Interesting question. I think i prefer third person, but if we take the Jack Reacher series, some are done 1st person, some 3rd person, and both work really well. I think short stories work really well in 1st person, but not so much novels.
Though I have only been writing for about a year and a half now (and I wouldn't say I'm great, but I don't think I'm terrible either) I prefer first person. It has an intimate feel to it and I like to describe how the MC sees and interprets the events and people in their lives. It's also easier to explain their feelings in whatever situation they're in. I will admit that sometimes its hard to write first person though. When it comes to reading books, it doesn't matter to me if its first or third person.
You're totally allowed to prefer first person, but I wanted to comment that you can do this in third person.
Always third person. Not only that; third person omniscient. I like the idea of trees, skies and birds knowing the thoughts of every character and that omnipresent God-like narrative telling and giving his own jargon at times. I want to go into a bookstore someday and see this strange, eerie, carefully structured story with complex plots and peculiar, haunting dialect. I haven't found any so I guess I'll make one.
I think you've hit it on the head, why I don't feel comfortable writing fiction from a first-person perspective! I can read first-person, no bother at all, but writing it? I've never thought of my stories that way. "I" is always me, myself. I'm not great at role-playing!
I don't think it makes much difference to be honest. What matters is the story you're trying to tell.
I prefer third person because I feel it offers more freedom. It's far easier to elaborate on parts of a fictional world from the voice of an omniscient narrator than it is from a first person perspective.
Stylistically, I prefer third person. First person is fun in its own right, just not my first choice if I can make that choice without hurting the story I want to tell.
If you're only a few pages in, it seems to me it's too early to worry about it. Let it sound like you. Let it go off track. Let your voice develop and let yourself get to know your character. It's a vomit draft, you're meant to dump a lot of it later, anyway. Also, what kind of 3rd person are you considering switching to? If you really think 1st is a mistake, 3rd limited is probably the next option to try. You can also mix POVs. Your 3rd lmtd could be for Hero, your 1st for your secondary MC or villain. Or love interest. My advice is stop thinking about it and write it. Then see what it is. We have word processing now, you can shape it later.
First person seems to be the hotness these days. Personally, I prefer writing in third, but have read some fantastic first-person POV that work much better than a third person would read. I'm not sure if first person is just a fad, or if its just something that's becoming the cultural norm. History will tell, I suppose. As for what you should write, I would just go with whatever is easiest for you to write. If first-person feels wrong, then try switching it to third person to see how it feels. It may take longer to get the work done, but you want it to be the best work it can be, even if it takes a little longer to put it out.
Wow! I have now read all the way through this thread so far. It seems to me that there are three principle schools of thought: 1. 1st Forever! 2. 3rd Forever! 3. Whatever Some observations, A. For all those that believe 1st can't 'do' multiple characters I recommend 'The poison wood Bible' by Barbara Kingsolver. B. I agree with the comments that Person should be kept separate from Proximity AND Tense. These are three independent degrees of freedom. C. In my experience the reading experience is independent of all three (mentioned in B.). The competence of the author is the single pivotal characteristic. For my current WiP: i. I am using both 1st and 3rd ii. 1st for the MC → associated with Present tense iii. 3rd for "off camera" action → associated with Past tense iv. I am leveraging the "unreliable narrator" heavily. My 'world' is so complex that I have decided to filter it heavily and only drip feed it to the reader to avoid overload. Using the 1st PoV is convenient for me in this BECAUSE the MC CAN'T know everything. Interestingly, I find it difficult to switch between 1st and 3rd. There is FAR more to it than just pronouns. I usually write like this : 3-4 days writing in 1st need to switch to 3rd for a chapter 1-2 days writing utter garbage something clicks 1-2 days writing in 3rd need to change to 1st for a few chapters 1-2 days of writing utter garbage something clicks 4- 6 days writing in 1st and so on... Maybe the transitions shall get smoother with practice.
An excellent book, and an excellent example, just need to separate your POVs clearly into chapters/sections. Although they're very close third, the books of the Mars Trilogy do the same thing.
I've been writing in third person, when I started writing I tried first but it didn't work for the stories I like to tell. When I write in first person it always feels as though the story revolves around my character, rather than my characters revolving around the plot. I also normally use multiple POV characters, first person doesn't work well for this.
Note - Apologies Admin if this is a duplicate post... I did search 'first person' and 'first or third person' but couldn't find something... it could be my bad skills though.. Anyway - I'm curious, do you normally write in 1st or 3rd person? Does it depend on what you're writing (genre), or just what feels right?... do you find one harder than the other? I ask because... As mentioned under 'plot development' I wrote a scene (not posted) for some friends after they gave a prompt, and I enjoyed it so much I want to continue it. The thing that is stopping me right now is that I wrote the scene first person as it felt right that way for the short scene... however I normally write third person, as I find that a bit easier to do, you can switch PoV and cover different events that the protagonist can't see/isn't present for easier etc... I then did try rewording the scene from third to first, however it's just bugging me whilst at work that it isn't anywhere near as good and it'd suit first person better... Do you stick to any particular style? switch it up depending on what you write? Thanks, M
I've written in both 3rd and 1st - I think a lot (perhaps most) of the guys on this site have switched between them. For me, it very much depends on how I feel the story is best told. Both have advantages. As you've mentioned, 3rd (distant 3rd, that is) can go everywhere and see everything. 1st puts you right in the MC's head, seeing only what he sees, but feeling what he feels in a way that 3rd - even close 3rd - can't. If you've started in 1st, and you're enjoying it, I'd say carry on. The worst that can happen is that, at some point down the line, you'll realize that it's the wrong POV. OK, so it's a bugger to go back and change all those "I said"s into "He said"s. But that's only if you feel it needs the change. If you reach the end and think "Damn, but that's good!"?????
You know what, I'm going to do exatly just that! I did re-write to third (kept a copy of first though) and whilst I did really like it still, it was just in my head that as I played the scene out further (untyped, it was all mental), it was better from his PoV as first... I think I'll sit down over the weekend, try and do a few more chapters, see where it all goes, how hard it is and what it is coming aross like.... If it works and i'm cofortable, I can stick with that, if it's not, or i'm struggling too much... I can look to swap to third and just accept that i'll be re-writing/editing a few chapters!
The genres I work in and the audiences I write for will generally default to limited 3rd person, so that's what I use for most of my work. For shorter pieces, I often use first person because that saves me some time setting up the main character.
I write everything in third person. I have a strong aversion to first person, as is puts me in the shoes of the character and I prefer to be an observer. I'm not saying that first is objectively bad, or that there's not good stories out their written in first person, but it's not my jam as a writer or a reader.
I'm with you. I loathe first person. I'm always like why is this character constantly talking about herself? Shut up and do something interesting already!
I write 1st person, but usually, my narratives are unreliable, hence why they are 1st. If I ever wrote an Epic, I would do 3rd person all the way. -OJB.
