On Writing : Ai by Robert Lipton

Here is the lates AI has given me. I want to know if these rules are legit. • Condense this into a 1 page POV cheat sheet

• Rewrite these rules in a fiction-writing handbook tone

• Apply them directly to a paragraph you’re working on

Just say the word—or paste the next excerpt.

In third person limited, thoughts should not suddenly switch to first person unless clearly formatted as direct thought.

⚠️ Problematic:

Think quick, he told himself. I do my research before I commit to any endeavor.

The “I” creates an unintentional POV shift.

✅ Better options:

• Indirect thought:

Think quick, he told himself. He always did his research before committing to anything.

• Direct thought (italicized or otherwise marked):

*Think quick, he told himself. I always do my research before I commit to anything.

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3. Use thought tags sparingly and consistently

Phrases like he thought, he told himself, he wondered should:

• Be used only when needed for clarity

• Stay consistent in style

✅ Smooth:

Think quick. He always did his research before committing to anything.

(The POV already makes it clear whose thought it is.)

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4. Avoid head-hopping through language

Even without obvious “I” or “he thought,” certain phrases can break POV if they imply knowledge the character wouldn’t frame that way.

✅ Grounded in character voice:

He’d never jumped into decisions blind. Research came first.

❌ Authorial intrusion:

It was a well-known fact that careful people succeeded more often in life.

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5. Narration should sound like the character

In close POV, narration often reflects the character’s mindset, vocabulary, and attitude—even when written in third person.

✅ Close POV:

He didn’t act on impulse. That had never been his way.

❌ Distant/neutral:

He was a person who valued preparation before making decisions.