LOL they work quite well - I think it is the Undercover series I had more trouble dealing with what they had done to Aunt Gertrude (Now Aunt Trudy and not the same old grouch). I read them about 6 months ago the pace of action was really good. They gave me a lot of great ideas for my middle story - which I then split one half is told from one first person POV the second from another - ending with a third person scene which is mostly dialogue anyway.
The rap with 1st person as it relates to amateur fiction : all too often the MC is painted wonderful to the power of ten (too cool ,too smart , too sexy,etc. ad infinitum ) Characters too perfect rarely produce believable conflict inherent to dramatic tension.
I feel as though first person is more of a young adult thing - there's tons of young adult books in the first person because then teens can 'relate' in a sense.
Wally Lamb's "She's Come Undone " a great ,great novel written by a male narrated in 1st person female
I love reading such books and wil buy them with less thought than a third person. That's because I know that first person is likely to me much quirkier than third. I like to get into the mind of the character because it makes the story more real for me. As long as you put personality into it, I'm in.
I haven't read that one, but I did read Wally Lamb's "I Know This Much is True," which is also written in first person, and is also a great novel.
Nothing wrong with it. It's just another way of writing the story. If you write it in first person and later find it's not working for you and the story, switch. Find the POV that works best for the story you want to tell.
There's nothing wrong with writing in first person. It just depends on what kind of story you're writing. If you really want to bore into the mind of your character, then first person would be best. That way, you can convey their thoughts properly and their actions will obviously make perfect sense to whoever is reading. Third person is my preference, but if not written well enough, readers get confused. Since direct access to the character's mind usually (not always, but I think if your characters will speak in their head more than with their mouth, it should just be done in first person in the first place) becomes limited, sometimes readers can't comprehend why a character acts the way they do. Basically, it all depends on the story, the type of characters you're making, and what point of view you are most comfortable writing in. The misconception that 1st person writing has less merit will always remain (because most classic literature and awarded books are often not in 1st), but I'm sure as the years go by and more people become more flexible, it'll eventually mellow out.
Thank you everyone for all your input. I just wanted some insight into the situation. I started out writing my story in third person but it felt kind of bland. So then I decided trying to write it in first person and it came out better.
No, of course there is nothing bad about first person writing. In fact, I utilise it in almost every post I make around here! To sustain it throughout a novel however, is more difficult and limiting, so good luck with that!
First person novels are what I read the most. When I pick up a new book for the first time, and I find that its in first person is a major plus factor when deciding to buy and/or read the book. First person shows the though process and personality of the character better then from a third person perceptive. First person is also, to me, more engaging to read.
I too am writing my story in first person, I don't see anything wrong with it. Writing my story in first person allows me to position myself as the main character, make the decisions that I would make in his situation, I am in no way similar to the main character. Writing in any other POV can sometimes confuse me, so I prefer to write in first person.
Story writing has to be presented in the past which would effective and affordable to the third person.
Roughly speaking, stories are either plot or character driven. 3rd person lends itself better to stories driven by external conflict, while 1st person seems more natural in stories driven by internal conflict. One allows breadth, the other depth.
I don't see anything wrong with either PoV, but... after I started writing in third person limited, I can't do without it! You can do so many interesting things in 3rd limited: Show how different characters perceive the world. Show how your main character is perceived by other people. Gradually reveal a mystery by showing the same scene from many different characters' PoV in turn. Hide information from the reader to increase suspense.
Not at all. If you are good at interactions you can follow it, if its not what your style is dont go for it, its like a double edged sword.
I have a story in my mind that I'm planning to write but I don't see it working as well as it can without it being in first person. I guess it depends really. I personally don't think it's a bad thing, and the books I've read that are in first person are actually quite good.
