I don't see anything inherently wrong with the concept. Like any dialogue, (monologue?) be sure to keep it relevant and interesting. Sometimes a little conversation with the man in the mirror can teach us a lot about ourselves.
I've been writing my story in the first person, as it's the easiest for me. But I've also figured out that to get everything into the story that I want to, I might have to change this. Would it be too hard to switch between two or three people's POV? Or would it be easier to write in the third person instead?
I'm reading a book now where this happens a lot, and it is simply annoying at first, but now i'm used to it.
Third person is the best choice for three or more POVs. Usually it's the best POV for one or two POVs also, but if you really are set on fist person, you can, if you're good at it, alternate between a couple POVs, I think doing that in first person for more than 2 POVs is really pointless. The only reason for first person is to bind the reader's perspective to the main character. ?The best reason for doing that for two POVs is to spend some time in an antagonist's POV, or at least someone whose perspective you wish to contrast with that of the MC. To handle multiple first persom POVs, you MUST be adept at character driven narration, which is narration that has a "voice" that reflects the character's thought and speech patterns. It's like having to write everything in dialogue, but most of it is still written as narration. Third person is a far more nimble POV. You can switch with much less preparation without xdisorienting the reader.
If you know your characters very well, first person can be really fun to write in. You will constantly be asking yourself "what would this person say/think/do in this situation." And if you have a variety of characters, the answers to that question can be diverse and profoundly interesting. However, you will also find yourself trapped in that character's head until an opportunity to jump ship arrives, such as a chapter break or the end of a scene. Switching POV at bad times is the easiest way to ruin not only 1st person, but any POV, so choosing when to make the switch is probably the most crucial aspect.
Echoing all the responses. It's all in how you write it, but take care not to be bland or boring about it. Or even corny, which could happen if you are reckless.
It's easier for me to write, and I prefer to read, multiple POVs if they're all in third person. Then again, I'm kind of biased against first person even if it is just one POV being used. You'll see that opinions vary. *shrug* But you're going to have to be a lot more clearcut regarding POV switching--with first person, it seems the only way to pull it off effectively is to switch chapters/scenes, whereas with third person, you have a bit more leeway.
Truthfully it sounds rather boring to me. :/ Unless the character is narrating/describing something that happened in the past, which would itself make up the plot; but if the plot IS just this person sitting there talking to themselves, well, for the most part that's not my cup of tea. It sounds too much like personal journaling disguised as fiction, and unless the narrator has something interesting to say, it would be dull. They would have to be a REALLY interesting character to keep my attention. I bore myself well enough sitting alone talking to myself all the time so I know from experience. Make sure you're actually writing stories that happen to feature a character who sits alone and talks to themselves, as opposed to just writing private journal entries (usually ranty or emotional ones) and attempting to disguise them as fiction. Because if it's the latter, then it will show.
I actually rather like the idea so long as it does not become boring, which is a rather likely scenario. I, however, could see it working and being truly amazing. I can not say I have read to many stories with this concept, but it is a very cool idea.
The movie "Vantage Point" pulled off multiple POV's perfectly in my opinion, but that's a movie it's easier. I think the only book I have only read one book with multiple first-person POVs and I no longer recall the title. It's in the way it's written, I think you could pull it off effectively pretty easily. Each chapter could be another person's POV (I know there is a book written in that style). It could be a nice story. Third person does work better though.
The first (and only) book I've read in this style was William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying. It's basically about a dying mother and her family who tries to honor her wish of where to be buried. It's funny, because the dead mother actually narrates a few chapters. I remember reading it in high school and thinking "how'd this dead chick get a chapter." Yeah, I was a dumb kid. According to Wikipedia, it's 59 chapters with 15 diferent characters narrating. Wow.
Yes that was the book I was thinking of. I read it last year in Honors English, very confusing in my opinion, but it pulled off multiple POV's well.
Well, of course the plot isn't the character talking to themself Just seems that a lot of what I write is monologue, because I like fleshing out the emotions and humanity of the character. I usually break this up with action or dialogue with another character every so often though. Currently, the first two chapters of the novel/novella I've been working on have been dialogue, with one character in each chapter (I also like to switch POV since I write in first person).
Yes, that was what I was thinking about doing. It would make it easier for the reader in the long run to understand who she is, and what happened to her.
What I'm writing has each chapter change first person POV for four characters. I'm having fun writing it because each person has much different personality, yet might be commenting on the same event. So far, I'm having a blast with the creation of it. It's a bit like writing several small stories rather than one big one and I'm not getting bored with the characters. I get through a section, then get to write a whole new POV. Hopefully, I'm correct that the characters are very different. That's the trick.
Yes the characters must be very diffrent, and the story must flow together nicely. As mentioned, As I lay Dying was a perfect example of this.
I think it's a reflection of real life. When I moved away from my home area, where I knew countless people, I ended up in a suburb of Philly, where I knew no one. I then moved to Philly where few say hello, even when they live in your building (I don't have two heads, it's the culture). So, I spend large amounts of time thinking about and reflecting on my surrounds, culture, politics, creative projects, etc. If I do it, then a character could.
what i think is it should be made illegal!... seriously, it annoys the heck outa me unless it's done by an exceptional writer who can make it work and 99.999% of those who try it aren't!
You don't have to write in first person to show a character clearly. How your character speaks, acts, and reacts does that very well. You can take third person close enough that you can see, hear and feel what the character sees, hears and feels, and even catch the occasional thought. The above is written in third person, except for his literal thoughts, yet it is as if written from inside Blake's head. You see and hear what he does, you feel his tension, but you aren't burdened with "I" and "me" everywhere. The same scene, or even the same entire story, could be told in first person. In fact, many mystery novels are. But in third person, it would be easy to skip over to Murdock's point of view, perhaps as he becomes wary of an ambush and changes strategy, moving to a side entrance to the room.
I guess I'm part of the 99.9999% lol. I write them occasionally. I'm going to go with what mostly everyone is suggesting: the character has to have something interesting to say, even if it's just about him picking his nose. Of course, this means you will have to create a character with a distinct "voice" a la Holden Caulfield. Also, even if the MC is mostly having inner monologues, he/she still needs to do something, or go somewhere, right? So there's bound to be interesting things ahead. I'd say, go for it.
This is true, I just find the first person view much less used, and more unique. I find it a better read as well but that is all just personal prefrence.
