Multi-Character First Person

[Ezrollin]

Anyone writing or wrote anything in dual first person (not the right term I'm sure) ? In other words...first person from the male pov and first person from the female pov.

 

[EverLux]

The story I just finished was first person, alternating between the woman and one of the men, with chapter breaks between.
Most of my favorite romance novels are written that way

 

[sr71plt]

If you separate the povs into sections, you can be writing first person, yes. If you mingle text giving their thoughts you are in third person omniscient. The overall perspective has risen about the multiple characters.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

It's not up here, but I did a First POV novel length work that shifted from on character to the next. Each was clearly marked. Each had a scene. Then the next person took over telling the tale in the next scene.

I have also had several other works that shifts between character. Some often, others not so often.

Just make sure you clear mark the switch.

Check this story out...it does switch but not until close to the end.

 

[Ezrollin]

The story I just finished was first person, alternating between the woman and one of the men, with chapter breaks between.
Most of my favorite romance novels are written that way

What's the title ?

 

[EverLux]

What's the title ?

Tentatively titled Learning to Love the Heat.

It's my Summer Lovin' entry, so keep an eye out for it next week

 

[FantasyXY]

Just a thought here...

What if it were written in a style where two people were recounting an even together. Both telling the story at the same time. Maybe one voice is in standard font and the other in italics. At any rate the style of each voice and the word choices would need to be unique and equally strong to keep from confusing the reader.

 

[sr71plt]

Just a thought here...

What if it were written in a style where two people were recounting an even together. Both telling the story at the same time. Maybe one voice is in standard font and the other in italics. At any rate the style of each voice and the word choices would need to be unique and equally strong to keep from confusing the reader.

Could be done, but the question was about voice. It wouldn't be first person anymore; it would be third omniscient. The font idea wouldn't sell with anyone in publishing, though. It's too distracting from the content for the reader. You certainly can't do it at Lit., which has a single standard font.

 

[SamScribble]

In another life, I wrote several radio dramas with dual male/female POVs. With radio, people are hearing rather than reading, but I don't think there's that much of a difference. You just need to make it clear when the POV shifts.

I seem to recall a very good male/female POV novella from a long time ago. I have a feeling that it was written by Roger McGough. But I can't find it. Oh, bugger!

 

[Ezrollin]

I've heard of it being done with two characters using alternating chapters. I would like to read something to see how if it's worth considering for a story.

 

[HandsInTheDark]

I do this in https://www.literotica.com/s/chosen-ch-01-1 . There are several characters, presented in first person, and each has a chapter or significant part of a chapter. The primary male and female aren't lovers, however.

I think the effect is less immersive than having one character hold the camera the whole time, but when the arc of a story is larger than any one's person experience or fate, it's a good way to go. Chosen rated well.

 

[FantasyXY]

Could be done, but the question was about voice. It wouldn't be first person anymore; it would be third omniscient. The font idea wouldn't sell with anyone in publishing, though. It's too distracting from the content for the reader. You certainly can't do it at Lit., which has a single standard font.

My thought was more along the lines of a story that is nearly all dialog. Two people telling a story in first person to a third person that is the reader. The words and phrasing used would need to be unique to each person telling the story as they would somewhat be interrupting each other and adding on to what the other has said.

I think it would be a challenge to write, but would be an interesting story if done well.

If I could find a theme/plot that would lend itself to this I might give it a shot. I'd likely never post it though as I am not that skilled as a writer.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

My thought was more along the lines of a story that is nearly all dialog. Two people telling a story in first person to a third person that is the reader. The words and phrasing used would need to be unique to each person telling the story as they would somewhat be interrupting each other and adding on to what the other has said.

I think it would be a challenge to write, but would be an interesting story if done well.

If I could find a theme/plot that would lend itself to this I might give it a shot. I'd likely never post it though as I am not that skilled as a writer.

When you shift POV the narration shifts also. So it won't just be dialog.

 

[sr71plt]

I've heard of it being done with two characters using alternating chapters. I would like to read something to see how if it's worth considering for a story.

That's the technique that my writing partner, Sabb, and I use under the name Shabbu (here--and in the marketplace under this name and others as well) for our collaborative GM works.

If you want to see the extreme (and successful, as it won awards) example of this by a Pulitzer Prize winner, read Carol Shields' Happenstance, in which you read from the cover in from one side and get the wife's view of what happened to a marriage and then flip it over and read in from the other side to get the husband's perspective of the same events.

I repeat, though, that, although there certainly are techniques to make this happen successfully, you don't jumble perspectives together and stay in the first person, which was the OP issue and thread title. You have to keep the sections strictly separated for it to be first person. If you separate by section or chapter and stay in first-person perspective within the sections, this could be called dual first person, but every other dialogue line or paragraph? No.

 

[DreamCloud]

Anyone writing or wrote anything in dual first person (not the right term I'm sure) ? In other words...first person from the male pov and first person from the female pov.

I am in the middle of a third book where I have switched between many more than 2 people. Each chapter heading contains the point of view. It has done fairly well and I have enjoyed the challenge.

 

[GirlWatch]

That's what I've done in the past as well: first person for each major character, with defined breaks such as the classic "* * *" line break to know when you are shifting. Particularly for erotica I like the intimacy that first person gives, though I haven't tried to carry that more than a short story.

 

[R. Richard]

I have used multiple first person viewpoints in several of my for pay books. I find it a concise way to develop characters.

 

[NOIRTRASH]

In THE LAST WORD the male character presents his version of the story, then the female presents the last word. For all intents and purposes two different stories.