: Re: What are some good ways of switching from third-person limited point of view to third-person omniscient point of view? I am thinking of writing a short story which starts with a character narrating

@Karen856

You need to change more than just the narrator

As I understand it based on your question and comments; you want a character to narrate in third person for 1/2-2/3 of the story, then switch to an older version of the same character to narrate the conclusion. This is feasible but needs to be done careful.

The first thing you will need is a clear segmentation between the two. This should be the biggest break in your story; Book One, Book Two as Cyn suggests is good for a novel, a page break or multiple line break may be enough for a short story. The important page is to make it clear that the context for narration has changed.

With the break established you need to provide the new context for the narration. Make the passage of time clear, maybe through a shift in tense or similar.

Another consideration is to link the new narrator to the old, use distinctive phrasing or narrative style to make it clear that we know this narrator.

It may a good idea to end the first part on a major story-shaping event. Something dramatic that it would make sense for the character to reflect on years later.

Example


Jack pumped the brakes again, still no effect. The cliff edge was approaching faster now. He looked over to Jill and saw the terror in her eyes as the car plunged over the cliff.



When Jack looks back on that moment, he realises how lucky he was to survive the crash. Jill spent three months in hospital while he..... etc.

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