A couple of days ago I had a conversation with some folks on Twitter about using 1st or 3rd person to write a story. Folks seemed to have strong views on the subject and I thought I would write about my opinion here. Here where I can use more than 140 characters.
Let me make this clear, this is not a how-to type blog. I am not that secure in my writing skills to give instruction on point of view. This is just why I have chosen to use one over the other and what I like about it when I read.
My first love when it comes to genre choice is fantasy. Up until recently, with the advent of Urban Fantasy, most fantasy was written in 3rd person. The third person allowed a bit of mystery between the reader and the character. It isn’t always spelled out what the character is thinking or feeling. It is more of an interpretive thing. Each reader will pull a slightly different conclusion from the words on the page. In addition, 3rd person sounds more formal and lends itself to the psuedo-historical stories that traditional Sword & Sorceries need.
1st person is more fun. The main character can be as irreverent as they want in their heads and that inner dialogue sparkles like a Bedazzled pair of jeans. 1st person lets the reader connect with the character more deeply but at the same time a little of the wonder goes away. Every reader knows exactly what the character is thinking and feeling because it is always spelled out for them.
So what do I use when I write?
I try to use third person for my Sword & Sorcery stories and I fall flat on my face. I have received comments on my 3rd person work that my characters are stiff and have no feelings about the horrible events that are happening to them. I find it very difficult to take the story from my head, filter it through the 3rd person seive, landing it on the page with any of the emotion I meant to put into the story.
So I write in 1st person. At least for the first draft. I find that it lacks the seive effect and I am able to put in all the thoughts and feelings my main character is experiencing. And I do it in such a way I can tell my inner editor to shut up about it. It is almost like writing a journal from inside the head of my protagonist. And it is fun.
Which POV do you write in? Which do you prefer to read? Why?
September 18th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
I use 1st person because I feel that the reader can better identify with the main character that way. I want them to put themselves in the hero/heroine’s shoes. I would like to try one in 3rd person, though. My current work started in 3rd person but when I changed it to 1st it worked out so much better. I also feel 1st person keeps the reader guessing about the other characters’ motives more since you don’t have a narrative of what’s going on in their heads that way.