Which Person?

[bigjacknyc]

I've just written my first story and am in the process of tweaking it. It's in the first person and I'm considering changing it to the third person. I'd be grateful for any advice. All things being equal, is there a clear and compelling case for either the 1st or 3rd person? I've noticed that a lot of my favorites are in the 3rd person but maybe that's just a coincidence.

Thanks

 

[Ray Dario]

Hi Jack,

Well this has been pretty hashed over down in the Authors Hangout but I'll give you my opinion. Believe me there are lots of other opinions, most of which are probably worth more than mine.

So without further ado: My opinion.

Since the story is already written, I'd leave it alone. The number of POV shift errors that could creep in to even a small story when changing it are enourmous. If you are already planning a full re-write then these are the questions to ask yourself.

1) Why first person? First person gives you the opportunity to really get deep into the main characters head, but it tends to limit how well the other characters of the story can be developed. Admittedly, in the hands of a master, supporting characters can come alive in a first person story, but it is more difficult to do.

2) Why second person? Second person is almost impossible to do well and only "works" for an very few specific types of stories. "Letter to lover" type stories or "Audiance of one" type stories. And I personally intensly dislike these two types of stories.

3) Why third person? This should really be two questions:

3a) Why third person Limited? Third person limited is much like first person but with a little more freedom. The narrator is not the character but the narrator can only get "into" the head of the main character, he can observe things that the main character can't necessarily know, but even this should be watched carefully.

3b) Why not third person Omnicient? Third person O lets the narrator get into the heads of all the characters. It is the easiest to write well because it give the writer a lot more freedom. It gives the writer the best tools for developing both the main character and the supporting characters. It's main downpoint is that done carelessly the writer can alienate the reader by skipping around from character to character too abruptly or frequently.

Okay, once more I'm going to say that this is all just my opinion, but: Before I write a story it is important to me to know the story. That way I can choose, based on what I've said above, which POV is the best for that story. The questions I ask myself are things like: What do I want to say with this story? Which characters are most important to the story. How important are the supporting characters?

If the supporting characters are relativly unimportant and the main character is very important and facinating and all the action revolves around him/her, and I want to stress something that he/she believes/feels/thinks then I'll consider first person.

Otherwise I will go with third person. Then my decision is limited to whether I want to go with semi-omnicient or omnicient. This is a less difficult question. All you have to do is ask: Do I need to show things outside the POV of the main character? If the answer is yes then choose omnicient.

Okay, there is my opinion. There are many others out there, most better formed and more useful than mine, but I hope this helps.

Ray

 

[bigjacknyc]

Ray,

Thanks for taking the time to write such a long and thoughtful reply. That's very considerate of you. Much appreciated. I think you're right - might be better to stick with 1st person since it's already written.

Many thanks

 

[ronde]

Bigjacknyc,

Ray's explanation is an excellent guide to choosing POV for writing. I would add only a few things to his thoughts.

As Ray says, first person narrative is, by definition, one character's perception of everything that happens in the story. This can be somewhat restrictive, but the restriction can become a valuable tool in some types of writing.

Almost all stories of private investigators and most mystery novels are written in first person so that the reader can "become" the main character. The reader has only the information available to the main character, and must draw conclusions from only this information. This is the appeal of this genre for many, because the reader's gets to compete with the main character in solving the riddle. It's possible to do this in third person, but I think reader identification is easier when the main character tells the story.

First person also works well in "first time" type scenarios where what the reader wants is to understand the feelings and thoughts of one character.

My thoughts on second person - Don't. There is a reason you seldom find second person in the literature for which you pay money. It won't sell because nobody likes to read anything written in second person.

Third person gives an author the opportunity to paint two stories at the same time. One story is told by the narrator, and develops the scene and the "real" people behind the second story. The second story is the one told by the dialogue of the characters as they play out the people they think they should, or want to be. The writer may develop both faces of the characters and use the differences to develop tension, struggle and suspense.

 

[the_bragis]

Damn it Ray....

.....I wanted to reply to this posting!

Now you've gone and said it all ..... And better than I could have.

~wink~

Have a great day.

Alex(fem)

 

[AriaSilverfyre]

I usually write in third person omnicient. My stories normally only have two characters, so that PoV works well. It allows for massive amounts of emotions and thoughts to be presented to the reader.

I've also created a couple stories in second person. That is a difficult PoV to work with, but it is possible to make it work. You just have to be very careful. A downside to it, however, is that there isn't much room for the presentation of thoughs and emotions. There also is very little space for the scene description. On the upside, if you can make it work, the results are amazing.

Good luck.

 

[Thorpress]

Oh well seems as though the vein l write in, that of the first person is the least popular, but it is the one l enjoy writing in, l think my advice would be, Just write in the way that seems the most natural to you, that way the reader will enjoy reading as much as you enjoyed writing.

 

[bigjacknyc]

Many thanks, one and all.