[I, Brian]

Is there room for objective description (ie, outside of immediate character association) in a Third Person Omniscient POV?

I figure there must a be couple of people here who know what I mean.

[Valada]

Guy Gavriel Kay does this quite a bit, but I find it a little grating. It becomes authorial intrusion and destroys attempts to suspend disbelief. But then, that's just my opinion! :)

[Se'dray-on]

I've tried it but find it hard to do, can't seem to assosiate with the character enough. But if done well it does have a place. All depends on how you feel writing it.

[Bardos]

I, Brian,

All depends on the story you are writing. You can do it, but it must be to show something important to the story. Or write it as a introduction to a main scene, if you know what I mean, before the character(s) enter.

E.g.,

Sunlight slipped into the throne-room, passing between the edges of the curtains and causing the ornaments to glitter. The brown-haired woman with the green wide-sleeved dress was sitting in a corned beside the north-eastern fireplace, reading a book. She hear footstpes coming from the hall, she raised her head. She got up, leaving the book carelesly open upon the chair, and hiding behind the long curtain of a closed window.

King Arimatheas and his first councilor, Narvon, entered the throne-room. The King was enraged about the events Narvon was reciting. The battle of Northern Bridge was lost---costing five hundred lives!---and the Monrogs have invaded the kingdom, now pleaguing the villagers in the northern border.

That probably calls for some immediate action, thought the King.


Allright, my English is not that great, for I don't write in English, but I think I've made a point here. The writer doesn't want us to know who "the woman" is (he wants to create mystery), but wants us to know that "a woman" is earsdropping on the king and his councilor. Now, will they, perhaps, notice the book she has left on the chair, or not?

[I, Brian]

Thanks for the comments - I've just figured that using a narrative voice for a scene is allowable if essential to the story, but that in other scenes you've got to keep within the character experience.