First Person or Third Person? (for writing)

[Jaiddyn]

Basically, I'm writing some stories centered around a character of mine. I'm having a hard time deciding if First Person or Third person will work best. I have some chapters out (linked in my signature) which are first person but reading over it, I'm trying to decide if it's too narrow?

 

Basically, first person is kind of easy to get into the "flow" of for writing, but I feel like Third person might be more interesting since the view can shift around a bit plus it makes more sense to be a bit more descriptive.

 

So basically just asking opinions! Do you like reading first or third person most? Any particular reason why? No right or wrong answers! I'm just looking for some input to help me decide if I should keep going as First Person or go back and tweak it around to Third Person.

[SteveTheCynic]

Basically, I'm writing some stories centered around a character of mine. I'm having a hard time deciding if First Person or Third person will work best. I have some chapters out (linked in my signature) which are first person but reading over it, I'm trying to decide if it's too narrow?

 

Basically, first person is kind of easy to get into the "flow" of for writing, but I feel like Third person might be more interesting since the view can shift around a bit plus it makes more sense to be a bit more descriptive.

 

So basically just asking opinions! Do you like reading first or third person most? Any particular reason why? No right or wrong answers! I'm just looking for some input to help me decide if I should keep going as First Person or go back and tweak it around to Third Person.

It depends on the story, and don't forget that there are two kinds of third person narratives - the ones which are almost first-person, but use "he" or "she" instead of "I"; and the ones which are told with a greater degree of separation. The latter allows the narrator to weave multiple threads into his story more easily.

 

Adding to the complication is a novel I read once (the name escapes me) which follows the stories of two protagonists, alternating between the two, with one told in first-person and the other in "near" third-person. The story itself was interesting, but the continual switching of the storytelling mode was a bit grating.

[Eiter]

As Steve hints at, it's possible to mix it up, though I suppose it can be hard to make it work properly. I have read good stuff that does it. First person from different characters in different chapters, for example. I read a book once where each chapter was simply headlined by the name of the character narrating. Or like G. R. R. Martins 'A Song of Ice and Fire', where each chapter is 'near-first person', each told from the perspective of different people. It's possible to get creative.

 

I don't really have a preferred perspective when reading. It's all in how the author delivers.

[Jaiddyn]

Thanks for the input. It's helpful!

 

I was wary about doing first and third person specifically for that reason. I'm sure it can be done 'right', but it often seems like it's a bit confusing to follow around and probably makes the story a little harder to read.

 

I was thinking toward Third Person Limited (focused on one person) or Third Person Multiple (where it's still limited, but the focus switches to more than one character). The particular stories I'm doing are centered around my smuggler, but that doesn't mean his companions, friends, and such couldn't have a bit more focus in stories/chapters.

 

Writing in First Person is pretty easy for the story, but the problem I have is the character isn't someone to be overly descriptive. It feels a bit awkward at times to have him doing long descriptions of people; it makes me feel like I'm trying to "Laurell K. Hamilton" it by doing long awkward paragraphs about someone's looks that feel like page-fillers. By the same token though, doing something like "I glanced at her. She was pretty hot." seems...boring and not a lot of fun for anyone to read.

 

I'm trying to find a good place that "paints a good picture" without being too flowery, too excessive, or too bland.

[TyonYlle]

As Steve hints at, it's possible to mix it up, though I suppose it can be hard to make it work properly. I have read good stuff that does it. First person from different characters in different chapters, for example. I read a book once where each chapter was simply headlined by the name of the character narrating. Or like G. R. R. Martins 'A Song of Ice and Fire', where each chapter is 'near-first person', each told from the perspective of different people. It's possible to get creative.

 

I don't really have a preferred perspective when reading. It's all in how the author delivers.

 

Marie Lu tends to do that, in fact, she actually is the author to make my love first person. With that said, I would go with what you find best, for you. Personally, I find writing in first person a ton harder, so with the fic, about my smuggler. I wanted the practice.

 

If you're at all interested, you should totally check out Marie Lu, because I literally adore her writing style. The legend trilogy, and her new series, The Young Elites. I think, she is a good example of first person done right, because I have read other books that weren't.

[Jaiddyn]

I will definitely check out Marie Lu. I love reading all sorts of books and it really helps me with my writing to see how successful ones too. I want my own voice, of course, but learning from "the masters" is never a bad thing.

 

Thank you, I will definitely check her out.

[PiiTarr]

Robert Heinlein was the first novelist I ever read who wrote in first person. Took me a bit to get used to it, but it worked well when he did it. Then I discovered other novels of his were written in third person, and I enjoyed those just as much. My point is, this can be a situational thing, depending on the particulars of a story. "Starship Troopers" (not to be confused with the movie of the same name that bares only passing resemblance to the novel up on which it was loosely based) was my first Heinlein novel and is written in first person. "Stranger in a Strange Land" is a Heinlein classic written in third person. If you have the time, read them both (or any of his other works) and see what you think in terms of how well the styles work for the two books.

[Jaiddyn]

Heinlein was actually a favorite of mine when I was younger. I loved Starship Troopers (and the movie kind of made me sad as it wasn’t much similar at all). Heinlein’s one of the masters and he’s still someone I enjoy reading when the mood strikes me.

 

Thank you for the advice though. I should do that. Getting into reading a good book often inspires me to write myself. Sounds like I need to break out a few favorites and get the creative juices flowing.

[Ellyria]

If I'm writing specifically about one person's story, I tend to use first person because it's all about how they react to events, people, etc, and what they think about it. I've read the first three books of The Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine, which are entirely in third person but focuses only on Claire, the main character, and I find it really off. I know a lot of people rag on first person perspective, but I like it when it's used for one person's P.O.V. only and not swapping P.O.V.s, like the last three books of the Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead. That annoyed the hell out of me.

 

Third Person Limited is what I like to use when I'm writing about more than one narrator or especially an ensemble cast. I've tried True Omniscient Narrative before and couldn't really get into it. I feel like a limited narrative gives the story a bit more suspense since the characters don't know what's going to happen. I also find that sometimes it helps with world building if one of the protagonists is ignorant. Because come on, is anyone else tired of pages upon pages of one conversation where someone has to explain to the protagonist how all the lore works, instead of it being sprinkled throughout the narrative as new things come up?

 

I guess it depends on what you feel comfortable with and how you want your story to be presented. I would never write in present tense, for example, because I hate it and feel like most of the time it is used incorrectly, but some people only write in present tense and hate past tense. Same for first person and third person. That's why I follow this simple rule for myself: one person's story, first person. Multiple people and their story, third person.

 

PS. Love the crack at Laurell K. Hamilton. Nike swooshes for everyone!

[wangxiuming]

For me, first person is best when there's extra insight and nuance that can be gained from knowing the narrator's thoughts and opinions. It's the most intimate perspective, and I think one of the challenges with first person is that you're essentially speaking for the reader. You're directly transposing your character's voice for the reader's, so you run the risk that the reader might find ur character off-putting or unrelatable.

 

Writing in First Person is pretty easy for the story, but the problem I have is the character isn't someone to be overly descriptive. It feels a bit awkward at times to have him doing long descriptions of people; it makes me feel like I'm trying to "Laurell K. Hamilton" it by doing long awkward paragraphs about someone's looks that feel like page-fillers. By the same token though, doing something like "I glanced at her. She was pretty hot." seems...boring and not a lot of fun for anyone to read.

 

I think there's a difference between having a character who is curt and reticent, and someone who actually doesn't think many thoughts about what he sees. Actually, I would suspect that characters who don't have much to say verbally often have a bounty of thoughts that just ache to be revealed through a first person narrative. You can shed light on what otherwise would go unsaid by that type of character.

 

All that said, I personally prefer third person limited. It gives you room for intimacy exploring a character's thoughts, while not constraining you to a single character.

 

As an aside, I think the OP uses first-person quite well in their Cathar smuggler story. Kudos!

Edited August 2, 2016 by wangxiuming

[Jaiddyn]

@Ellyria

That’s what I was thinking at first. It’s specifically a serious of short stories centered around my personal character and his little adventures, inspired by chapters, quests, etc. I enjoy fleshing out his interactions with his companions and all that so it was just kind of fun to write for him.

 

I haven’t read the Morganville Vampires, but I might have to take a peek at it since I’m curious now.

 

I’d definitely stick to Third Person Limited since I do like to leave some things “hidden” because it makes the story more interesting to not know everything. I totally agree with that. And that’s true. That’s actually something I was worried about; I didn’t want to have to do long, involved monologues of my character’s internal dialogue to explain something because I was thinking it would probably be boring, annoying, and maybe preachy. I don’t want to do that.

 

Good rules and you raise some good points! Thank you for the input! And ha! Swooshes for all. Honestly, I liked her early books; they weren’t amazing, but they were interesting. At this point though, it’s just pages of her babbling how incredibly sexy her harem is and then dissolving into pointless bedroom time under the guise of “oh, she HAS to do it all the time”. Bleh. I miss the old days of Anita Blake actually having a job, solving murders, and being more than a weird wish fulfillment. She does paint a picture pretty well, I will give her that, but the stories are sorely lacking.

 

 

@wangxiuming

I was thinking the same thing when I first started writing. It was definitely supposed to be a bit skewed toward my character’s outlook and thoughts, so it may be completely inaccurate in a lot of ways. He’s kind of a quick to judge person at times so he can be a bit of a jerk (but hopefully an interesting to read one!).

 

And you raise a really good point about the thoughts and what he actually says. He certainly does have a lot of thoughts and opinions; some kept to himself and some not. He’s someone that uses humor or a sharp tongue to cover up his nerves, for example. So he might say something smart-alecky, while inside being extremely nervous. I’m a little worried if I can portray that properly.

 

Oh and thank you! I’m glad you read and liked it. I wasn’t sure if anyone was.

 

I will say I’m really enjoying reading False Empire and the stories of Lethe. She’s a very interesting, complicated character and it’s been really intriguing to watch where the story goes. So thank you for posting it!

 

 

@all

I’m thankful for the input and the ideas. I’ve actually been reading some of Marie Liu’s “Legend” series and enjoying. The encouragement and help has been much appreciated. I may keep it to First Person and just do a “second draft” instead of a complete re-write. I’m not 100% sure yet, but I really am thankful for the insights and thoughts of everyone.