A Bold Look at Point of View

Tami and I have recently started new WIPs and have been discussing the challenges of changing our writing from first person, to third.

Under My Skin, my first book, was originally told in third – then changed to first during a major edit. The process deepened my understanding of my main character - through literal “I”’s. I loved how into-Eyrn’s-head I could get with first, how intimate the tone could be – if the occasion called for it. Frankly, I didn’t think I’d ever go back to third person narrative. I was done with all that he said/she said and had embraced the illogical, emotional world of "I".

Then this WIP started to kick my ass from here to Vulcan (Vulcan, Alberta, that is, it’s an actual town. They even got a special screening of the new Star Trek movie. Read all about it) and I boldly went where I had gone before and failed – third person.

Now I’m in the land of limited omniscience and hopping into the heads of two main characters. It's powerful – I can take huge steps back and set the scene and then zoom into a character’s thoughts. I’m learning the mechanics, the dos-and-don’ts of third person by skimming though all the great YA titles on my shelf told in this POV and taking mental notes. I’m likely still making a ton of errors, but this is a first draft - so just finishing the novel is a major priority.

Anyone have suggestions for third person? Some real no-no’s to share or titles Tami and I should be reading? And, more importanly, have you seen Star Trek yet???