First person writing

[Rob_Royale]

I'm a very recent convert to erotic fiction. Throughout my life I've generally not enjoyed anything written in the first person. An occasional exception to this, are stories that play out as read from a journal, like Robinson Crusoe or Crighton's Eaters of the Dead.
However a lot of erotic fiction on this site IS written in the first person and it seems more ... natural. I've started writing my first submission and I fell into writing in the first person without even noticing.
Would anyone please post a link to a recommended story, on this site, that is told in the third person? Just so I can get a feel for it, when it comes to the sexy bits and decide if I want to change any of my WIPs. Thanks.

 

[TheRedChamber]

I mainly write close third person (not going to recommend my own work though). I don't really understand people who have strong opinions about voice either way though. If it feels natural that you started writing in FP and there's no?immediate problem, why second guess it now? A lot, but by no means all,erotic fiction is first person, so it's likely a perfectly fine choice for the story.

For what it's worth, I'm currently about 20k words into my first FP story for a long time and I'm finding it much more difficult than close third. I have to constantly phrase things in the same way as my heroine would rather than comment on her behaviour in basically my own voice. I have to communicate to the reader that 'yes, she's currently being a bit prissy' but through the voice of a character who doesn't think she's being 'prissy' (or whatever) at all. It's actually more challenging to do well unless you are writing a character that is somewhat close to yourself.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Here's an example - my most commented on story. Shows what you can do with close third person narrative.

The Floating World

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I have both first-person and third-person stories that you can examine to see the differences. I'm not sure what category you will be writing to, so you can select from the list what best matches your style. Here is a link

 

[EarlyMorningLight]

Here’s a brilliant example of the third person: https://literotica.com/s/sidechain

 

[Rustyoznail]

I'm like you, not a career writer. My first story was in first person. It was just the natural way, like sitting at a bar telling a story to a mate. Later I moved to third person for other stories where it didn't make sense to use first person. They were my "Cricket anyone?" stories. https://literotica.com/s/cricket-anyone-india-vs-australia is the first one.

To be honest, I don't think about how I'm going to tell the story. It just sort of happens...

 

[Lifestyle66]

I'm a very recent convert to erotic fiction. Throughout my life I've generally not enjoyed anything written in the first person. I've felt that it is really a writers crutch and a sign of marginal writer at best. An occasional exception to this, are stories that play out as read from a journal, like Robinson Crusoe or Crighton's Eaters of the Dead.
However a lot of erotic fiction on this site IS written in the first person and it seems more ... natural. I've started writing my first submission and I fell into writing in the first person without even noticing. Yes, I would say I'm a marginal writer. I do well enough, but I've no illusions.
Would anyone please post a link to a recommended story, on this site, that is told in the third person? Just so I can get a feel for it and decide if I want to change any of my WIPs. Thanks.

I'm an amateur writer striving to attain marginal status. And I writing in first-person, because it's what I know.

All my stories are told from the husband's POV, but I found some limitations in bringing in other characters. When I wrote Chapter 8 (Lifestyle Ch. 08-09: Clubs/Parties), I decided to introduce another couple in my swinger world to interact with that husband & wife later. In developing the new couple's side story (the new husband is insecure, and his wife is wild), I had to use third person (for the first time).

So, in Chapter 8, you'll see it start with first person, then halfway through switch to third person as that other couple goes off to a different party.

 

[PennameWombat]

The stories I know best are my own. The vast majority of my stories, and most certainly my highest-rated stories, are all third person. I guess most are third person close or limited, but I tend not to think too deeply on the difference. They’re not omniscient. I don‘t generally enjoy writing first person, unless I have a character I truly want to zoom in on. I usually have more of an ensemble approach and regularly use rotating POVs.

My absolutely highest rated story has only eight votes, so my highest rated with many more votes is Mel’s Phone Call, pt. 02. It’s third person, along with almost all of my top-rated stories, but most focus on sex with a small group of people or a single couple. If you want something with sex among a broad cast, Sex, Toys and Video: A Tale.

Links to other stories in my signature.

 

[TadOverdon]

I've felt that it is really a writers crutch and a sign of marginal writer at best.

That's not at all true. I say that as someone who's never written a first-person sex story in my life.

What is true, in my opinion, is that first person is the easiest POV for an inexperienced writer to handle because we practice it every day. We talk to ourselves, and to others, about our day, our feelings, our families, our projects, our memories, our fears, our hopes. We talk to partners, friends, bosses, strangers, therapists, priests, muggers...you get my drift. and "I" is right at the center of our speech.

Now, if you assume an inordinately high percentage of first-timers also are not yet as competent composers of prose as those with more experience, then you're sure going to find more less-than-stunning writers doing it in the first person. But to ascribe that to marginal talent rather than inexperience is mistaken. All IMHO.

It goes without saying that many enduring works of literature are written in the first person. Shelley, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Plath, Dostoevsky...those cats knew a thing or two. Our old friend Anonymous has their good days as well.

 

[MrPixel]

I've felt that it is really a writers crutch and a sign of marginal writer at best.

"Call me Ishmael."

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I have written a lot of FP stories. First person lets you delve into the person who is narrating and if you want the audience to know about the other(s) in the story, have you narrator ask questions, which leads to a lot of dialog.

I have also written a lot of 3rd person POV stories. I find it just as easy to write in either.

 

[Bubo_bubo]

<snip>

It goes without saying that many of the most enduring works of English literature are written in the first person. Shelley, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Plath, Dostoevsky...those cats knew a thing or two. Our old friend Anonymous has their good days as well.

Ah, yes, that giant of English literature, Dostoevsky.

 

[SimonDoom]

It's silly to say that writing in first person is a "crutch" or an indication of being a marginal writer. Many of the most famous and greatest works of literature are in first person: David Copperfield, Lolita, Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby, Huckleberry Finn, Moby Dick. When you say things like this, it means you don't know what you're talking about.

Every point of view has its place. My go-to is third-person limited, but my stories run the gamut of POVs. I think it's fun and challenging to try different POVs.

Many readers think first-person POV works well for erotica because of its intimacy. It enables the reader more easily to enter the position of the POV character and experience the erotic events that unfold in a satisfying way. I personally think the same effect can be achieved with a third-person free indirect style, but some prefer the first person.

 

[burgwad]

I actually live my life in the first person. It goes okay. Not exactly recommended reading, but I can confirm that it is great for sex scenes.

 

[SimonDoom]

Ah, yes, that giant of English literature, Dostoevsky.

His name was Jeff, wasn't it? Jeff Dostoevsky. When he wasn't writing he ran a marginally successful pie shop in Kent.

 

[JGittes]

"Call me Ishmael."

Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness' is another example. It isn't strictly speaking first-person POV, but most of the story is Marlowe's first-person POV framed with the narrator's first-person POV. Considering English wasn't Conrad's native language, well, shit, no hope for me.

 

[SamScribble]

His name was Jeff, wasn't it? Jeff Dostoevsky. When he wasn't writing he ran a marginally successful pie shop in Kent.

Old Kent Road, not Kent. But an easy enough mistake to make.

 

[SimonDoom]

Old Kent Road, not Kent. But an easy enough mistake to make.

I defer to you on that point, sir.

 

[Rob_Royale]

That's not at all true. I say that as someone who's never written a first-person sex story in my life.

It's silly to say that writing in first person is a "crutch" or an indication of being a marginal writer. Many of the most famous and greatest works of literature are in first person: David Copperfield, Lolita, Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby, Huckleberry Finn, Moby Dick. When you say things like this, it means you don't know what you're talking about.

Fair points. I have edited my post to remove my rudely worded opinion. The classics aside, I've not had good experiences with books written in the first person and I'll leave it at that. I apologize if I have offended anyone.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Old Kent Road, not Kent. But an easy enough mistake to make.

Wait, wasn't it his brother, Terry, who owned the pie shop?

 

[Smuttyandfun]

I'm a very recent convert to erotic fiction. Throughout my life I've generally not enjoyed anything written in the first person. An occasional exception to this, are stories that play out as read from a journal, like Robinson Crusoe or Crighton's Eaters of the Dead.
However a lot of erotic fiction on this site IS written in the first person and it seems more ... natural. I've started writing my first submission and I fell into writing in the first person without even noticing.
Would anyone please post a link to a recommended story, on this site, that is told in the third person? Just so I can get a feel for it, when it comes to the sexy bits and decide if I want to change any of my WIPs. Thanks.

Lately, I've been writing a lot of FP dual POV in stories like, That Little Spark and Just Roomies. Before I started writing on here, I only wrote in 3rd person. Writing Erotica, it seems natural to write in first. Mating Season I wrote in 3rd person, and the readers seemed to enjoy that, too.

 

[SamScribble]

Wait, wasn't it his brother, Terry, who owned the pie shop?

No. Terry (or Tel, as he was more commonly known) had the greasy spoon a bit further up the road, EB. Closer to Elephant & Castle. Although, of course, Tel might have served some of Jeff's pies I suppose.

 

[tenyari]

Over the course of 2005-2008 I wrote a 159,197 word story in first person, publishing the chapters as I went.

It was not easy to do. Telling a complete story with depth to all the characters and a plot gets very tricky when you limit yourself to inside the head of one deeply flawed individual. I wrote a character who purposefully had bad judgement and was just learning to start to think things through, but still making mistakes over and over again.

And I had to make sure those mistakes made sense for her and her situation and not just the 'CW Network we need drama for the cliffhanger because the show is at the 60 minute point' style of stupid.

Limiting everything your reader can see to only what the protagonist can see, and then purposefully misinterpreting it according to that protagonist. Then keeping that consistent. The longer you go the bigger your headache gets with "OMG... I just need to toss in a side footnote here to explain that... but no, I can't - not without destroying the story... yet how the heck to I keep my reader from rolling their eyes when surely they can see there's a flaw here..."

In a short stroke fiction story of one or two quickly scenes it's super easy. But the longer you stick to 'purist' first person without ever switching who's head you're inside - the more your own head wants to run away screaming.

Which was why a story I originally though I'd finish in a few weeks took three years.


When I go third person, I can spin out word counts like this in days if I'm "in the zone" without it ever breaking down. Anytime I feel a moment of "the reader needs to know this" I can just write it into some other character's dialog or, if I'm being low quality, scroll some Star Wars text across the screen for a page or two.

 

[HBuff]

Cinematographic third person...

The one story I have published here uses a third-person narrator, but a different kind of third person. The story is written in a cinematographic style where I depict the scenes occurring on a black & white screen (this is a 1939 spy movie ending with the capture of a train --- inspired from "A Lady Vanishes" by Alfred Hitchcock, but names were changed since Lit doesn't allow non-consent fan-fic).

The big difference is that you don't access the characters' thoughts. All the scenes work with visuals, gestures, words and facial expressions. It was challenging, very interesting and a great learning experience.

My newest story (pending for the Halloween contest) uses a first-person narrator and has only two characters. The readers will be seated in a classic sports car that can reach top speeds of 160-170 mph!

 

[TadOverdon]

I've written stories with some pretty unpleasant protagonists. I think I'd find it harder if I had to listen to their interior monologs without relief.