by Linda Thorne
My comfort level lies in writing in first person. The only time I ever used third person was when I wrote a short story that ended with the protagonist's death. It didn't work well with my character using I and and me pronouns to describe her own death.
I enjoy reading books written in both first and third. My preference though leans heavier on stories in first person. In first person point of view readers depend upon the lead character, the sole observer, to provide them all the information.
I love working around the limitations this creates. Below are a couple of examples of possible disadvantages and how I work around them.
• You cannot read the mind of other characters.
Do you need to? My lead character makes judgments on what some characters might be thinking by knowing some of their history. She watches their actions and expressions too. Readers experience what she sees, hears, and feels. Isn’t that enough to guess or assume what the other characters might be thinking? I’d say not knowing their every thought adds a little mystery to the story. There may be times when readers do need to know the thoughts of another character. You don’t have to make your lead a mind reader to convey this information. Let your protagonist find this character’s diary or manifesto, or hear the character disclose his thoughts.
• The lead character cannot be in more than one place at the same time.
Correct; however, if she needs the information and gets it another way, what difference does it make? I create point-of-view characters who bring the information to my protagonist. In my book, Just Another Termination, I produced a tattle-tale character who worked inside the police station. This gossip leaked information about happenings inside the department to a trusted friend. The trusted friend in turn shared this information with my protagonist.
There are many tricks you can use to get needed information to your readers. If you look online, you’ll find a vast amount of information, opinions, and suggestions on these two points of view. There are positives mentioned for both, but when stacked against each other, third person seems to triumph. The freedom to move the camera around in third person appears to be what tips the scales in its favor. I like finding alternatives to use when I can’t move that camera all over the place. My comfort level remains with first person.
There is also a second person point of view that is rarely used for good reason. Where first person is I and me, and third is he, she, it, and they; second is always a variation of you. I can’t imagine using this in any writing.
So, what about you? Do you prefer to write and/or read in first or third person POV?
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My comfort level lies in writing in first person. The only time I ever used third person was when I wrote a short story that ended with the protagonist's death. It didn't work well with my character using I and and me pronouns to describe her own death.I enjoy reading books written in both first and third. My preference though leans heavier on stories in first person. In first person point of view readers depend upon the lead character, the sole observer, to provide them all the information.
I love working around the limitations this creates. Below are a couple of examples of possible disadvantages and how I work around them.
• You cannot read the mind of other characters.
Do you need to? My lead character makes judgments on what some characters might be thinking by knowing some of their history. She watches their actions and expressions too. Readers experience what she sees, hears, and feels. Isn’t that enough to guess or assume what the other characters might be thinking? I’d say not knowing their every thought adds a little mystery to the story. There may be times when readers do need to know the thoughts of another character. You don’t have to make your lead a mind reader to convey this information. Let your protagonist find this character’s diary or manifesto, or hear the character disclose his thoughts.
• The lead character cannot be in more than one place at the same time.
Correct; however, if she needs the information and gets it another way, what difference does it make? I create point-of-view characters who bring the information to my protagonist. In my book, Just Another Termination, I produced a tattle-tale character who worked inside the police station. This gossip leaked information about happenings inside the department to a trusted friend. The trusted friend in turn shared this information with my protagonist.There are many tricks you can use to get needed information to your readers. If you look online, you’ll find a vast amount of information, opinions, and suggestions on these two points of view. There are positives mentioned for both, but when stacked against each other, third person seems to triumph. The freedom to move the camera around in third person appears to be what tips the scales in its favor. I like finding alternatives to use when I can’t move that camera all over the place. My comfort level remains with first person.
There is also a second person point of view that is rarely used for good reason. Where first person is I and me, and third is he, she, it, and they; second is always a variation of you. I can’t imagine using this in any writing.
So, what about you? Do you prefer to write and/or read in first or third person POV?
Amazon Buy Link
9 comments:
I enjoy either first or third point of view, as long as the author grounds me in that point of view. If told from more than one point of view, I like it to be clear which one it is. I hate when authors flit back and forth and don't clue me in right away which POV it is.
Linda,
I wrote all five books in my Malone mystery series in the 3rd person but, by the end of the series, I knew I wanted to write a book (or books) in 1st person. In "Secrets in Storyville," my first small town mystery, I did just that and I LOVE writing in 1st person! :)
Today there are so many variations on first and third person, close and distant, that writers are creating intimate portrayals of characters with both first and third person points of view. The important thing, I think, is to choose the POV that best represents the story. Think of how different To Kill a Mockingbird would have been, for example, if not told from the POV of an innocent, endearing child. I love it that you choose the more challenging POV, Linda. That shows a lot of gumption!
First person is challenging! In Blinked, our zany urban Fantasy, we chose to do first person from four POVs. Each chapter is headed with the character that is narrating. We worried it would be confusing. Because it's a niche genre, I think the publisher allowed us to be a little eccentric. I love first person, but not many romance novels are written in that POV. I did read one from a visiting author at our RWA. Skye Warren did it very well. I wouldn't have read The Pawn if I hadn't heard her speak. It's not my typical read, but I liked her writing. Great post!--Minette Lauren
Thank all of you for your interesting and informative comments. It seems to be a choice, and both POVs seem to work well, except as Saralyn said, sometimes you need to choose which one best represents the story. The example of To Kill a Mockingbird was a great example. I think one reason I leaned toward first was I was reading a Carolyn Haines', Sarah Booth Delaney, mystery when I decided to start writing. That series is always in first person. I've read the Lawrence Block, Matt Scudder series, a number of Robert Parker's Spenser series books, and a ton more others I could list. It's my comfort level, but I'd be willing to switch if I felt it necessary.
I recently read a fantasy written in first person, present tense POV, which I don’t see often. It gave a sense of immediacy that worked well in the intense tale. My series, at least the books written from Becca’s POV, will be in first person, past tense, but I may try present tense with a short story. I’ve always had a fondness for first person narratives. Enjoyed the post.
Thank you, Zoe. One of the positives of first person is the intimacy is almost automatic because your dealing with the one observer. Intimacy is created all of the time in third person (if the author is a good writer), but it takes more work. You mentioned present tense. I could handle that in a short story, and I've read a couple of books in present, but I avoid them now. It may just be the habit of growing up (and old) reading past tense. That could be a whole other post.
I like to write in close third person--where the narrative is my heroine's thoughts. I enjoy reading both.
I prefer 1st person as well - both to write and read. It feels more involved in the story.
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