Currently working on a story written in first-person PoV, and not every big development can possibly be experienced by the main character due to the nature of her role in society. It would seem like a "cop-out" (I'm unsure what the word is I'm looking for) to have her always be at the right place at the right time (or wrong place at the wrong time, if you are a glass-half-empty kind of person). I'm am used to writing stories in third-person, where I hop between different characters throughout, therefore giving the reader knowledge of what's going on even if not all characters are aware. Therefore, this is a neat challenge for myself! So far, I have handled this situation by having the MC overhear people talking about things, or directly being told by a friend or a superior, which then leads her to digging deeper on her own initiative/finding out more later. But I am curious to hear what tips/tricks the rest of you know of that could be used for things like this.
Your solution to the problem is the only one that's ever worked for me. My MC refers to a conversation with a friend who had witnessed the event first hand, or learns of the event in a newspaper story or something. Short of telepathy, I can't see any other way of resolving it.
Glad to hear that I'm probably doing something right, haha! This is my first real stab at writing in first-person, so I'm always wondering if I could use any other techniques I'm not aware of.
Learning through conversations, reading news or radio or TV, overhearing, breaking into/stealing notes or files, making assumptions based upon piecing information together or logical assumptions, etc., are all common manners. Read a few books written in first person and note how the authors addressed concerns or situations you're having.
I had the same thought. There are many examples from all-time classics that incorporate the first-person narrative.
Writing in first person often means writing a different kind of story and embracing that would eliminate this issue altogether.
I have a similiar dilemma at the moment... My 2 solutions could be (I haven't decided yet) is to have a second first person voice... Or go to third person for the information... With the first person narrator explaining before that he had a conversation with the antagonist,/party involved and this is what he learned.... Not sure which is going to work for me
Just keep in mind that you can also change POV when writing in first person. When you need to have the reader be somewhere else you can, for example, switch to the POV of a secondary character. Write that POV in third person (or whatever you feel works best) then switch back to the main character.
I am aware that that is a doable tactic, but the thing about my story that I have decided upon is that it is told solely from one character's PoV, hence the question. I wish I could jump between PoVs, since I've always enjoyed doing that, but this is the challenge I've presented myself. But it seems everyone has given some good advice so far.
Yep. Keeping it first person as you’ve decided also works. I think the advice in the thread is good, particularly the advice to read through first person books. You not only see the tactics the authors used but also how they implemented them so they don’t seem artificial or forced.
I normally don't have much free time to really sit down and read these days, but I had been starting to read the Hunger Games books and need to continue with that. Main point being that, even though it is told in PRESENT TENSE (which trips me up at first), it is a story told from a limited PoV with a teenage character, so that's how I view those books as potentially being inspirational. But also, I really liked the movies and have no excuse to not read the books. If I had more time, though, I would definitely check out some other books for inspiration in terms of writing in 1st person. There was a fantasy book that must have come out recently that looks really fascinating...but I worry about whether I'd be able to actually sit down and read it all the way through! Any time I could be spending reading I'm instead trying to write out my first draft...
The MC could also have a couple of skills that would help the reader understand what is going on in the story. Some members mentioned making logical deductions and that's what I'm hinting at as well. Suppose the character has some knowledge in lip-reading or is keen in interpreting body language; that way she could make accurate inferences about other people's behaviours without making the reader doubt her credibility. If you choose to go down that road, though, make sure these skills are set out from the beginning of the story.
I struggle with the first person vs third POV approach. My story is mostly told from the protagonists POV but I like to experiment with other characters in third person to get different descriptions and experiences. Multiple story threads at the same time. Some chapters I even write the protagonist from third person for dramatic effect. It all might change one I start editing though. I like your idea of sticking to one character for the entire story, but I find that is to limiting for me.
