Well, after I went through my chapter the last couple days and fixed it to be from one POV, it reads much better I think. I can see the difference, and it improved my writing a lot. Of course, my writing has improved a lot since I joined the forum, so that's no surprise.... Thanks to all the support here and great people who are not only skilled, but also take the time to spread their knowledge.
I can't do omniscient third. I used to only do third person, but I tried my hand at third limited, multiple POV and found that I really like it because it not only lets me be close to the characters like with first person, but I have the ability to see things through other characters' eyes. The thing with me is, I have to be close to my characters. I don't know why, that's just how it is.
I only write 1st person maybe 10% of the time. For me, it only works when the voice is really strong, almost overwhelming. I find it extremely difficult to crit though. It's almost like the tense baits the author into writing vicariously and they create these characters that are just wish fulfillment. God, I hope I don't do that too. Maybe I do. I really try not to.
I like the idea of scattering elements of my own personality throughout the characters in my work. It allows me to keep in touch with them.
So I'm writing a story that so far is in first-person. It seems easier because I am in the third chapter and still haven't named the MC. She will have one later but she is a spy and so no one knows who she is. But I also think the story needs me to be able to use different people's POVs for it to make sense and flow. I've rewritten it several times trying to decide if I like first or third better. But it seems to be an excessive amount of "she" and "her" if I use first. Any advice?
It's secretly first person? I... I struggle to see how that would be a secret that would last beyond the first pronoun. Maybe you mean that it's third person but it's being narrated by someone who's a character in the story? Or...???
She and Her are third person; I am a bit confused by the question. Why do people think this? Do you need another person's perspective to make sense of the story of your own life?
Something like that. It's that the character whose perspective it's from doesn't appear (though he is mentioned) until the very end. They're omniscient to the story. They're also a real person.
Switching perspectives makes it so I can tell things that the main character can't know without being in more than one place at a time. And I have to admit, sometimes someone else's perspective on my life would help alot.
What I was told a long time ago, is don't change from first to third or vice versa. Stick to one or the other. You seem to have a need for another MC or two.
I have two. Which is why there is more than one POV. I just can't decide if first or third works better. Maybe I'll just have to wait till I can post part of my story and see what everybody thinks.
I don't think there's any reason you can't switch between first, third, or second so long as you've indicated to the reader (in some way) that there is a switch and who the POV character is when there's a switch.
Well I did it once for a short story. It was in third, with diary entries in first italics. Though I am not sure it would be good for just a straight story/novel. My first novel originally started in third, and the rest was in first. And too many people said to 86 the third since the rest is in first, so I did. I think it comes down to the application, though I am not familiar with the rules 100% on the multi POV switch between first and third for the average story. Also it is not something I have seen done really, so I tend to go with the majority vote against doing so.
In my novel, I switch perspective rather frequently. Within the first chapter, I segue perspective from Zarakharn to Daktarash and back in the same scene, just so the readers know what they're dealing with.
When I write, I like to think that my focal character has a camera behind his right shoulder. It focuses on him, and occasionally can pick up his minute actions like a curled fist or a heart flutter, but whenever it comes to different characters, we can only view them from the camera.
I enjoy third person, I don't fit inside of my characters skins very well and I usually end up talking in a pseudo st person in which I end up talking about their experiences in third person through their eyes(Lets just say it doesn't end well). Admittedly, I'm not a good writer and haven't written any actual books, but I always write in third person because it gives me more flexibility and I don't trip up with talking about things my character doesn't know and it lets me talk to my characters instead of talking as my characters, if that makes any sense at all.
Well, it isn't as though I prefer either one over the other at any given time, it just depends on what's appropriate for any given piece. But that aside, I do always find that I unintentionally impose myself upon the protagonist for any first person pieces I write, that can probably be attributed to the fact that my brain is hard wired to associating "I" with me and not the products of my imagination, but hey, you could argue that they coincide.
I find another's perspective very useful often enough to remind myself to think of it in real life. And concerning writing specifically, imagine the story as a jewel: you cannot see all the facets at once if you only use one perspective. But, by using multiple perspectives, you can introduce those facets as you, the author, see fit, and thereby hustle the reader into the story when and where you please.
Since this is long, feel free to skip to the underlined parts to just read my advice, haha. I actually really disliked first person for awhile because it was so different than the third person that I was used to. But now it's my favorite pov in reading and writing. Admittedly it took my quite awhile to successfully write in first person, as third person came more naturally to me. First person provides a more intimate and close feeling to the characters. I feel like I can relate more, or feel more about the characters in first person. I highly, highly suggest you read "the Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. It is by far the best first person book I have ever read. The characters in that book feel so real. And the movies based off of the books are really good too. Anyway. My advice is: if you truly feel that the story would be told best in first person, then I encourage you to learn how to do that. If you feel like you could accomplish the same goal in third person, then just stick with what you know! I taught myself how to write in first person (despite it's scariness) and it's totally worth it! Either way you go, I encourage you to practice writing in first person, so you can get a better understanding of different POV's. I wish you the best of luck!
I agree with jannert that in first person you only tell what the POV sees or feels. I have written in both, and writing in order to get my MC to any event that was critical to the story, was difficult. Writing in third person I can tell what everyone's thinking, or what is going on behind the scenes. Also that very important back story is richer with a few twist and turns.
Just FYI, there are different forms of third person. What you describe is third person omniscient. In third person limited, the view is essentially as restricted as it is in first person.