There are distinct advantages and disadvantages to different kinds of points of view. Some authors pick one and stick to it, because they find they do best with a certain type. What are the advantages to each?
First Person
I find it interesting that a lot of authors favor first person and find it easier than third. I certainly don't. I find it difficult pulling it off, for some reason. It can be constricting not being able to jump to someone else's point of view in the story. That being said, you can have first-person multiple POV, but I've only seen this done well once, in the Song in the Silence series by Elizabeth Kerner. In most cases, as a reader, I find it jarring jumping between heads, but Kerner managed it really well. I do like a lot of books written in first person--The Hunger Games and Divergent come to mind--and it tends to be popular in YA.
The thing I love most about first person is the distinct narrative voice and personality that can be projected through it. Sometimes snarky thoughts are funnier than comments made out loud.
Second Person
Has this ever been done well? Not in any book I've read. I always thought second person was limited to tell your own adventure stories where the "you" is actually supposed to be you, the reader, but I recently read a description that said the author is talking to someone else, describing that person's actions. I think I'd get tired of hearing the narrator telling me what I was doing all the time, if I was that someone.
Third Person
Third person is my favourite for reading and writing--third person limited in particular (who wants a narrator that knows everything, I ask you? That's no fun). I like how J.K. Rowling does it in Harry Potter. HP is told in third person, but you are only ever in Harry's head. It's simple and it's easy to get close to the characters this way. I do admire epic fantasies that change point of views in the blink of an eye--Wheel of Time, for example--but I don't pretend to ever be able to write like that and I find as a reader that it is hard to get close to any one character in those stories.
What point of view do you like to write in? What do you like to read in? (I'm curious if your answers are the same for both). Happy Wednesday, everyone!
I'm equally happy in first and third person - the opening sentence defines which it will be without me really thinking about it. I've played around with second as well, in short stories, but I'm not sure how easy it would be in a novel.
ReplyDeleteThird person is my preference, and is probably ideal for big narratives that involve various major characters with interesting back stories and emotions. Your main character can still be centre stage, but you also have the opportunity to allow pivotal characters take the "spot light" for a time also. I almost always prefer 3rd person. However, I have written in both 1st and yes, even 2nd. 1st is one I usually only use in short stories for some reason, I'm not sure why. Perhaps because a short story is much more to the point, and I can usually feel comfortable settling with one character rather than expanding into others (which makes sense as your word count is limited). I did write a short story in 2nd...sadly it wasn't picked (was probably too dark for the submission I sent it to). But basically, it was in 2nd person to describe "you" as a predatory character with less-than-honourable intentions. Suddenly, that character finds the tables turn and is killed by the would be "victim". It reverts to 3rd person after the death, but thats right at the end. I actually found that a very interesting narrative to write, as it was kinda weird! I also sometimes use the 2nd person narrative in poetry.
ReplyDeleteI tend to write in first and third. "Sometimes snarky thoughts are funnier than comments made out loud" is exactly the reason why I'll choose first person for some stories.
ReplyDeleteI've never attempted 2nd person, but I used to love those "Choose Your Own Adventure" novels when I was a kid.
I grew up reading mostly 3rd person POV novels, though I did read a few of the Choose Your Own Adventure, but those were just an interesting experiment for me.
ReplyDeleteWhen I started writing, 3rd was the most natural choice. Then I started reading more urban fantasy which tends to be 1st person. I tried writing a few scenes of my WIP in 1st and didn't like it. The thing is, now I prefer the immediacy of reading 1st person. Go figure.
I'm more comfortable writing in 3rd Person POV. I find that it's easier when you're writing a fantasy story with lots of world building. :D
ReplyDeleteNutschell
www.thewritingnut.com
I'll let it slide...
ReplyDeleteI think first person is much harder! Besides, I don't want to be THAT much in my character's head. Third is more comfortable. And almost everything I read is in third.
I like 1st person or 3rd person tight. I have gone for 1st person so far, but tight 3rd would be an option. Interesting discussion to think why I go for one or the other...
ReplyDeleteI usually use 1st Person for my short stories and third for novels. I do have one WIP where the pre-quel is in 3rd and the novel is in 1st. It just depends on the "feel" of the book. Some I just know have to be 1st; others nothing but 3rd will work. Does that make sense?
ReplyDeleteOne of my best (nonfiction) pieces started in first person. Then my workshop suggested I try it in third person. So I did that, and it was a lot better. But then my mentor thought it was missing the voice from the first person, so I wrote it over again in first person. It was much better, but it wouldn't have gotten that way if I hadn't redone it in third person. So now when I feel like a story isn't working, I think "Well, what would it look like in a different voice?" Sometimes trying a different voice can get you moving again on a stagnant piece.
ReplyDeleteHi! Nice topic,..
ReplyDeleteI don't have a preference, just what it feels right for the story. All of my WIPs have different POVs, and I don't remember making a concious decision to start writing them in a particular POV when their concepts came to me. I have two YA, one in third person and the other in first, one Adult UF that's in first person, and a Contemporary Adult Romance that's in third person.
When I read a book, I try to find things to like about it that go beyond whose POV it is. Take for example Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy and Bloodlines Series. Both are set in the same universe, but the change of narrator gives us a whole different experience, which some people disliked, but others like me found enthralling as well.
I like to read both. I find it easier to write in first, though. The first novella I wrote was in third, and had to be totally changed to first! It has two POVs, but they are both in first person. I don't think I had enough 'voice' with my third person narrator.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorites is in some middle grade novels where it's in third person, but the narrator really seems like a character, too, telling the story. Like in The Name of this Book is a Secret. I wish I could do that well.
I really like writing in first person, but I'm also comfortable in third. I think my preference is driven by my desire to relate my character's experience in the same way I'd relate my own, but there are so many limits. Fantasy in particular, with world building, seems to cry out for the freedom of third.
ReplyDeleteI picked the exact same topic today! :)
ReplyDeleteI usually write in first person, but I've written my longest novel in 3rd and now I can't pick a POV for my current WIP. I like first person, but sometimes I don't want to be that close to the character. I think it's all about how you think the voice of the character will be best portrayed. Also, I've never read a book in second POV! It would be... very hard to read.
I tend to read in third person, and the same with my writing (though I've started reading more and more in first person, mostly in YA and dark fantasy), and it surprised me that I still enjoyed them despite the change in perspective.
ReplyDeleteJamie @ Mithril Wisdom
I like third person for the same reason; J. K. Rowling uses it so well in the Harry Potter series. I have just written a couple of things in first person, and that definitely has its advantages as well. I haven't decided which I prefer yet.
ReplyDeleteThird person is also my favorite, as it allows me to have my own thoughts and assumptions about a character because we are not actually in their minds, but given perceived thoughts and emotions. I will admit, first person is easier to write, but it's a hard balance to keep the character from being self-absorbed or reliable. :)
ReplyDeleteI truly think it depends on the purpose and type of writing being written. Some things lend themselves to each POV. Some are also completely ruined, by using the wrong one.
ReplyDeleteI usually stick with 3rd person for two reasons. One - I like to tell a story from multiple characters viewpoint. Two - my primary genre is mystery/thriller, and it so restrictive to try and tell those stories in first person. :)
ReplyDeleteI like first person and third person limited. I prefer sticking in one person's mind at a time, although I don't mind if chapters alternate between two to three characters. It just needs to be clear (i.e. no headhopping).
ReplyDeleteGreat topic for debate/discussion. Funny, I prefer to write in first, but I prefer to read in third. Guess that shows how inept I am at writing though...lol
ReplyDeleteI write in first and third person based on the story. If I feel the story or character calls for it, I go with it. My YA/new adult novels tend to be first person. My adult novels, I tend to write in 3rd. I like having more flexibility to give several perspectives.
ReplyDeleteAs for reading, it doesn't matter. Great post!
Well you know that I have written mostly 1st person, but I'd like to write a book sometime in the future as 3rd person limited. Like you said, 1st person is prevalent in YA, and I find it easier to write because it's more informal. The most important thing with 1st person is to stay in the voice of the narrator.
ReplyDelete