I worry about putting too of myself into a character when writing in first person. Prefer third even though it has it's own challenges and limitations.
Interesting that you say that. I'm an actor as well, so I feel like I'm playing a role when I write in first person.
Third person becomes a lot more easier when you're writing a large piece. Instead of having to look through the two eyes of a single antagonist/protagonist, you're guided through each and every one of the characters in their own moments. Whilst first person can be used very well, third person gets my vote.
I honestly prefer a sort of... mix between first and third person. I have the reader switch perspectives between my set of main characters when it's appropriate, but I never allow them that sort of full look inside any given character's head. And, depending on the current situation in the story, I sometimes even put the perspective in a more general observer's position instead of sticking with a character. That's a good idea when multiple things happen at once, or when many characters are present in the same place. ... eyup. That's all I have to say, really. Greets, AniGa
When I first started really getting into writing 12 years ago most of it was based in first-person pov. The reason I believe I wrote like that at the time was due to the fact it was easier for me to write that way. In first-person pov it is easier to write what you experience, or put yourself in those situations. Most of my first-person pov characters were based around myself in some way. With say that, when I began to gain confidence in my writing my pov writing style changed to more of a third-person pov and has stayed like that since. I've read books in both first-person and third-person pov but I find it more enjoyable to read third-person pov. As a reader you are given a picture and can piece together the events. You aren't being told how to feel, or what to feel so much as what I find happens often in first-person pov. That's what I find at least.
I prefer to write in third person. However, I have written in first person before and am currently as well. I have this one short story I just went back to (mostly for rewrite and editing) and the character is the thoughts/journaling of a fifteen year old. My main problem is that I keep tripping myself up with past tense for some reason. I think the habit of writing in third person has made me geared towards writing in past tense more (style thing I guess) and while my character speaks in third person at times, I insert words that lean towards a past instead of a present, when it is the present that is needed.
I prefer both reading and writing in the third person. First person just doesn't do it for me. I don't even know why.
Naturally for me I started to write in third person omniscient. I see things more cinematically in my hand as I write, so there are a lot key instances where the other important protagonist's (which I make sure to keep it to a minimum to prevent noise) perspective are of importance. Also moments where the main protagonist, isn't around, so I reveal the thoughts of others. I avoid as much head hopping as possible. So when the main protagonist is around it focuses mainly on him, but when something key is happening to a different character, that's when I switch perspectives for the moment.
DefinitelyMaybe finds it most natural to write in third person. Occasionally he will write in first person, but second person just feels wrong. He finds it impossible writing something that doesn't sound like a diatribe.
Third person is my preferred point of view. Something about the first person just doesn't work for me.
I'm not a very experienced writer, one might even call me a complete beginner, so I can't really give any proper feedback on that aspect of the question. I do have a feeling that first person would be easier to write, but that might simply be my inexperience talking. As for reading, I very much prefer the third person over first person. This is mainly because when I read from first person, I focus too much on the character and feel like the world around might be a little bit lacking. It feels like the world is dimmed to give focus on the insert-self character, while a third person view feels like it's more captivating and descriptive, focusing on the world and character exterior rather than what goes on in their heads. Of course, this is very generalized and immense differences exist from story to story and writer to writer. This is just my attempt at summarizing the feelings I get when reading the two types. I have read amazing books from both points of view, so I have no way to decide which is better, other than to say that it would probably differ depending on your style of writing and the story you want to tell. Me, when I do try to write, I do so mainly in third person, but that's because I feel that I learn better from that style. Anyway, that's it for me, have a good one.
I like both. With third person, I can go into so much detail with the setting, characters, and the story's overall development. I can "paint" and explain my setting, how each of my characters react to the setting, know what all of my characters are thinking, and shape my peeps and story line accordingly. I'm the director and I tell my actors (characters) where to stand, how bring out their emotions and bring the words to life. With first person, I embody (or try to) my main character. I literally see their world through their eyes and it's magnificent! I know their thoughts about particular settings, objects and even the people they are around. I know their reactions even before they know how to react to a situation. I know about their past, present, and what the future will hold for them.
For short stories I think that depending on the genre either first of third person may be used freely. Of course there are no rules to anything, each configuration of genre-narrative and other literary elements is unique and serves a purpose in the overall story. However what I find in third person narrative, unlike the usual comment I hear - "it's more flexible\limtless" I find third person to be the perfect human standpoint for a narrator. It is passive and unjudging, or completely judgeful if you make it so, plus it engross me with a feels of the expired tradition of live story telling - one theatrical narrator, of unspecified age (although I always imagine them to be an old dude with a multi-scale of tones) who could interact with the reader on a fourth-wall breaking kind of level, which I personally find lovely. The unkown narrator can tell, preach, and even stop the story if he so wishes to, and the reason I would accept these possibilities is because he is nobody in particular, he is a human voice which you can have fun with. That is what I see in third person.
I have zero preference. I dont think i have ever read a book and thought "damn it! it's written in first person!" A good book is a good book. I think it depends though. My current book is being written in first person because the leads emotions and personal growth is the story. I need to be able to be reflective and to convey the world around him and how he sees it and what its done to him. For THIS story i find third person to be very limiting. Odd huh? I think if you have mulitple leads and many different characters then third person may be easier to write.
Hello everyone So I was thinking about adding a subplot to my current WIP and doing so would require adding a second POV. The story is written in the present tense with a first person narration from my main character. Now I was thinking that if I was to add a second POV it would have to be in the past tense since my MC who's doing the narration can only know these subplot events in retrospective (he can't know what is happening in that very moment somewhere else since it's his voice narrating and not an omniscient narrator) So basically it would look something like this: I turn sideways and slide between the masses out of the crowded bus into the city grey. Meanwhile Henry was sitting alone in his room engulfed by a silence that trembles with fear. The door knocked, making his whole body shake. That boy went through hell, every single day of his life. We all did but for him it was different. He didn't deserve it. I was wondering if this seems correct and if you think that this works well.
I am intrigued. My first instinctive response was 'No way in hell that would work' because first person is so personal, but the more I think about it the more I realize it really would make sense when done skillfully like in the example you posted. The only thing which I would like to caution is if you think that the second POV is necessary to the storyline. But if that is so - go for it
Unlike Lifeline, I don't think that works well, and it takes too much of a mental shift for a reader. I also don't understand why your MC has to know about these events at the moment he's narrating? Can't he learn about what Henry was doing, while he was wandering around the city, at a later time? I think if you want to do this you have to separate the two POVs clearly, by starting a new chapter. Even then I'm not sure the different tenses will work - I think readers will get confused over what's happening now and if the past tense is a flashback or what. I suppose you can try it out, send a few chapters to somebody and see if they can follow.
I am not sure whether it's a good idea to mix the POVs. Your "narrators" have a different level of knowledge (omniscience), therefore it's almost like reading a novel about mental illness. I'd advise separating the POVs to mark the change, preferably by scene or chapter. Readers need that, otherwise they become irritated. The shift in tense seems quite possible. Could be interesting. Good luck with that.
Thank you very much for the kind words. This was actually just an example that I just made up and I have yet to get to that point where "Henry" (idk what to call him yet) appears. These were my initial doubts, as well. The idea with the new chapter is a really good one since it would allow me to let go of my MC's narration. The problem was that I was stuck with my MC narrating the story from his POV since I started with that. it would have felt too awkward to suddenly switch the perspective of narration. So you basically advise to not switch tenses at all and to just add another narrative and let the story hop between those two narratives from time to time? I'm open to new ideas or maybe functional examples for this task
Bit in bold - not necessarily, I'm just confused as to why you think you need the tense shift. If it's all happening at the same time it seems to me it should be in the same tense otherwise it's going to sound like the stuff Henry is doing happened in the past, even though you say "meanwhile". You only posted a few sentences but I think it would take some mental gymnastics for readers to get their heads around what is happening when. Present tense is an unusual choice for a novel. Not saying it's inadvisable, but that readers generally aren't used to it so it may feel awkward to them even if they can't pinpoint why. I do think two POVs is a good (or at least not a BAD) idea. It's refreshing for the reader and the writer and it's always interesting to see things from two perspectives. My favourite is when two POV characters meet and you see them through each other's eyes.
I wanted to switch the POV to make it more reasonable for the narrator, which is the MC, to know all this. It's understandable if he knows this stuff in retrospective but makes no sense for him to explain it as it happens (since his POV can't be omniscient). Now you mentioned just introducing a new narrative voice in another chapter to solve the issue but I wonder what that's supposed to look like. Right now it is the first person in the present tense - the MC's POV basically. I feel like it would be awkward to the reader to suddenly have a third person omniscient narrative take over out of nowhere. Basically I think the reader will get attuned to the MC as main narrator so if there's a sudden change it might throw the audience off and make them think that something's wrong, don't you think? Hm, this is puzzling...
Plenty of books have dual narration (or even... thrual...?) although they're usually in the same tense. I certainly think it's less confusing to make two different POVs (and tenses if really necessary) than to have a first person narrator suddenly become an omniscient narrator for someone else. I'm pretty sure most readers won't understand that the MC is narrating in the third-person sections. I certainly wouldn't You know who's really good at explaining technical tense stuff? @rainy_summerday
Am I? Usually people tell me afterwards that they didn't understand a thing but that it sounded great Not sure what you are asking me to explain, though. Still, I'll give it a go... The feeling Tenderiser is describing probably stems from the fact that the shift in tense makes her doubt the temporal relation between the paragraphs. Shift in tense is always a tad problematic. Tenses are used to express the relation between events in term of their position on the time line. They express whether something happens before, during, or after another event. In a novel, chapters are usually in chronologic order unless they include flashforwards and flashbacks. Once you mess with your tenses, you imply that the scenes/paragraphs don't follow one another. If I understood you right, Ippo, that is your intention, though. You want to tell the events in chronologic order, but with a shift in tense. The contradiction confuses the reader. Changing the tense is like a traffic light turning to yellow. You expect it to turn red, right? Well, your story is like the traffic light switching back to green, even though it turned yellow already. Once you change the tense, the reader expects the event to not follow the one before. If it does, then you possibly created mayhem in your reader's head. Have you considered writing an explicit flashforward scene? That way, your MC is able to tell the story in retrospective. And the frame of the scene allows the reader to put it in temporal relation to the other events. What I mean by flashforward (I cannot tailor my example to your story, because I don't know what your story is about): The chapter is set thirty years in the future. Your MC suddenly feels the urge to tell the other character in the room about the subplot events. Either in direct or in indirect speech (using past tense since to him, the events have already happened ). The next chapter continues with your MC in his younger years and present tense, because it is still happening. This is merely a suggestion of how you could keep the shift in tense.
I don't see the switch as awkward. I'm reading The Martian right now, and it switches frequently between the MC's first-person narration and a third-person POV. It works just fine. Edited to add: Yes, they're both past tense, but I'm taking this as being about switching narrative POV.
