First Person point of view to Third-Person point of view--Please and Thank You!

Hmmm. I'd have to think about that. To me, the omniscient point of view seemed almost imperative to the type of humor he was going for.

 

Just curious why you think that. Since I'll be (eventually) embarking on The Grand Experiment, I don't want to miss any tricks.

 

I like that idea, one more way to keep the reader oriented.

 

You may be right. I read somewhere that the two best modes for writing comedy are 1st person or 3rd omniscient.

But once I start writing, I tend to do whatever I have to in order to make the mode work for the story and the story work in the mode. Perhaps it was the same for him. Too bad we can't ask him.

 

I don't like omni POVs at all. I need a character to connect to and share the journey with--events just don't do it for me. If I'd been properly in Arthur's head or Zaphod's head or whoever's head, I would've loved the story even more.

 

Yes, it would be an interesting question go pose. I feel like a lot of the jokes in that series wouldn't have worked (or not nearly as well) outside of an omnisicent POV. But it would be interesting to attempt to rewrite some of those scenes and see if you could make it work.

 

Yes, indeed.

The way I approach a draft is to get it done, go back and make sure everything makes sense, and then—while doing a final polish—I look for places to put in the funny bits. That way, everything that might lead to humour is already in place so, I have to wonder if Adams did the same thing.

 

Oh, I get it.

But there is a mode of omni (and if there isn't, there should be) where the reader does get close enough to know what the characters are feeling. I'm sure I read that somewhere. (Now I'll have to go look it up... maybe in O.S. Card's Characters & Viewpoint.)

 

There are parts in Hitchhiker's where you are in a character's head but then in the next scene you're looking at them through a lens again. I find it a really frustrating POV.

Obviously it's just a quirk of mine. Plenty of sci-fi readers are used to omni POVs and probably don't even notice them.

Edit: And you know I'm a big fan of Hitchhiker's despite its POV

 

Great thread. I'm wrestling with this at the moment.

 

I think the main thing is that he has all these quirky facts and observations from the narrator that wouldn't work in any specific character's perspective. It could just as funny, but not the same jokes.

 

Limited third person is like writing in first person but with different pronouns. I'm writing my books this way, and I don't feel at all like I'm less in my character's head than first person. The narrative is still coming from my MC; it's still her thoughts, feelings, and opinions, and for the times I want to add a little first person thoughts, I just italicize it and start a new paragraph (just don't have too much at once, or else the italics get annoying).

One first person book I read switches POV character halfway through the book and a few times after that, and I found it very jarring. I didn't like it at all, although the different POV gave some interesting information. If the author had switched POV within the first few chapters (as other authors have done), I wouldn't have found it jarring or as jarring. If you do switch POV, whether you write in first or third person, do it early on in the book, like within the first few chapters, just to introduce the reader to the idea. I've read books that do it both ways, and I MUCH prefer to at least know it's going to happen, even if the next time is halfway through the book.

 

When you write in first person, things are revealed as the POV character experiences or learns about them. Your POV is the narrator. It's his story to tell. If things are happening that he doesn't know about, how important to the story are they? They certainly wouldn't be important to the story he is telling until he knows about them. If you are enjoying writing in first and feel like it's working, I would stick with it for awhile and see where it goes. It might change some things, but if you've got a good, strong voice going, that's a great thing.

I don't think mixing third and first is a good idea. The story can too easily lose focus and clarity when a writer makes things too complicated. Best to stick with one or the other. I wouldn't say first is any more popular than third. They are just different approaches to telling a story.

 

I prefer limited third person, and just being able to focus it on any character I want, so that characters who aren't the Lead can be explored.

 

You can do that with a first-person POV by simply changing POV characters, either by having another first-person POV character or having one or more third-person POV characters. Both approaches have been taken in published novels.