From io9 comes some great advice on using a third-person omniscient narrator…

Many of science fiction’s greatest novels are written in third-person omniscient. And this should come as no surprise, because nothing lets you depict a complex situation full of people (and creatures) with their own points of view, like a narrator who can view the whole scene from outside.

So why the heck would you want to use it? There are a few reasons.

First, it’s easier to be funny with third person omniscient. It opens up all sorts of possibilities for juxtaposing what a character believes is going on, and what we “know” is going on.

Second, it lets you info-dump. Like a lot of the awesome powers of omniscience, this is one that you need to be careful with. But a lot of the time, providing a lot of complicated information and history of your alien planet or future world is like ripping off a band-aid.

Third, it gives you versatility. Do you know what the difference between third-person limited and third-person omniscient is? A lot of the time, absolutely nothing.

Fourth, you can have a narrator with a personality.

And finally, it lets you tell stories about more than one person.

Click here to read the whole article!

Thanks to the Sydney Writers’ Centre for tweeting this link.