First Person vs Third Person: Which is more popular in Erotica?

[MelissaBaby]

Is this response directed to me specifically? I'm a little intrigued if someone who's obviously so experienced with writing in here thinks I've got what it takes.

Yes, it was directed to you. I remember reading your posts in the past and I was always impressed with your intelligence and your wit. I'd love to see what you might write.

 

[Euphony]

I'm a woman with a working class background ... our whole lives are a hot mess of self criticism.

Navigational skills always help.

I have a couple of friends who are well published authors, so have a bit of insight into what it takes to be actually good. It's a lot of hard work. I probably don't have that level of tenacity,

So long you don't let it stifle your creativity, being realistic about your skill level is ok.

So many are defeatist w/the perfect v. good balancing. If it doesn't hinder your stride, serving both the creation and skills improvement masters works.

but my day job requires a lot of use of the written word, so I'm relatively adept with that. Weirdly, I think a few years of cyber/phone sex have been a huge help - you need to get pretty good at using words in the absence of physical stuff.

Absolutely.

My only consideration would be don't fall into the favorite scripts trap. It's so easy to write only what works and you'll likely be rewarded.

Just be sure to stretch your creative muscles now and then to keep your interest and motivation high.

And it made me focus on the 'actual' sex a lot more, really thinking about what was happening, how it felt, etc.

Every author has their style but it feels like the physical actions that take place are well covered by most here. I prefer the breathing space psychological and sociological considerations afford me in themes exploration and support.

I can see how some find it a slog (without it I lose engagement) so produced work always wins no matter how complex or paint by numbers.

 

[KimGordon67]

Every author has their style but it feels like the physical actions that take place are well covered by most here. I prefer the breathing space psychological and sociological considerations afford me in themes exploration and support.

I can see how some find it a slog (without it I lose engagement) so produced work always wins no matter how complex or paint by numbers.

Yes ... this is the bit that I need to think about more, and I guess what moves things from just being porn-with-words to an actual story. The bit I currently have written is probably more the former, although with some aspect of understanding what's actually happening for the main character - where I currently have that posted, there's definitely bits of writing that are just porn-with-words, and they're pretty unsatisfying.

 

[Booleanean]

I find myself gravitating towards third person limited. First person feels a little strange to me, but I still limit myself to only describing things the POV character can see and feel. Other people's feelings are inferred and communicated by the POV character ("from the noises he was making, he was clearly enjoying this").

I tried third person omniscient in another story, but it feels unfocused and messy to me while I'm writing it. I'm not saying others can't do it well, it just doesn't feel right coming out of my own keyboard.

The "limited" part makes things feel more real to me as I'm writing. I still obviously know to a degree what the other characters in a scene are thinking, what their motivations are, but the limitation of only being in one person's head at a time from a narrative point of view just feels right.

I also feel like it helps me writing dialogue. I'm already used to limiting myself in what I put on paper to what the POV character can see and know, so it's easier to make sure information is communicated between characters in a way that makes sense.

 

[SimonDoom]

I'm a woman with a working class background ... our whole lives are a hot mess of self criticism.

I have a couple of friends who are well published authors, so have a bit of insight into what it takes to be actually good. It's a lot of hard work. I probably don't have that level of tenacity, but my day job requires a lot of use of the written word, so I'm relatively adept with that. Weirdly, I think a few years of cyber/phone sex have been a huge help - you need to get pretty good at using words in the absence of physical stuff. And it made me focus on the 'actual' sex a lot more, really thinking about what was happening, how it felt, etc.

Fortunately, you've come to the right place. This isn't the commercial world of publishing. The credentials needed to get into this club are skimpy. All you have to do is write. Nobody will know how hard you worked or what went into it, unless you tell them. I've been doing this for six and a half years, and it's just a hobby, but it's very rewarding. Like Melissa, I can tell from just a few of your comments that you have more than enough qualifications to write and publish stories here. Like the Nike slogan says, just do it.

Also, DON'T delay out of a concern for making your first story perfect. It's a process. Nobody writes perfect stories and nobody will cast stones for failing to do so. You write, you publish, you try to figure out what sucked about the last thing you wrote, and then you write again.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Yes, it was directed to you. I remember reading your posts in the past and I was always impressed with your intelligence and your wit. I'd love to see what you might write.

Seconded!

 

[KimGordon67]

Seconded!

I'm blushing.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I'm blushing.

Blush more. Thirded!

 

[KimGordon67]

Blush more. Thirded!

Blushing ... and also a bit nervous. WHAT IF IT'S BAD???

 

[ElectricBlue]

Blushing ... and also a bit nervous. WHAT IF IT'S BAD???

Define "bad", define "good". Then define "better". You get better by sometimes being bad to start out with, then good, then better. But you have to start, or you've got nothing to build on.

Here's my tip for beginners - write something short but not too short, confine it to two characters, a simple setting, a straightforward story. Write it as best you can, but don't agonize over it. Publish it. Start straight away on your next piece, don't wait. Do that half a dozen - ten times, and you'll have a good idea of your natural narrative style, your preferred voice; you'll get the basics of grammar and punctuation, especially dialogue punctuation, under control. Do an apprenticeship, learn to walk before you run, but do it as fast as you can.

There's plenty of time before you're ready to tackle "a more substantial piece". In my case, it was a year or so, maybe 100,000 words under my belt, before I took a risk and went outside my comfort zone, and wrote a story that hit a chord. It was then I thought, I can do this, I can write.

Try different points of view: first person, third, close third - none is "better" than another when it comes down to intimate, erotic writing (despite what some people think), so don't put constraints on your writing.

Read other writers, think into what they're doing, why they use this technique or that effect.

It's very important too, to figure out if you're a pantser writer or a plotter - because half the advice you get will be irrelevant, if that's not your natural way of writing.

Except: write your first piece, that's common to both.

 

[Djmac1031]

Blushing ... and also a bit nervous. WHAT IF IT'S BAD???

Aw hell, now the build up is real lol.

I don't really know you, but looks like many here do and are confident in your abilities.

Now they have me curious as well.

 

[Djmac1031]

I started out as a 1st Person writer, because the initial tales I wanted to tell were MY fantasies, so why not tell them from MY point of view.

I have learned to appreciate the merits of 3rd person though. It just really opens up options.

I suppose the way to decide is simple.

Are you telling one person's tale? 1st person is fine.

But if there's multiple characters, coming and going, 3rd person gives you far more freedom to explore them as individuals, get inside their head, find their motivations etc.

 

[KimGordon67]

Aw hell, now the build up is real lol.

I don't really know you, but looks like many here do and are confident in your abilities.

Now they have me curious as well.

haha ... good luck. There's a LOT of words that I've written on here ... just not in stories.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Blushing ... and also a bit nervous. WHAT IF IT'S BAD???

It might be! And that's fine. Give yourself permission to be bad first time around. You gotta start somewhere and an amateur writing site is a good place for that.

 

[Emilymcplugger]

First off, well done for taking the leap and getting published.

Secondly, I've read stories in first and third person and there's no real difference. If they're sexy they're sexy and any writer worth their salt will be able to make either storytelling voice work.

And lastly (and this is the boing bit) but as a novice author please can you advise how do you get sections in bold (Is it literally <B> and </B>)?

Cheers and congrats

 

[MelissaBaby]

First off, well done for taking the leap and getting published.

Secondly, I've read stories in first and third person and there's no real difference. If they're sexy they're sexy and any writer worth their salt will be able to make either storytelling voice work.

And lastly (and this is the boing bit) but as a novice author please can you advise how do you get sections in bold (Is it literally <B> and </B>)?

Cheers and congrats

You can do that, but there is a toggle for bold in the toolbar at the top of the reply window. Look for a B on the far left.

 

[Emilymcplugger]

You can do that, but there is a toggle for bold in the toolbar at the top of the reply window. Look for a B on the far left.

No, I meant in a story.

(literally my face)

 

[MelissaBaby]

No, I meant in a story.

(literally my face)

OK, I thought you asked specifically because Kim used bold in her post.

Yes, you just have to put in the html tags.

 

[Booleanean]

No, I meant in a story.

(literally my face)

There's a full list of the formatting you can do in the FAQ:

Bold - standard bold text. We prefer the <strong>Bold Text Here</strong> tag for bold, but we still support the legacy <b>Bold Text</b> tags as well.

The reason they prefer <strong> over <b> is that it has meaning to screen readers and other assistive technologies. <strong> tells whatever software someone is using to access your story that the text inside is supposed to have strong emphasis, as opposed to <em> which is "just" emphasis. Regular browsers render <strong> as bold and <em> as italic.

<b> and <i> just tell the browser or other software that the text is supposed to have a heavier font weight, with no additional context added. It's a holdover from the Old internet.

 

[Emilymcplugger]

There's a full list of the formatting you can do in the FAQ:

The reason they prefer <strong> over <b> is that it has meaning to screen readers and other assistive technologies. <strong> tells whatever software someone is using to access your story that the text inside is supposed to have strong emphasis, as opposed to <em> which is "just" emphasis. Regular browsers render <strong> as bold and <em> as italic.

<b> and <i> just tell the browser or other software that the text is supposed to have a heavier font weight, with no additional context added. It's a holdover from the Old internet.

Brilliant. I bow down to your superior knowledge.

Crap.

I hurt my back and can’t get up.

 

[Emilymcplugger]

I’ve recently joined and have posted my first story. So far, the reception has been great and the comments very kind. The story is called Portmanteau Episode 1.

https://literotica.com/s/portmanteau-ep-01

It’s written in a style called portmanteau which features three independent stories loosely associated with each other. Overall it jumps around a bit offering a kaleidoscope view of the event. At any rate, it is written as is most fiction in the third person omniscient. However, in reading works all over this site, it seems the first-person narrative is more common, and I assume more popular for the reader . First person doesn’t work for me as it tends to read like a letter (I’m reminded of sneaking looks at my Dad’s Penthouse magazine and reader’s forum section), but it must be working because of the plethora and popularity of works written in this style.

Can anyone offer some insight as to why the first person is so prevalent here? My assumption is it helps with the fantasy for some readers as they can become the pronoun “I” or “we” in the story and enjoy the erotic adventure from the perspective of the participant.

For me, being the story’s observer in a 3rd person narrative gives me a voyeuristic view which adds another layer of eroticism. As long as I’m never too far ahead of the hero or heroine, this style keeps me turning pages. As a writer it also allows me to create undesirable characters that no one wants to associate themselves with personally but are needed to move the story forward.

Art is art, there is never a right or wrong way, but I would love to hear what others think specifically which style enhances the pleasure of the read and perhaps a thought as to why.

Two great versions of the different style are by Spector_Dugan who wrote LOVE IS LIKE A BLUE SHELL in 3rd person and that is hella sexy, but he then wrote POLY AT THE POLY in first person and that’s also hella sexy.

I don’t think one way is sexier than another it’s the content and quality of writer that makes it sexy.

 

[PandemicReader8]

Can anyone offer some insight as to why the first person is so prevalent here? My assumption is it helps with the fantasy for some readers as they can become the pronoun “I” or “we” in the story and enjoy the erotic adventure from the perspective of the participant.

I write what I enjoy. When I start an erotica piece and discover it's in 3rd person, the odds that I'll finish it fall drastically. When I write erotica. I write in first person. Not sure if I can offer a good reason, it just is as it is.

It doesn't bother me to read a first person story with a female main character. I'm deeply committed to my heterosexual self and as a result don't see myself as the FMC. Maybe it becomes a bit more like hearing the stories of a lover's past?

Don't know.

 

[Rob_Royale]

I usually enjoy reading and writing in third person. But as my writing has progressed I've realized that the intimacy of first person is right for this story or that.

So my current story is a nephew/aunt story told from the nephews POV. At the end of Ch1 they are separated for a few weeks. As I start Ch2, I realize that I might be cool to tell it from her the aunts perspective.

So, I'm wondering, do I go back and rewrite from 3rd person or do a split 1st person to maintain that intimacy? I'm leaning toward the latter.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I usually enjoy reading and writing in third person. But as my writing has progressed I've realized that the intimacy of first person is right for this story or that.

So my current story is a nephew/aunt story told from the nephews POV. At the end of Ch1 they are separated for a few weeks. As I start Ch2, I realize that I might be cool to tell it from her the aunts perspective.

So, I'm wondering, do I go back and rewrite from 3rd person or do a split 1st person to maintain that intimacy? I'm leaning toward the latter.

Too much of a long haul to do a conversion now, I'd have thought. A chapter break is a logical place to shift pov. I'd only do it chapter by chapter, though, if that's how you've started.

 

[Rob_Royale]

Too much of a long haul to do a conversion now, I'd have thought. A chapter break is a logical place to shift pov. I'd only do it chapter by chapter, though, if that's how you've started.

That is the plan. First chapter is near 4500 words and establishes setting, characters, and the relationship. I'll put a name at the top of the chapters so readers understand the pov switch. I'm hoping for a switch each chapter for four chapters which will be posted as one story.