Hi, I was wondering whether there is a general rule about writing in 3rd person limited. If I choose to write in this way, can the character focused upon change in the book?, or do writers normally stick with one character throughout? Cheers Mike
It's more common that writers stick to one character, but there's no rule about it, as long as it makes sense to the reader. That means you don't really want to change focus mid-scene or mid-chapter. Some authors focus on a different character in third person with each new chapter (the Song of Ice and Fire series does this, and it works quite brilliantly in Catch-22, which is kind of keeping with the fast-paced humour that never quite lets you get your bearings). Personally, I think it works best when your story focus is split between several characters that way, since that's an interesting way to weave a complex story, whereas just having one odd section following a different character might be a bit of a bare-faced device for convenience. I'd advise that you don't do it unless it really helps the story. Sometimes people want to jump between characters to make exposition easier, when they could just find another way for the main character to learn what the reader needs to know, or leave something unknown/merely hinted at a bit longer. But sometimes a chapter from a different character's perspective really adds to the story you're telling. It depends why you're doing it and how you go about it.
It's quite standard in some genres - Romance, for example, frequently has one chapter from one main character, the next chapter from the other main character. And it's certainly used elsewhere as well. For my reading taste it works best when there really are multiple main characters with their own story arcs. Having just a few chapters from, say, the protagonist's perspective rarely works for me. I'd rather stick with the MC and learn as he learns rather than getting a "sneak peak" through the other character's eyes.
