Point of View

[Nameless_Rose]

Hi everyone! I'm writing a new story right now where I experimenting with alternating points a view. I'm switching back and forth between the first person narration of my two protagonists, a male and a female, and I've been wondering what people think about points of view. As a reader and/or author or female/male, do you prefer third or first person? Do you like male narrators or female narrators? I'm really interested in hearing what the two sexes find they prefer in the gender of the narrator, if there is any preference at all. What do you think are the pros and cons of each? Just to be clear, when I talk about third person male or female, I mean third person semi-omniscient focusing on either a male or female main character. I suppose I should include 3rd person omniscient as well, but I'm not really a fan of this form if your narrator isn't some kind of divine or supernatural being.

 

[Quinn71]

Hi everyone! I'm writing a new story right now where I experimenting with alternating points a view. I'm switching back and forth between the first person narration of my two protagonists, a male and a female, and I've been wondering what people think about points of view. As a reader and/or author or female/male, do you prefer third or first person? Do you like male narrators or female narrators? I'm really interested in hearing what the two sexes find they prefer in the gender of the narrator, if there is any preference at all. What do you think are the pros and cons of each?

I like stories where the "Narrator" sees all. But is not one of the main characters. Kinda like the beginning of "Its A Wonderful Life"

 

[NoJo]

When it comes to sex scenes, I much prefer third person. I have scopophilia.

 

[michchick98]

Hi everyone! I'm writing a new story right now where I experimenting with alternating points a view. I'm switching back and forth between the first person narration of my two protagonists, a male and a female, and I've been wondering what people think about points of view. As a reader and/or author or female/male, do you prefer third or first person? Do you like male narrators or female narrators? I'm really interested in hearing what the two sexes find they prefer in the gender of the narrator, if there is any preference at all. What do you think are the pros and cons of each?

I don't have any preference, really. I think it all depends on how well the story is told as to how the point of view comes across.

I've read stories from first person female points of view that have had me wondering if it's a male or female and I've also read stories from first person male that leave me wondering the same thing.

I've written stories in first person female and third person and honestly, I find it easier to write third person. That way you can capture both points of view and still tell the story with descriptions and dialogue.

 

[TxRad]

I voted it doesn't matter

As a writer I've played with just about every point of view under the sun and mixed them around just for the fun of it. It's been good practice and makes you think about who is whom and what and who are where.

Third person, know it all, is the easiest to write and to screw up but that's just me. I can screw up a soup sandwich.

 

[oggbashan]

First person can seem more immediate than third person.

However, I think that switching viewpoints is complicated to do without irritating the readers. You must make it very clear when the change happens.

Second person "You did this, you did that" is possible if even more difficult than first or third.

I have written stories in third person and later edited the whole to first person, and vice versa, usually because the story felt better with the change. Not always. I always keep the unedited version and more than once I have decided that my original idea worked and the edited version didn't.

Try it. If it doesn't work, edit it until it does.

Og

 

[Carnevil9]

Interestingly, I often cannot remember, after reading a story, if it was first or third person. I think this is because, once the story is told, one remembers what happened, but not necessarily the delivery mechanism.....Carney

 

[oggbashan]

Interestingly, I often cannot remember, after reading a story, if it was first or third person. I think this is because, once the story is told, one remembers what happened, but not necessarily the delivery mechanism.....Carney

That should be the mark of a good author. You get the message without noticing the mechanics of the story-telling.

Og

 

[MagicaPractica]

It all depends on what serves the story best. Usually something just seems to fit.

ETA: Hey! Since when does it show who voted for what? Is that new or just a function of how the poll was set up?

 

[TxRad]

That should be the mark of a good author. You get the message without noticing the mechanics of the story-telling.

Og

when I was a reader, before I even thought about writing, I never even knew what a POV was. Thinking back over all the stories I read over all those years, I can't for the life of me remember the POV of any of them.

 

[damppanties]

ETA: Hey! Since when does it show who voted for what? Is that new or just a function of how the poll was set up?

The thread starter made a public poll. You can see it where it says: "Be advised that this is a public poll: other users can see the choice(s) you selected" above the poll.

 

[MagicaPractica]

The thread starter made a public poll. You can see it where it says: "Be advised that this is a public poll: other users can see the choice(s) you selected" above the poll.

Huh. Now the names went away. I be seeing things.

 

[damppanties]

Huh. Now the names went away. I be seeing things.

I can still see them.

 

[MagicaPractica]

I can still see them.

They're hiding from me, must be. I shouldn't have said anything. Whoops.

 

[Liar]

As a writer, I prefer first person. But only because I use it asd a cop-out. If I can't or don't want to explain something, I just blame it on the narrator/main character. "I have no idea how I got there, but suddenly I found myself at the corner of Jacob's and Main, ogling the tits of a fourty-something milf with a grocery bag on each arm, squeezing her fun-bags from both left and right."

 

[lesbiaphrodite]

3rd person omniscent is my preference....someone uninvolved and at least somewhat objective in their telling of the story.

 

[john-the-author]

Kim and Me and Kim, Lynn, and Me are both written in 1st-person male, as they should be, starting from a lot of memories. But while they came out that way and while I find both male & female 1st-person fairly appealing, male 1st-person does not sell. To sell these, I'm going to have to rewrite them as 3rd-person, limited POV, which will inevitably change the story considerably.

I'm not overly keen on stories where the POV shifts back and forth between female & male 1st-person because it gets in the way of my identifying with a character. I'd prefer a 3rd-person omniscient or semi-omniscient in such a case. OTOH, if that's what the story requires, do it. This is your story and it's important you write it the way you want it to be.

Vonda McIntyre (the SF author) frequently teaches fiction writing at Clarion and she always starts her writing class by introducing the students to McIntyre's Law: "Under the right circumstances, anything I say to you could be wrong."

There are no rules, only guidelines. Go for it!

 

[TE999]

It really doesn't matter what the POV is if it is well done and advances the story. I have written in just about every POV, but I am partial to 3rd person omnicient.

You should write what you are comfortable with, but don't be fearful of experimentation.

 

[TxRad]

It really doesn't matter what the POV is if it is well done and advances the story. I have written in just about every POV, but I am partial to 3rd person omnicient.

You should write what you are comfortable with, but don't be fearful of experimentation.

Just remember, experimentation sometimes comes with low scores as I've found out the hard way several times.

 

[only_more_so]

So long as it isn't second person, I'm okay with it. I loathe second person narration. I'm also generally not a fan of switching POVs during a story. As the story goes on, I get a feel for the character who is narrating. To have that feeling disrupted by a change of narrator tends to bring me out of the story.

I tend to write from the first person perspective. For me it's easier to write, almost like a diary entry, or as if I were telling someone about what happened to me. Also, it has very easy limitations to stick to.

Third person limited would be my next favorite for writing. Mostly because it's easier to keep track of what's going on. Although third person omniscient has the advantage of a wider scope.

 

[TE999]

Just remember, experimentation sometimes comes with low scores as I've found out the hard way several times.

We should start a club or a fraternity.

Frat's go on panty raids.

 

[SlickTony]

When I think of anything written in the 2nd person I remember what Dr. Johnson said about (I think) women preaching, comparing it to a dog walking on its hind legs--it's not done well, but you're surprised to find it done at all.

 

[cheerful_deviant]

I usuall prefer 3rd omniscient when reading but 1st person can come off good as well. I've done both but the works I did in 3rd I feel are of better quality over all.

It seems to me that many authors when starting off often start writing as 1st person but as they become more advanced move on to 3rd. Although this is just how it seems to me.

Perhaps I ony say this because it seems this way after reading many first time writers stories and feeling how much they remind me to a bad "Letter to Penthouse."

"Everything I'm about to say is all true. When I was 18 me and my three girlfriends, we we're all cheerleaders, rented a house on the beach..."

 

[Stella_Omega]

I started writing in first person, and switched to 3rd. I was exploring my own preferences in the beginning; later I wanted to make my writing more universal and less, as CD says, "penthouse letters"

I do tend to write a very close third person. I've also gone back to first in some stories, for experimental purposes, mostl

(ETA) whoops!

the experimenting is mostly about unreliable narrators.

 

[S-Des]

One of my highest scoring stories was an experiment in this. I did the first chapter from the POV of the wife (so you could absolutely get the wrong idea about what was going on), then the second chapter from her husband's (which covered many of the same events, plus advanced the story a bit farther). I did the final chapter in 3rd person so it could wrap up the story from all sides, giving the reader the best perspective of what both characters were feeling.

Personally, I don't like stories that jump back and forth (I've seen ones written that switched every few paragraphs), but I think doing an entire chapter or more in each POV can be very effective in slowly unraveling a story. Still, I'm open to the possibility that someone can prove me wrong if they do it well enough. That's the bottom line, you'll be able to get away with exactly as much as the quality of your writing allows.