KillerMuffin
Seraphically Disinclined
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2000
- Posts
- 25,603
After reading Ray's thread on, er, I forgot the title. Sorry, Ray. Anyway, after reading Ray's thread I thought about POV a lot, myself.
Here are my thoughts, they don't reflect anyone's opinion but my own and they aren't written in stone, the world according to KM because that's exactly how it should be. They're just what I think.
Note: Stories were selected as examples because they were all in the same category, the were written in that particular POV, and they are all rated between 4.20 and 4.40.
Second Person is the most abused point of view. It can be done well. Really. I like to think I proved it, but that's pure arrogance on my part. Unfortunately, it's one of those POVs that's next to impossible to do well and usually only works under certain conditions. My Second Person story essentially "feels" like one is reading a letter written to someone else.
Almost all of the Second Person stories on the site are the author speaking directly to the reader. This is a total no-no in my book. I don't know anyone with the sheer talent to write a story like that without instantly alienating 95% of their audience. I tell everyone "don't do it." Personally, I believe that Laurel should remove and reject any second person story written in this vein simply because these stories are terrible. The writing didn't do it, just a poor choice of perspective. That's just me, there are some people who claim to adore these stories.
First Person is the most frequently used one on the site. I think it's the main POV beginners write because it appears to be so easy. In ways, it is. It's easy to get your thoughts on paper when you're "I" explaining what has happened (or more accurately what one wishes had happened). It's a lot harder to write a character when you aren't the character. Most creative writing classes will have you start out by writing a few What I did this summer kind of stories to get it out of your system.
I think that, of the two "good" perspectives, writing first person well is the most difficult. In the average porn story it's not, it's like a Penthouse letter (personal anecdote) and any other perspective wouldn't work. However, in a story-story, where "I" is not the author, first person is a bitch to write. Why? It's all in character development. Developing any character outside of "I" is a pain because everything those characters do and say is filtered through "I"s editorial commentary. Developing these characters independently--that is, in such a way that the reader sees these characters in ways that "I" does not--is hard to do. Most Lit writers never even bother. This is one of the reasons why I am not particularly fond of seeing the more "story" stories written in First Person. It's not done well and it's more like a trumped up Penthouse letter. Of course, these are neither the exception or the rule. There are a lot of good First Person stories out there that are good enough to enjoy, at least for me to.
Third Person. I don't write in this perspective very often, at least not in porno. I little less than half, I'd say. This is the POV I prefer to read, though. This is the POV that I, personally, believe that beginning writers should stick with. Third Person, past tense. Why? It's mainstream. We've been reading Third Person, past tense since we started reading stories with plots in them. Most of the popular fiction is that way. It's the English speaking comfort zone.
It also forces the author to distance him or herself from the main character. This is a good thing. It teaches the author to write characters that say and do things the author wouldn't do. It teaches the author to develop the rest of the characters in the story, as well. We also helps to avoid those nasty slips where "I" knows things about the rest of the characters that "I" couldn't possibly know.
And I'm spent. I forgot my point, too.
Drat.
Here are my thoughts, they don't reflect anyone's opinion but my own and they aren't written in stone, the world according to KM because that's exactly how it should be. They're just what I think.
Note: Stories were selected as examples because they were all in the same category, the were written in that particular POV, and they are all rated between 4.20 and 4.40.
Second Person is the most abused point of view. It can be done well. Really. I like to think I proved it, but that's pure arrogance on my part. Unfortunately, it's one of those POVs that's next to impossible to do well and usually only works under certain conditions. My Second Person story essentially "feels" like one is reading a letter written to someone else.
Almost all of the Second Person stories on the site are the author speaking directly to the reader. This is a total no-no in my book. I don't know anyone with the sheer talent to write a story like that without instantly alienating 95% of their audience. I tell everyone "don't do it." Personally, I believe that Laurel should remove and reject any second person story written in this vein simply because these stories are terrible. The writing didn't do it, just a poor choice of perspective. That's just me, there are some people who claim to adore these stories.
First Person is the most frequently used one on the site. I think it's the main POV beginners write because it appears to be so easy. In ways, it is. It's easy to get your thoughts on paper when you're "I" explaining what has happened (or more accurately what one wishes had happened). It's a lot harder to write a character when you aren't the character. Most creative writing classes will have you start out by writing a few What I did this summer kind of stories to get it out of your system.
I think that, of the two "good" perspectives, writing first person well is the most difficult. In the average porn story it's not, it's like a Penthouse letter (personal anecdote) and any other perspective wouldn't work. However, in a story-story, where "I" is not the author, first person is a bitch to write. Why? It's all in character development. Developing any character outside of "I" is a pain because everything those characters do and say is filtered through "I"s editorial commentary. Developing these characters independently--that is, in such a way that the reader sees these characters in ways that "I" does not--is hard to do. Most Lit writers never even bother. This is one of the reasons why I am not particularly fond of seeing the more "story" stories written in First Person. It's not done well and it's more like a trumped up Penthouse letter. Of course, these are neither the exception or the rule. There are a lot of good First Person stories out there that are good enough to enjoy, at least for me to.
Third Person. I don't write in this perspective very often, at least not in porno. I little less than half, I'd say. This is the POV I prefer to read, though. This is the POV that I, personally, believe that beginning writers should stick with. Third Person, past tense. Why? It's mainstream. We've been reading Third Person, past tense since we started reading stories with plots in them. Most of the popular fiction is that way. It's the English speaking comfort zone.
It also forces the author to distance him or herself from the main character. This is a good thing. It teaches the author to write characters that say and do things the author wouldn't do. It teaches the author to develop the rest of the characters in the story, as well. We also helps to avoid those nasty slips where "I" knows things about the rest of the characters that "I" couldn't possibly know.
And I'm spent. I forgot my point, too.
Drat.