Write It

I decided to try 3rd person on wwwW, unlike Nano, where I wrote 1st person. That was mainly because it was easier, but I noticed that when I check my favorite novels off the shelf, they are in 3rd person, so I decided to switch.

Are you writing 1st or 3rd person, and why?

Thanks.

Travis.
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http://cottreau.blogspot.com
http://cottreaureviews.blogspot.com/

I used to write a lot of 1st person when I was teenage but I think that was mainly because of the whole escapism thing.

Now I pretty much only write third person. I'm writing third person for wwwW. Mainly because it gives flexibility to swap POV and as I write a lot of fantasy. Though I did just read The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory who writes in 1st person swapping between three women throughout the book. I hadn't seen that done before.

No Excuses. Just Write.

I write in 3rd person as well, since as Kerryn said, it's easier to swap viewpoints. I just focus a section from one person's perspective, and then another section from a different perspective. Sometimes the perspectives overlap, but they still work and you still see what's going on.

�First notebooks, now scythes, what else do humans think Death Gods use, toilet brushes? You haven’t even transformed! OK. Repeat after me, ‘Death God Power, Make Up!’” - Oliver.

Actually, that happened tome too. I do 3rd person and as jencatd said, I switch perspectives every so often. It does work.

Andrew Chilton - http://kapiti.geek.nz/

Hey Kerryn,

I think you mentioned that you'd read "The Time Traveler's Wife"? That's unusual in that it's written from two first person perspectives like "The Boleyn" that you discuss above.

It's also written in the present tense, which I never noticed until I picked it up again.

I'm going to start looking for that when I read now. I don't think it makes much difference either way actually. Same with 1st versus 3rd person... if you really want to write that one way, I think you can make it work. Still, there are more limits on point of view when you use 1st person, that's for sure.

Travis.
--
http://cottreau.blogspot.com
http://cottreaureviews.blogspot.com/

I enjoyed The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb

3 fantasy books all in first person following a barstard son of a prince as he grows from boy to man in the profession of a royal assassin. I can't recall off the top of my head but it MIGHT have been written in both past and present tense. It occasionally involves flash-'forwards' to the present tense (although perhaps he was writing the story in the present tense anyway... hmmm, going to have to check when I get home,) where he is an old man writing the entire story of his past... well, what he can remember of it anyway :-)

So, if you haven't read them and you get the chance - it's another good way to see how it can be done.

I liked them because it wasn't just 1 book, but a whole series that not only got you vested in the main character's emotions, but you were cleverly shown what was happening elsewhere along with what others were feeling etc even tho it was all only in his experience.


As for me, I've nearly always written in 3rd person. Except for a couple of short poems.

My Janno was all in 1st person, which I found much easier for getting my ideas across in. Much less subtlety required lol.

I do have a story idea growing which'll be 3rd person if it ever gets to paper.

I don't mind which one I read in, so long as the author does it well.

The main irk I have is when the author muddles past and present. As far as I'm concerned, it works much better to choose a tense and stick to it. Switching back and forth gets confusing.

Sanity: Ha ha ha ha...look! A caterpillar!

I played around last night with some writing, toying with some ideas for the comedy writing session this weekend and I like writing in 1st person.

I somehow have this snobbish opinion that 3rd person is better, and I have to say, most of my favorite novels are 3rd person, but that's probably because 3rd person is more common.

It's the same with present/past tense, I somehow have the opinion that present tense is somehow better - also somewhat snobbish (i.e. no real reason for thinking this). I know several books that I quite liked that were written 1st person... I don't know why I have that opinion.

Travis.
--
http://cottreau.blogspot.com
http://cottreaureviews.blogspot.com/

Just in case anyone is really interested, I was challenged recently to write a short/short story in 1st, 3rd and 2nd person. I found it a really good challenge and it taught me a lot. Curiously, the version people seemed to like the most was the 2nd person version.

The story is about Sam a night watchman in a container yard who meets an untimely end. You can find it at:
http://www.words.fords.co.nz/archives/cat_638108792.html

Best to start at the bottom of the page with 3rd then 1st and lastly 2nd at the top. That's the order they were written in.

fordy

That was really helpful to look at, thank you! I dont think I have written much that was written in 2nd person, it certainly doesnt seem to be that common. It can obviously be very effective though!
I generally write in 3rd person, though I also like 1st person for some things, and in some stories have switched between the two - using 1st person for these dreams one character was having and using 3rd person for the rest of the story kind of thing.

http://vyanae.blogspot.com/

Me, I tend to do a lot in the first person - my first pass is always from a 1st person POV. It usually shows the weaknesses in the story structure a lot faster than anything else. If there's no obvious weakness, I re-do it from another character's POV (again 1st person) - sometimes two or more, if the story's complex enough. If it still works, I experiement with the whole in 3rd person.

Then I re-read, and find which one I like best, and that's the final version (so-called first draft!).

Find more about me here!

Hey thepengun - thanks for that.

I completely agree that 1st person is much much quicker to write than anything else.

Still - when I go looking at the novels that I enjoyed the most, I find almost all are 3rd person.

Of course, some of the worst are that way too, but I would like to emulate my favorites if possible, so that means writing 3rd person - at least for me.

I was listening to The Secrets Podcast recently and he discussed this too. Basically, he found it easiest to write in 1st person, but said that simply, some readers don't like it.

Sounded like a whimp-out to me. :-)

Travis.
--
http://cottreau.blogspot.com
http://cottreaureviews.blogspot.com/

Fordy, your 2nd person piece gave me goosebumps...

Trying to find the time (as usual)!

I prefer writing in third person past tense. I prefer reading books written that way as well. But, I do have to admit, I really enjoyed the Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb, as well as the Tawny Man Trilogy, both written in first person and (mostly) past tense. It did take me a while to get used to the first person narrative, though. They're on my favourite book list now, but I don't think it's so much due to the first person as just the fantastic writing.

The reason I prefer writing in third person - it gives you the flexibility to move between characters, as someone has already said as well. I write with a sort of limited omniscience, riding along inside the head of one character. I create a new scene if I want to move to another character's head.

NaNo: 50,014 words completed in time. Novel not finished.

My first novel was first person present tense. Now this one's third person past tense, because there is no real Main Character, as it were. I mean, I need to capture the thoughts and feelings of everyone.

Hi guys and dolls,

I too write a lot in third person, past tense, but sometimes I find myself writing in present tense, so I have to edit a lot to make it one way or the other.

I've written a short story in first person, it was quite a powerful story, I think it adds another dimension to the story, as you only have one characters POV, therefore you are wondering what the other characters are thinking.

Fordy, I loved three stories done in different perspectives, very chilling and very interesting. Maybe we could have a second person short story challenge after SoCNoC?

"You will never get published if you don't write." Said Kerry Mead (my darling husband!)

Zing Thing - Coopers Successful Mission

Personally, I think first person is ten times easier to write than third person. But that's just my personal experience.