Question of Perspective

[paradisetitty]

I've written stories using both first and third person perspectives. I just wondered if there's a preference among readers/writers?

(I gently stroked myself, bringing my orgasm closer with every movement of my hand...)

(Julie gently stroked herself, bringing her orgasm closer with every movement of her hand...)

 

[Stella_Omega]

each person will have their own preference, but there is no consensus.
I can tell you though, most readers don't like second person very much.

 

[PennLady]

each person will have their own preference, but there is no consensus.
I can tell you though, most readers don't like second person very much.

LOL That is about the only consensus.

For every person who likes first, you'll probably find one or more who prefer third. And vice versa. You might also find that people don't mind reading one, but will write in the other -- I am a case in point. I prefer to read third person, don't mind first, but everything I write is in third person.

I think what's important to remember is this: neither is better, and both have their advantages and disadvantages. Go on and experiment.

 

[lance gt]

I've written in first and third person and found it was more dependant on the way the story needed to be told. I write a couple chapters in each style if I'm not sure and it'll show clearly what works best.

 

[R_Percival_Shackleford]

as with all things, it depends on the story (and your ability to write in that perspective). i and most people i think prefer to write in the classic 3rd person omniscient, as it tends to be the best way to describe the action as thouroughly as possible. 1st person has its strengths, and its weaknesses, and is really just an artistic choice.

i personally dont care to read or write in 1st person, but i can understand the appeal. it just seems distracting to me; not only do i find people narrating poetic descriptions of their own sexual exploits to just be weird, but i like to have some idea of what both(or all) parties are feeling. you can do that with 1st person... its just that there is so much more to consider (the character, how they might feel, how they might read or empathize with what theyre partner feels) that, well, is never really considered by most authors.

in essence, if you feel as though you could interchange the perspective of your story, you probably arent writing to its strengths.

 

[lance gt]

In two stories, I started off with the first chapter in first person and subsequent ones were in third person. The story revolved around one central character from her POV and it changed once I introduced other characters.

 

[soflabbwlvr]

When reading a story, it makes no difference to me whether the story is told in first or third person. If the writing is good, I'll enjoy it either way.

When I write, stories told from the perspective of a male character are most often written in first person, while stories told from the perspective of a female character are usually told in third person. I don't yet feel comfortable writing first person from a female perspective.

 

[paradisetitty]

I like being able to describe what both parties are feeling, its better than the central character essentially mind reading. I've written a series in the first person perspective (Stacys Story) and a couple of other stories in the third person perspective (The Babysitter.)

I have started writing a new story, originally it was in the first person, but I changed my mind because I want the reader to know what they both feel to really flesh out the story and make it more believable.

Thanks for your replies, very helpful indeed.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I've switched from first to third lots of times for that reason. Also, because if my POV character is gorgeous... how do I convey that to the reader without the character seeming to be absolutely deadly vain? Even having them repeat someone else's praises is difficult to do.

 

[sr71plt]

Even having them repeat someone else's praises is difficult to do.

In the eight-book compendium I'm currently putting together (with six previously published books and two new ones in a set), my extraodinarily promiscuous male protagonist never refers to his own looks or desirability. But he's the son of a pair of movie stars, each of whom was described; off and on he gets the comment "you know, you look just like a young . . ."; and nearly every one he meets hits on him right off the bat (many successfully). I think that pretty much conveys what he's like and permits me to write him in the first person.

 

[lance gt]

In the eight-book compendium I'm currently putting together (with six previously published books and two new ones in a set), my extraodinarily promiscuous male protagonist never refers to his own looks or desirability. But he's the son of a pair of movie stars, each of whom was described; off and on he gets the comment "you know, you look just like a young . . ."; and nearly every one he meets hits on him right off the bat (many successfully). I think that pretty much conveys what he's like and permits me to write him in the first person.

Sorry, had no idea where your comment starts and the shameless promotion for your writing ended.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I was just thinking about Phillip Marlow, and how all the women throw themselves at him. he never says he's a good-looking man, but-- obviously, he is.

And what's clever about it, is we can imagine him to be the good-looking fellow of our dreams, who of course is Bogie.

 

[sr71plt]

Sorry, had no idea where your comment starts and the shameless promotion for your writing ended.

The comment starts with the word "In" and the example offered to Stella's previous comment on the difficulty of writing first person and reflecting the protagonist as a hunk or babe ends with the word "person."

As far as self-promotion, I, first, see absolutely nothing wrong with promoting one's own erotica on a writing site about erotica. I sort of wonder what you think the primary purpose for posting on such a website is.

Feel free to promote your work too (which, in fact, surprise, surprise, you do--you even post texts of it to this forum). If you don't have as much to talk about in the realm as I do, just keep writing, you'll get there.

And, second, I don't think much about what I post here on my writing as being all that promotional--while not accepting that there would be anything wrong in doing so. This quite obviously isn't a bi/gay friendly forum, so I don't expect to get many readers/buyers for most of what I write/publish/talk about here from this forum.

That said, I think using your own writing in discussions on writing technique is, well, the natural thing to do.

 

[lance gt]

The comment starts with the word "In" and the example offered to Stella's previous comment on the difficulty of writing first person and reflecting the protagonist as a hunk or babe ends with the word "person."

As far as self-promotion, I, first, see absolutely nothing wrong with promoting one's own erotica on a writing site about erotica. I sort of wonder what you think the primary purpose for posting on such a website is.

Feel free to promote your work too (which, in fact, surprise, surprise, you do--you even post texts of it to this forum). If you don't have as much to talk about in the realm as I do, just keep writing, you'll get there.

And, second, I don't think much about what I post here on my writing as being all that promotional--while not accepting that there would be anything wrong in doing so. This quite obviously isn't a bi/gay friendly forum, so I don't expect to get many readers/buyers for most of what I write/publish/talk about here from this forum.

That said, I think using your own writing in discussions on writing technique is, well, the natural thing to do.

Well, as egotistical as you are, I guess you feel we all need a daily dose of your commercialism. As for one the chapter that I posted, it was in direct reference to a question I asked regarding music and writing. I wasn't pitching my story in any way, in fact, I stated before I didn't care if anyone liked it, I do.
I have plenty to talk about here, but I don't boast about mediocre work, like you do. I still believe quality, is better than quantity.
If you disagree, erase that frickin billboard you call a sig. It screams, Please read my shit, cuz I think I'm great.

 

[sr71plt]

Screw you.

I'd leave it (the sig line) there now just to make you puff up. If you read it, you'd see that it's what reviewers have said about my writing. I suspect your primary problem is that you have no such independent reviews of your work.

I was directly responding to what Stella posted. You dropped in and shot the thread off its rails. That's pretty egotisical, since you brought that up.

 

[Stella_Omega]

That said, I think using your own writing in discussions on writing technique is, well, the natural thing to do.

I do it all the time. I even provide links offsite. And I always hope that someone likes what I've linked to and comments to tell me so.

Of course!

I wish more people would use more of their own work in discussions. As opposed to copy-and-pasting from more famous authors instead...

Also, I admit, I never see Pilot's sig, because I keep sigs turned off. I can't stand one-line comments followed by hundreds of lines of promotion, or of sparkly gifs. So, his sig doesn't register at all, and I can react with less provocation.

 

[Virtual_Burlesque]

Just to be a contrarian, I should like to point out that one of the early Internet classics the Master Chris Series was mostly written in the 2nd-person point of view. It was quite successful as a series on alt.sex.stories. I don’t remember it as being great writing, just an early Internet-grade introduction for many of us to BDSM fiction.

It has been years since I read any of the stories, but IIRC they were not rigorously 2nd-person, just mostly. I do know that I tried to write in 2nd-person as an “homage to Master Chris,” but it was too big a pain in the gluteus maximus, and I soon quit.

 

[sr71plt]

Just to be a contrarian, I should like to point out that one of the early Internet classics the Master Chris Series was mostly written in the 2nd-person point of view. It was quite successful as a series on alt.sex.stories. I don’t remember it as being great writing, just an early Internet-grade introduction for many of us to BDSM fiction.

Could you hum a paragraph of that for us? Because, most of the time when folks think they are writing/reading second person, they aren't.

 

[lance gt]

Screw you.

I'd leave it (the sig line) there now just to make you puff up. If you read it, you'd see that it's what reviewers have said about my writing. I suspect your primary problem is that you have no such independent reviews of your work.

I was directly responding to what Stella posted. You dropped in and shot the thread off its rails. That's pretty egotisical, since you brought that up.

Leave it up if you want, it doesn't matter to me. As to your reviews, I had better from trolls on this site, but you feel you are something of a star writer because of them. I have been faved as an author over 150 times and stories individually over 200, but I don't brag about it to everyone. I've had over 1 million views, so what. Most of my stories have little red H's beside them, so what. As it was said earlier, a person knows when they can write, not just chuck a bunch of words on paper and call it a story.

All I asked was to leave the promotion out of your comments, your sig is enough. Egotistical enough for you?

 

[sr71plt]

Leave it up if you want, it doesn't matter to me. As to your reviews, I had better from trolls on this site, but you feel you are something of a star writer because of them. I have been faved as an author over 150 times and stories individually over 200, but I don't brag about it to everyone. I've had over 1 million views, so what. Most of my stories have little red H's beside them, so what. As it was said earlier, a person knows when they can write, not just chuck a bunch of words on paper and call it a story.

All I asked was to leave the promotion out of your comments, your sig is enough. Egotistical enough for you?

What I put in my sig line is what reviewers have said about my work. There are others here who put multiple covers of their work in the sig lines. Which is more self-generated promotion? And yet you go after me and not them. Hmmmm. What could be your motive?

I believe you only don't do it, because you have neither to put in your sig line.

Interesting too that you brag about the reception of your stories in this post (which is self-promotion--and OK with me) and say you don't brag about yourself. Wonderful. Hypocrite much?

Oh, and what I put in my signature line and how you feel about it? --- stick it in your ear.

 

[SamScribble]

To return to the original topic of this thread …

Yes, first person and third person both work – and in many cases they can be interchangeable. But I can’t help feeling that the first person perspective provides the opportunity – and perhaps the expectation – to go into the thoughts of the person telling the story to a greater degree. I recently wrote a story in the first person, but then on reading it through after a bit of a break, I felt that the first person perspective was unnecessary. I changed it to a third person perspective and it somehow seemed more convincing.

Just a thought.

 

[sr71plt]

Agree. What you want to do with the story helps determine the voice, with either first or third being equally good and easy to use. If I want to get deep into the emotions/thoughts/sensations experienced of one character, I use first person. And I use first person more often than third with erotica, because it becomes the most intimate means of delivery--for me.

 

[lance gt]

What I put in my sig line is what reviewers have said about my work. There are others here who put multiple covers of their work in the sig lines. Which is more self-generated promotion? And yet you go after me and not them. Hmmmm. What could be your motive?

I believe you only don't do it, because you have neither to put in your sig line.

Interesting too that you brag about the reception of your stories in this post (which is self-promotion--and OK with me) and say you don't brag about yourself. Wonderful. Hypocrite much?

Oh, and what I put in my signature line and how you feel about it? --- stick it in your ear.

No wonder you suck so bad as a writer, you can't even understand what someone writes. I do believe you were the one who sat around the campfire and fucked up the story. So how much did you pay for the reviews? I'll take twenty reader comments over one of your reviewers as a basis for the quality of the story.
As for egos, you obviously need to continually brag and promote your stuff in hopes people might believe it's worth reading. Pilot, it's crap. Pure shit straight from the asshole itself. I'll put any of mine against yours, even the nonsense I wrote for trolls, because I know I can write a decent story and you can't.
Notice I don't have any links to my stories. Word of mouth is all I need. Try doing that. Stick that in your ear.

 

[sr71plt]

I paid nothing for the reviews, of course. And your ragging on my stories is equally lame and empty (and childish--I don't give a shit what you pretend to think of my writing to serve your tantrum). Learning swiftboating from Lovecraft?

I've just noticed that Dr. Mabuse has BOTH an independent testimonial on one of his books AND book covers on his signature block.

Sic 'em, Rover!

(P.S. I don't have any links to my stories here either. So, what's your point? Other than pure childishness.)

 

[lance gt]

I paid nothing for the reviews, of course. And your ragging on my stories is equally lame and empty. Learning swiftboating from Lovecraft?

I've just noticed that Dr. Mabuse has BOTH an independent testimonal of his writing AND covers in his signature block.

Sic 'em, Rover!

(P.S. I don't have any links to my stories here either. So, what's your point? Other than pure childishness.)

Take the oatmeal out of your head, fuck are you thick.
I clearly said you can have your sig loaded with all the ego crap you want. What I objected to, was doing more promotion for your shit in almost every comment you make.
BTW, I notice you have no defense for your stories, shit is shit and you know it.