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
