First Person, Present Tense

Discussion in 'Word Mechanics' started by LittleFire, Feb 19, 2010.

  1. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    First person done well is a perfectly acceptable POV choice. However, few new writers do it well. They often adopt an "RPG" perspective in which they speak from within and at the same time self-directed: I saw, I knew, I felt, instead of an outward-directed narration. Good first person narrative is primarily third person sentences, but told by an observer who speaks only of what he or she directly observes of concludes. Good first person narrative isn't self-absorbed, and doesn't dwell on the narrator's feelings.

    If you want to focus on feelings, you are far better off using the POV of an intimate third person observer. If you ever want to reveal anything your observer would not know, you should use a third person POV. It is possiible to switch between first person POVs in the same story, but it's not easy to do well.
     
  2. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    thinking...
    i don't see how what you just said is in disagreement with anything i wrote... all i see is you going off into a different area of discussion, not actually disagreeing with my statements...

    as to that bit of lyrics, i'm guessing it's from the musical 'mamma mia!'... i haven't seen it either on stage, or the film version, so i hope that was a complimentary reference... ;-)

    hugs, m
     
  3. MsMyth71

    MsMyth71 New Member

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    I think the POV depends entirely on how you want to tell the story. It's nobody's decision but your own how to tell a story, from what POV, from what character's perspective, etc.

    1st person has so many dimensions. Adding in the present tense always has the potential to add intimacy to the writing. There is the illusion (more on that in a minute) that you are there with the narrator/speaker, you are experiencing these things along with him/her.

    That said, one thing to consider is that ANY present tense (1st/2nd/3rd) does not have to imply that the narrator is telling the story as it's happening. Certainly, the form lends immediacy, but it could simply be the way the narrator chooses to relay this story to his/her "audience."

    For example, when using the 2nd person, it goes like this:

    "So, you're in the grocery store and you see this big guy, BIG GUY! And he's coming at you with his meaty fists all balled up, and you're thinking 'WHOAH!'"

    That's more of a story-telling technique than it is an indicator of time/place. It's just a way some people tell a story. I rarely (if ever) read a present tense story and think, "wow, this is happening RIGHT NOW."

    I think the voice will also play a factor in what you choose to do. A first person voice, as mentioned, can feel more intimate and "in your face" at times (same with 2nd person). It also has the risk of making the reader a bit claustrophobic at times, imho.

    I (personally) love me a good 1st person/present tense story. I enjoy writing in all kinds of POV's and tenses. Have fun with it!

    For a great present tense (thought not limited to 1st person), try Rabbit, Run by Updike. It's wonderful.
     
  4. MsMyth71

    MsMyth71 New Member

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    See, I disagree (with the bolded). I think there is a lot of great 1st person material out there that is very self-absorbed with very close psychic distance. Now, I will say that an entire piece that is really up close would be a disaster to read (in my opinion) as you would have no method of comparing a 1st person narrator's accuracy and reliability with what's really going on in the outside world. A 1st person that's too detached feels like a wasted 1st person to me.

    As a writer, my reasons for using 1st person is that I want the reader to have access and intimacy to a character's thoughts, desires, needs, fears, etc.

    Hope I made sense! Maybe I misunderstood your comment. If so, ignore me! :)
     
  5. jacklondonsghost

    jacklondonsghost New Member

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    I write in 1st person because it works best for the stories I want to tell. 3rd person actually feels a little silly to me to read sometimes. Too far of a distance from the characters, I think. Of course, there are fantastic books in 3rd person and fantastic books in 1st person, and even some in 2nd person (Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney was really good IMO). I think it is all about what works best. If it is well written it shouldn't matter.

    Also I believe mammamaia said that the repetition of I, I, I, me, me, me gets annoying; I have to say that the repetition of the character's name grates on my nerves just the same as too many I's.

    As for present tense, 1st person: I think it can certainly be done well if it fits the story's tone and style. Raymond Carver used this POV extensively in his short stories and I think they are brilliantly done.
     
  6. ManhattanMss

    ManhattanMss New Member

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    It's interesting that your reason for 1st person is to permit the reader access to a character's thoughts, etc. For me (as a reader) I feel more access to a story told through third person characters because I know the author has placed into the story what he wants me to understand. First person narrators always hide as much truth as they reveal, and so the reader is at some distance from the truth, or at least must allow for that possibility. First person narrators "own" their own story in a sense, whereas third person characters are (or seem to me to be) "owned" equally by the author and the reader. So a third person story allows for more participation in the story on the part of the reader's own imagination, it seems to me.

    Now, I like both--don't get me wrong (long as they're well written). But I do read lots of (not so well written) first person stuff where I have no idea what the story point really is, or, worse, that it's totally transparent from the get-go that "I" (the narrator) am just a thin disguise for the author, in a way (a rant or confessional on the part of some implausibly virtuous victim).

    So, I guess maybe I'm in agreement with those who feel like first person is harder to do well, in order to create a story that's compelling for the reader.
     
  7. MsMyth71

    MsMyth71 New Member

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    Most of that becomes invisible if the writing is good. It's the same thing with the article, "said." People think they need brilliant, fancy words to go with dialogue: he quipped, he snorted, he sang. "Said" is always something that just fades to the back, something you can ignore. I feel the same with "I's" and "me's."

    In my mind, any 1st person narrative is an unreliable narrative. However, if the writer has authority over his/her work, then you (the reader) will be able to suspend your disbelief along with the 1st person narrator and "go along for the ride."

    1st person is very difficult to write, I agree. I've also seen it done very poorly at times. It's a voice that you really have to be willing to submerse yourself into. I think a good 1st person, however, has varying distances. You read Carver's Cathedral and you get some of the narrator's judgments, but you also pan out in a 3rd person sense at times to take note of your surroundings.
     

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