Um, there are many, many 1st person novels which work very well, both classics and genre fiction. It seems to me that many if not most YA novels I've read were 1st person, by the way... I think the solution is: whatever works. I just read a fantasy novel (The Orphan's Tales by Catherynne M Valente) which uses many first-person narrators, changing every 10 pages at the most (and usually much less), à la Arabian Nights, and it works perfectly well. I also remember reading a series of books (by D Pennac) which used both first person narrative and third person - again, it worked well. You really felt like you knew the protagonist/main narrator inside out but the author still had the opportunity to show you things the main character didn't see. And yeah, don't underestimate your readers.
Whatever works is indeed fine. But if you don't know what would make it work or not work, you have a problem.
The Things They Carried The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Treasure Island The John Rain canon The Sherlock Holmes canon The Great Gatsby The Sun Also Rises The Patrick Kenzie canon The Harry Dresden canon The Vlad Taltos canon Frankenstein Notes from Underground (often called the first existential novel, by the way) A Clockwork Orange The Gordianus canon The Marcus Didius Falco canon Great Expectations Moby-Dick and The Catcher in the Rye didn't do the trick for me, but they're popular as hell. And I'm forgetting a bunch of classics. But no, really, I've never seen a successful first-person novel.
Any book recommendations for first person writing? Does anyone know any good books about writing in first person?
Thanks you for all the book suggestions. I guess most of my reading has been in thrid person, so that is why I asked. Maybe I should explore some different genres and see what I can find.
If you've not read many first person novels, that would be the first thing to do. Becca. It will give you a better idea of what can be accomplished and how. As has been said, many YA novels are in first person. Some have said it is the ego-centric tendency of teens that makes it popular. I am not sure that is it. I think it is more their willingness to slide into or place themselves in the position of the POV character more easily. I've had short stories published, some written in 1st person POV, some in 3rd person limited. It really depends on the story. It's a bit harder to maintain first person POV in a novel (both of my novels have been in first person POV--one will be published later this year, the other is sitting on an executive editor's desk awaiting a decision) so it is not impossible to sell first person POV novels (although my target audience wasn't exactly YA). One thing I will say is that it takes more planning and creativity to get in the information needed to the reader through the main character in first person POV. It is tricky because the author can't twist the plot or make things happen that wouldn't or shouldn't simply to allow the reader to obtain knowledge or potential insight. I think this one of the main downfalls of initial attempts by writers in writing novels using first person POV. Again, you'll have to go back and consider your story, beginning to end, and determine which POV is the vehicle that will best convey the story to the reader. That, of course, has to be balanced with the writer's ability to write in either POV. Good luck. Terry
I'm writing a novel in first person, but I'm really attached to a scene I wrote from another character's perspective, back when I thought the story might be in third person. Right now I've got it set up where the POV character gives a short "I know I wasn't there, but later they told me what happened" spiel, and then it goes into a very limited third person perspective. I'm kind of relying the the fact that my MC's an empath, and her friend a telepath, to bail me out on this one. *shrug*
I just think it gets kinda complicated to switch back and forth. You have to watch your tenses closer, and make sure it is done cleanly. I only real problem I was encountering was that I wanted the reader to know something the character didn't. I have solved that by giving the MC a glimpse. I like the idea of staying in first person, because it connects the reader more. That is what I really want. I want my reader to feel like they are there, and that they ARE the character.
It could be a problem if the reason you're keeping a scene, or at least keeping it the way you wrote it because you're "attached to it" and you're counting on an aspect of the stor to "bail you out of this one." Certainly it depends on the full context of the story and the reason you're attached to the scene and the additional suspension of disbelief that will be called upon for the reader to buy it and remain focused on the story... Those phrases mentioned just sent up red flags as I read it. Terry
Yes there are successful 1st person POV novels out there. But what i think you need to consider really, before writing a novel, is how you plan on doing it. If you need to constantly keep stepping away from your main character then 1st person POV is probably not for you. If it only happens a few times, then you can stick with 1st person POV but you have to get creative about how you step away. A really good one I found was between chapters there's a little section all in itallics and not actually a part of any chapter, all written in third person. It was beautiful. It was almost like someone wrote notes on what was happening and left them as clues for the readers and it fitted beautifully with the concept of the story. But I forgot what it was about or even called. Just remember it was an interesting device.
Yeah, I know I need to tread carefully on this one. I'm keeping it in not just because I love it, but because it adds some much needed development to two other characters. Of course, I'm not above murdering my darlings, so if in the final product it just doesn't fit, I'll take it out.
Oh my gosh, I could give you lists and lists of YA novels in first person that were successful in terms of tension/suspense. Recent stuff: The Hunger Games, anything by Kevin Brooks, Life As We Knew It, Thirteen Reasons Why, etc, etc... Really, most YA books are written in 1st person POV. Sometimes it'll be in present tense (e.g., The Hunger Games), but that's not always successful as it can read really awkward (e.g., Willow).
I have read Life A We Knew It. Isn't that the one where the whole story is diary excerts by a teen girl? I have also read the one written from the boys POV. Didn't even think of those 'til now!
Yes, that's the one. I'm trying to think of an example of a 1st person horror novel, but I almost never read in that genre. You really should read The Hunger Games. Even though it's dystopia and not horror, the story gets very tense & riveting. I think you'd enjoy it.
You can listen to most books on audio book if you don't have the time to read them...and your library can probably get them for you for free from another library, even if they don't have them on hand, whether on audio CD, cassette or downloadable to your MP3 player. Then you can listen while you're driving, walking, doing laundry or whatever.
Yes, exactly. That's how I get so many books read--plus being ADHD and needing to be kept busy even while waiting in line at the grocery store.
A few years back, I started keeping track of every book I read. I'm still doing it. This year, I'm up to 94 books, and August isn't over yet. Scanning my list, only 22 of them were "real" books. The rest were audio.
Woah, 94! You know, the thing I find about reading a lot is that so many of the questions people post can be answered by having read a lot and having studied the techniques/craft of the various authors. Back to the OP: I just thought of a YA first-person horror novel: Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews. You might check that out and see if that helps you with your own story.
The problem, I think, with writing a horror novel is first person is we the reader don't think the MC can die. They are the one telling us the story after all. But if you write it in third person, we feel the MC can die. This adds a level of suspense that is hard to acheive in first person.
Just becuase a novel is in first person doesn't mean a character can't die, in fact it could even add a shock to the piece if they do, although admitedly hard to pull off there is no reason why the mc can't be talking from the afterlife, such as in the lovely bones, or in film terms sunset bouillivard and this doesn't have to be explained to the audience until you need it to be. like wise there is no reason why a story can't just suddenly end with the charcaters deathe. one book which sticks in my mind is the noveliasation of wes cravens new nightmare, yeah sure as a tie in it is awful, but what really stood out is that in between the main story, the "author himself" woudl write little journal entries about nightmares he had been suffering, which get gradually worse until the final chapter which abrubtly stops and is finished with a preface regarding the mans dissaperance and police reports and newspaper clippings, a true postmodern piece, but an interesting idea none the less.
To give a different example, ****WITH A SPOILER WARNING**** Brad Meltzer's "The Zero Game" was written in first person. Except that it switches at some point to a different character, as the first "first person" character dies. Charlie
