Point Of View

[Alex]

Hey everybody, other than my newbie thread this is the first thread I'm openning so you better clap for me damnit. CLAP DAMNIT! :hide: Or else he'll come out and eat you!

Anyway onto more serious things, like my question. What point of view do you like writing from and why. 3rd person, 1st person?

I bring this up because I've had alot of people tell me I should try writing 1st person because I like description and all and supposedly its eaiser to do so from a 1st person point of view. That being said I've never liked it ((it being 1st person)) because it brings a level of connection that I don't like the narrator to have with the characters ((mostly to avoid bias in my stories)). This has been my opinion over the years and I've been wondering whats yours?

Yes, I'm asking YOU personally! Feel special!! Feel special now!! And if you answer my question first you'll get a special prize! Available now....!!!!!

We are now going to take a commercial break and the prize will be announced after these paid messages by our sponcers.

[Shaun]

I write both equally and for different reasons. 1st person tends to be a more flowing, personal view that only works if I want the narrator to be the main character. I can get a lot of interesting character description and I'm allowed to 'break the rules' a lot more than I could do in 3rd person. Ultimately, 3rd person is more restrictive in what I'm allowed to do effectively. I could easily break all the rules in 3rd, but it would fail miserably because it would become unreadable. 1st person allows me an even flow of character and action.
3rd person, however, allows me to break away from the character and present a wider view of the world through the eyes of one or more characters, but never delving too far into their minds. It's restricted, as I said, but it works well.

I think major flaws with 1st and 3rd is that when I'm writing in 1st, if I get bored, tough. If I'm writing in 3rd and I get bored, I just go to a different character. 1st person stories tend to only be first person with one character. The new thing now is to have stories in which there are characters in 1st and characters in 3rd. They do work, but they are rare and I think only a really good writer can pull them off (I try, but I don't know if it works well to be honest). Switching around in 1st person from character to character is almost impossible. It's been done and I think the people that managed to do it properly were simply gods of the craft, but typically you just can't do it without confusing the crap out of the reader.

Anyone else?

[Alex]

Well I'm still looking out for a second person novel I mean really that would be awesome. Maybe it would be crap but it would be Verry entertaining

I see what you mean though Shaun

I beleive you didn't touch on an important way you can use first person though and that is as a narrator and not as a main character. I'm usually against writing in 1st person and my main character being the narrator. Maybe its just my view because I start writing very rough sentances and it just doesn't flow as well. I've never tried seen it or tried it myself but I would love to write a war story ((novel or short story)) in first person and the narrator being a character that is never explained. I think that would add an air of mystery to the entire work

Oh and btw your prize for posting first Shaun, is an IOU for a free back rub

use it as you wish

[Imelda]

... Did you just offer my boyfriend a free backrub? :eek:

Moving on ...

I only write first person when I have block, because it SUCKS. ALL my characters turn emo and it's just not fun. Plus I have my own style in third, which I kinda like, and I can't get that personality into first.

[Alex]

No.... I didn't offer him a free backrub. I offered him an IOU for a free backrub!

[Shaun]

And trust me, I won't be taking up your offer on that back rub because she would kill me :P

[jordanisonfire]

I write in third-person because when I write in first-person it has too many Is in it and that just puts people off it straight away.

[Alex]

And trust me, I won't be taking up your offer on that back rub because she would kill me :P

ohhhhh so you're saying that if she... wasn't!... you would take me up on it?

Well I'm giving this IOU to Raf, because I don't want to be tempted to ruin your relationship with corn beef ((oh there are so many possibilities))

[Zaphkiel]

Allow me to show my own knowledge of these points of views before I give my thoughts. The 3rd person gives what they call, an "over the shoulder" perspective, allowing the narrator to describe things that are percieved by the view point character.

The first peson allows the reader to get a more intimate feeling with the protaganist, however, this point of view isn't that famous. Although the 1st person allows us to feel the protaganist's feelings, and understand his thoughts, attitude, and outlook better, it doesn't allow the narrator to describe scenary or give sensory imagery as well as he could in the 3rd person.

With all this said, I'm more of a third person type of guy. However, I plan to start another Novel in First person in the future. It's just that people say my imagery and descriptive writing are excellent, so third person is more my style.

[jordanisonfire]

I've written plenty of what would be the beginnings of novels in first person. Once, I posted one, but using first person ruined it. What's better depends on the novel. If you're focusing more on your protagonist, write in first person, if you're concentrating more on their surroundings, then use third person.

[Alex]

Well heres a question inside a question.

For you guys, what do you beleive takes more talent to write 1st or 3rd. I personally beleive its comparing different beasts and its hard to really pull out a criteria, but does anyone else have a differing idea?

[Zaphkiel]

I definite;y think it's easier to write in first person, even though I write 3rd. The reason I think 3rd is more challenging because you need to show in your writing, not tell. But I love showing and that's why 3rd is my favorite.

[Nyx]

Hey everybody, other than my newbie thread this is the first thread I'm openning so you better clap for me damnit. CLAP DAMNIT! :hide: Or else he'll come out and eat you!

Anyway onto more serious things, like my question. What point of view do you like writing from and why. 3rd person, 1st person?

I bring this up because I've had alot of people tell me I should try writing 1st person because I like description and all and supposedly its eaiser to do so from a 1st person point of view. That being said I've never liked it ((it being 1st person)) because it brings a level of connection that I don't like the narrator to have with the characters ((mostly to avoid bias in my stories)). This has been my opinion over the years and I've been wondering whats yours?

Yes, I'm asking YOU personally! Feel special!! Feel special now!! And if you answer my question first you'll get a special prize! Available now....!!!!!

We are now going to take a commercial break and the prize will be announced after these paid messages by our sponcers.


I FEEL SPECIAL! -claps- ok so enough of that.


I write from 1st person more often when I'm writing about something that I truely understand and have gone through because then my character won't be fake. But if I am writing about something more fictional, then I use 3rd person, because using 1st usually makes my character fake and cheesy. So um...-watched commercial-

[Alex]

omg someone clapped I'm honored

I would give you one of the coupons I gave Shaun but giving a coupon for a backrub to a girl whose younger than you... yea well thats kind of sketchy so I wont but you will get a thank you =]]]

How were the commercials btw? I didn't get a chance to think out that far =[

Anyway about the point of view thing, I beleive its MUCH much easier to be vague in 3rd person. To write in a way that'll let you explain something in an indirect manner, much like Hemmingway would always do. Thoughts?

[Nyx]

Hm, yea it's good that you passed on the backrup:P

I see what you mean about the vague point, and I agree.

[Rafael Domination]

I think 3rd person has less of a chance to sound 'cheesy'. Cuz' for example, in first person, you have to convey all the emotions of the character. If he gets into trouble, if you're not careful, you could make him think something quite corny about his situation. First person does have its advantages too, but 3rd for me is quite easy to use. Especially in 'Omniprescence' Mode.

[Nyx]

I think 3rd person has less of a chance to sound 'cheesy'. Cuz' for example, in first person, you have to convey all the emotions of the character. If he gets into trouble, if you're not careful, you could make him think something quite corny about his situation. First person does have its advantages too, but 3rd for me is quite easy to use. Especially in 'Omniprescence' Mode.

Well...that's why I only write first person when I really know the character what he/she/it is going through. If I don't, then yes it does have a higher chance of sounding cheesy.

[Rafael Domination]

My point exactly. Either way, both 3rd and 1st need an amount of skill to use.

[Nyx]

yea, different people find different ones easier. I find 1st person easier but my work always seem to have a higher quality at 3rd person.

[Rafael Domination]

I know! I had to redo a whole novel cuz' of that! :D

Anyways...I wonder if anyone besides RL Stine did a novel in Second Person? Maybe that would be interesting...

[Alex]

It would be sooooo choppy though

beyond beleif

[Rafael Domination]

I know! :D

But, I mean, if someone else could pull it off, it would be sooooo unique...

[Nyx]

Unique and next to impossible:P

[Shaun]

Both take equal levels of talent because they are so different. Anyone can write 1st person, but very few can write it well, and everyone can write 3rd person, but very few can make it really interesting.

[Andy]

Anyway onto more serious things, like my question. What point of view do you like writing from and why. 3rd person, 1st person?

I bring this up because I've had alot of people tell me I should try writing 1st person because I like description and all and supposedly its eaiser to do so from a 1st person point of view. That being said I've never liked it ((it being 1st person)) because it brings a level of connection that I don't like the narrator to have with the characters ((mostly to avoid bias in my stories)). This has been my opinion over the years and I've been wondering whats yours?
I only use 1st person for short stories, and use 3rd for my novels. If giving great descriptions is what you're after, I don't think 1st person viewpoint is a good choice. Descriptions sound a lot more natural coming from a narrator than an actual character.

If I bite into a peach, I'll probably describe it as juicy, orange, and tasty. I probably won't think "This peach is like a symphony of sweetness and joy." That would probably sound very unnatural, especially if I said it out loud. :D A narrator might say that, though. So I'd suggest 3rd person if you want to do that sort of thing.

[Alex]

Well I personally always say that my peach is a symphony of sweetness and joy... I just don't know about you

[Shaun]

Well I think it depends on the style of 1st you're writing Andy. There's actually nothing wrong with using poetic metaphors in 1st, if you do it right. If everything you write in 1st is poetic, it can get annoying, but some people do think in poetics and you also have to remember that just because you wouldn't say it out loud doesn't mean you were thinking it. 1st is intended to be straight from the character's head, so perhaps you might go "well that peach is a symphony of sweetness and joy" but when you speak it would come out "that tasted yummy". That doesn't change what you were thinking though.