brandon's BYU lectures in 2020 he mentioned 3 types of 3rd person pov but i really want to look for something similar but he doesnt have a video going into it even deeper. Limited, True Omniscient and Present Narrator. th-cam.com/video/zVXFNw-xz3Y/w-d-xo.html
"What's a good reason to use 3rd person omniscient?" *raises hand* It's how I've written my stories since before I learned about any of this and I'm a pretentious asshole who resists change.
So many of the students just couldn't grasp what he was talking about with the description exercise. Smh Sanderson: How would this character describe this dog? Students: Umm it's brown?
Modern literature especially commercial fiction doesn’t favour that sort of flowery language anymore. The aya authors describe things has generally gotten shorter and more concise whereas old novels have the more literary style. It’s just cultural and market changes.
How could ANYONE taking this class do anything but pay attention attentively and show him the utmost respect. That's Brandon effing Sanderson. The fact that people are talking while he's lecturing (even though it's just a little) makes my blood boil. They have no idea how lucky they are to be in his lectures.
That hat says "the year is 1907 and I have a wonderful new elixir to sell you."
Underrated comment
I love how at times he seems to pay more attention to the gummy bears.
This man is a national treasure but I'm very happy he grew out of this hat. His current kit is much better.
He is an international treasure too. He has inspired me to write on the other side of the planet :)
@@metalman4393 very cool. That is his power. Glad to hear it. I hope your inspiration is still strong.
You can thank his sister, she became his stylist
When you're that headstrong, you get to wear a fun hat.
is there a hierarchy of clues via the senses? he mentions an auditory clue being the thing that you're gonna wanna look for when in first person and talking about ex. John walking through the door, you're gonna wanna express that the MC heard the door open due to that being the auditory clue to let the MC (and reader) know that someone came through the door. so it was sound first, then sighting John who came through the door.
what i'm wondering then: is that hierarchy (hear, then see, etc.) a stricter rule (not Law, mind) than a guideline you can decide to take or leave?
You have great channel, thanks for video
"Where did all these gummybears come from?" Said the janitor.
Amazing teacher
Suddenly a comment will strike you, and you will know what must be done. You will scroll up, finally setting your mind to that task, and you will click Like.
Audio gets better at around 5min.
Pros of this video: Everything except...
Cons of this video: ...that freakin' hat. 🤣
what do you mean? hes adorable
Bruh, that hat was the biggest pro of the video. Don't lie to yourself.
What is Lord of the Rings? I am sure it does not use a hidden narrator like The Hobbit. Is it 3rd person limited?
8:42 yea that’s me homie!!!
Does this mean that "the princess bride" is considered hidden narrator?
And the movie "Searching" is modernized epistilary? :)
11:23
What happens if you're writing a story in which you would only show the protagonists? It's kind of like a mix between omniscient and limited view.
1:15 just screams "really queen?" Energy
I would appreciate some clarification from anyone who can help me please. when the narrator talks about weather and or landscape or whatever, to set a scene or describe setting, etc, and the character isn't experiencing it, is that still third person limited? For instance in Harry Potter, there is usually mention of seasons or weather outside of the castle, or descriptions and actions of other students and Harry may or may not have experienced, witnessed, and does not appear to be relaying the info through through the narrator. It reads comfortably, to me. Are these just narrations regardless whether they're limited vs omniscient? Can the narrator mention what he or she wants to, even if the main character isn't around nor the one involved? Mentioning a snowy day is omniscient if the character is sleeping? Or can my narrator mention things like that in the story and still me third person limited, just not with the main character directly experiencing it? Sorry if this is confusing, I've been trying to figure it out for a long time now and it's frustrating because there are plenty of answers about character thoughts and feelings, but no help when it comes to narration questions not involving character thoughts and feelings, such as landscapes, weather, architecture, etc. I understand those things should be revealed through the experience and voice of the character, but sometimes I think it's nice to say that it was a rainy day, just o set the mood and atmosphere, while the kid was playing in the basement, maybe not knowing it was raining outside.
The reason I'm trying hard to figure out the rules of omniscient vs limited narration (minus characters' thoughts and feelings, because I think I understand that rule) is because I'm trying to write a story and think that third person limited is a good choice for me, but I want to be able to talk about the setting and various minor yet immersive things here and there (like in the Harry Potter examples above) and I don't know if by including those things such as describing the weather, time of day, setting, other characters, etc, when the characters isn't necessary around (upstairs, asleep, not really observing the things the narrator is describing) if the narration will become omniscient by default having included those descriptions, or if it's still considered third person limited.
I guess I am getting confused when it comes to narration in general; setting, history, landscapes, appearances, descriptions, etc. If a character is sleeping or elsewhere, can I describe the owl perched on the branch outside his window or not? To me, the owl perched on the branch outside the kid's window is just setting the scene, informing the reader, laying out the setting; night time, tree near house, etc. But I am not allowed to mention the owl perched on the branch outside his window during third person limited, unless the main character is present, observing these things? I think I might like to mention the owl watching over him while he sleeps, or simply build the setting by letting the reader know the tree outside his window was close and had a visitor perched upon it. I have to write in omniscient to mention it? Please help.
Technically those are POV slips, but it’s perfectly reasonable to do that so long as you are deliberate about it
I think you’re over thinking it. If it feels natural then don’t worry about it. As long as the reader doesn’t go “wtf”
Also, mentioning the weather when the character is asleep isn’t omniscient. Third person is a narrator telling you a story. If it was first, that would be confusing. But it’s not. It’s just a statement about the setting. Perfectly fine.
The question is who is telling the story? Third-person allows you to use both the limited perspective of a single character and the opportunity to step back and use a very mild form of omniscient. But it's probably not a good idea to mix the two much. You can do it like J K Rowling did in HP, but the writing will be better if you refrain from breaking POV by popping from limited into omniscient. You can get away with "popping" from one to the other if you make sure there is a visible transition in the text from one to the other to avoid confusion.
Hi @quillink3817 did you ever write your story? It’s 4 years later so maybe you don’t need this answer now, but I’m writing it to cement the ideas in my own head.
Harry Potter is third person limited which means the prose are flavoured with the perspective of one character throughout a scene. Mostly that character is Harry, but sometimes Mr Dursley or one of the baddies will have a scene coloured by their own perspective and that’s all part of the nature of third person limited.
If the series was in third person omniscient you’d have one scene where we see inside the thoughts of Harry, then Mr Dursley, then Mrs Dursley, line by line as each one speaks, all within one scene.
In third person limited, it’s pretty common to start with setting and weather before zooming into a scene flavoured with one character’s perspective. Think of it as a camera that can go anywhere but is magnetised and always drawn back to certain characters where it likes to sit on their shoulder, pick up in their thoughts and see the world from their perspective. It’s still the narrator telling the story (3rd person) so they might have a look around the setting (typically at the start or the end of a scene) but, for the main body if the scene, they’ll get drawn in to the POV of one character or another whom they’re most interested in.
Hope this helps. Happy writing!
I wanna write epic fantasy but I thing I can do it better with first person
this guy fondles the gummies then passes them out lolll
39:25
Do you know of a way to write in third person besides omniscient or limited?
Doesn't exist.
@@ecrusar5216 Screenplays are usually written this way: simply a description of what people say and do and what we can see and hear in the environment, since we can't see into characters' minds. Super hard to pull off in a movel
@@ecrusar5216 isn't that just omniscient?
@@billyalarie929 It’s omniscient without being able to tell a characters feelings. You simply explain what the character is doing.
In one of Brandon's BYU lectures in 2020 he mentioned 3 types of 3rd person pov but i really want to look for something similar but he doesnt have a video going into it even deeper. Limited, True Omniscient and Present Narrator.
th-cam.com/video/zVXFNw-xz3Y/w-d-xo.html
I love that he stands there squeezing gummy bears for a minute or holding them before tossing them to students to eat. 🤢🧐
The gummy bears are individually wrapped
It's how he transfers his skill and essence into others.
I Love these....I love Brandon....but if you eat that gummy bear you're a nasty person. 😂😂
One Word At A Time Lmao I just said this to my girl that’s funny.
"What's a good reason to use 3rd person omniscient?"
*raises hand* It's how I've written my stories since before I learned about any of this and I'm a pretentious asshole who resists change.
So many of the students just couldn't grasp what he was talking about with the description exercise. Smh
Sanderson: How would this character describe this dog?
Students: Umm it's brown?
It has four legs and is vaguely dog-shaped.
Probably barks :)
I mean to be fair.. that's not exactly something very maluable in terms of perception..
Nice timestamps
sanderson looks fly asf
Brandon you say our descriptions should be short but what about Tolkien? His are really long but they still work well.
Modern literature especially commercial fiction doesn’t favour that sort of flowery language anymore. The aya authors describe things has generally gotten shorter and more concise whereas old novels have the more literary style. It’s just cultural and market changes.
How could ANYONE taking this class do anything but pay attention attentively and show him the utmost respect. That's Brandon effing Sanderson. The fact that people are talking while he's lecturing (even though it's just a little) makes my blood boil. They have no idea how lucky they are to be in his lectures.
he does this for you not them
Im a go to the 2012 and take those bears
Nice hat.
This one won't play. I've watched all the others but for some reason this one won't work.
I wonder if anyone eats the gummie bears
That's Brandon Sanderson? wow, he used to be good-looking.