Objective point of view is a narrative style that views the characters and events within a story much as one might view them on a movie screen. The narrator does not have any insight into the characters’ thoughts or feelings beyond what they show through their actions, words, and expressions. This can be a very effective choice because the entire story relies on “showing” rather than “telling.” Objective point of view is a sub-category of the primary narrative points of view, which include first person, second person, third person, and fourth person.

An objective narrator can only observe external events and emotions conveyed through physicality and action. For example, an objective point of view can see that a character is crying, but the third person narrator cannot know why the character is crying unless it is shown through their actions or words. Objective point of view is most often paired with third person point of view because of how removed it is from the story’s characters’ emotions and thoughts.

The advantage of objective point of view is that it’s a good discipline for the writer. It absolutely forces the writer to show-not-tell. If one is attracted to this style of writing, then it is recommended to observe people. The disadvantage of using objective point of view is that it can lack intimacy.