First person POV

freeman801 · Oct 8, 2009

Oh man...

All my previous work has been in third person. I wanted to branch out a little so I'm writing my fourth novel is 1st person.

I'm having a lot of fun and its very different but I seem to be adding too much stuff in! For example: Everything my MC did that day. But I'm afraid if I don't the story will wind up way to short!

It is such a different way to write!

Are their any great fiction first pov books I can learn from?

Any help with writing 1st pov?

ChaosTitan · Oct 8, 2009

freeman801 said:
I'm having a lot of fun and its very different but I seem to be adding too much stuff in! For example: Everything my MC did that day. But I'm afraid if I don't the story will wind up way to short!

Did you have this same problem when writing third person? Because I'm not sure why you'd be having it in first. The only events you need your narrator to tell the reader about are the events that affect the book's plot. Don't add boring daily events simply to pad your word count.

Are their any great fiction first pov books I can learn from?

Any help with writing 1st pov?

Well, what genre are you writing? There are hundreds of authors who write in first person and many, many great books.

Greenwolf103 · Oct 8, 2009

Right now, I am finishing up reading White Oleander. It is written in first person, told from Astrid's POV. I HIGHLY recommend it. Even though she is young and there's a lot of angst, it's very captivating and the FPPOV writing is done extremely well.

Yes, writing in first person can be challenging. Just try to keep things happening!

maestrowork · Oct 8, 2009

There are so many great first person books to choose from... where to start?

Personally, I've read and enjoyed The Kite Runner, the Time Traveler's Wife, Fight Club, Lottery (and my own -- I have to!). If you write YA, many are written in first person.

WKolodzieski · Oct 8, 2009

Less than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis, Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk (think Maestro also recommended). Don't know what genre you write in, but these are pretty disturbing novels. Sorry I can't add more to the list, but I restrict my reading to this genre so I'm probably no help.

JoshEllingson · Oct 8, 2009

Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

Regan Leigh · Oct 8, 2009

freeman801 said:
Oh man...

All my previous work has been in third person. I wanted to branch out a little so I'm writing my fourth novel is 1st person.

I'm having a lot of fun and its very different but I seem to be adding too much stuff in! For example: Everything my MC did that day. But I'm afraid if I don't the story will wind up way to short!

It is such a different way to write!

Are their any great fiction first pov books I can learn from?

Any help with writing 1st pov?

I just want to say THANK YOU!!

I was about to start a 1st person thread and you beat me to it. My WIP is 1st and I'm trying to make it the best 1st I can, but I'm not even sure how to do that.

Regan Leigh · Oct 8, 2009

What are the signs of great 1st person books? As few I's as possible? Keeping the action going without too much inner dialogue? What else?

Sarah Christine · Oct 8, 2009

freeman801 said:
I'm having a lot of fun and its very different but I seem to be adding too much stuff in! For example: Everything my MC did that day. But I'm afraid if I don't the story will wind up way to short!

It is such a different way to write!

Are their any great fiction first pov books I can learn from?

Any help with writing 1st pov?

I know exactly what you're going through! First person, and their personality just oozes onto the page without any barriers that 3rd person has. The trick is to really control what's necessary, and what's just plain junk. Everything you write has to somehow further the plot or the character development, otherwise it's just idle chatter.

If you're writing too much now, I don't think you have to worry about your novel ending up too short. Either way, for me, it's easier to add stuff in than take stuff out. I guess it might be different for everyone!

WKolodzieski · Oct 8, 2009

Freeman,
Don't worry about the "trivial" banter that is occuring. IMO, it's just a first draft and that's what it's for. At least for me. When I first started my WIP my character had a flat voice and I thought I knew where I was going, but somewhere about a third of the way through my character truly took over and began writing himself, establishing a very true voice to the definition of the novel. It takes time. Don't get discouraged. Keep at it, the seemingly "meaningless" activities may eventually progress into much more. Just my humble opinion....

PoppysInARow · Oct 8, 2009

Most of my short stories are in first person, but I can't dedicate an entire novel to a first person POV. I get too inside one person's mind, and for that many pages it's uncomfortable to me.

If you want to learn how to write good first person, as you go about your day, think about what you're doing. Describe what's happening in your life, even if it's not that interesting. You don't have to write it down (although that can help some people) but just narrate it out.

"The smooth tin of the can felt so strange under the label; I couldn't help but remember when I'd let the same hand drift over the cold temple walls in Isreal. The sounds of happy coustumers sounded like a typhoon around me, but I was lost ten years in my own past. I really should know better than to shop for myself. Supermarkets are so depressing."

That's just my own crappy little blurb, but you get what I mean. Another great first person novel is Water For Elephants. :tongue

I love Sara Gruen's style of writing in first person narration.

thewakingself · Oct 8, 2009

Oh, what the heck. I'll be difficult.

I think first is super hard to get right. It doesn't just flow, or happen. But when done well--oh, holy carpy carp, is it amazing.

There's a certain balance to be struck between what you experience IRL, and what you're telling the reader your characters experience so that the reader (moi) understands. Voice is really important. It's the difference between telling us: "I was scared."; "S/he was scared."; and "I froze. My heart latched onto my ribcage with bloody teeth."

Lame example, but... that said, voice is something you can work on in different drafts. Just get the story down and done, and then you can worry. If you decide your PoV doesn't work--you can always change from 3rd to 1st--just one more never-ending draft.

First povs I admire: Bull's Bone Dance, Notes from Underground, The Great Gatsby, Requiem for the Devil. Etc., etc.

Juuust... not Proust. It's amazing for what it is, but plz gah no.

Juliette Wade · Oct 8, 2009

I heartily recommend The Fox Woman, by Kij Johnson. Marvelous, and pushes the boundaries of what you can accomplish in 1st person.

colealpaugh · Oct 8, 2009

freeman801 said:
Are their any great fiction first pov books I can learn from?

There's an okay list on Wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_novels_by_point_of_view

cwfgal · Oct 8, 2009

PoppysInARow said:
Most of my short stories are in first person, but I can't dedicate an entire novel to a first person POV. I get too inside one person's mind, and for that many pages it's uncomfortable to me.

Yikes! I'm writing a series that is all in first person POV. Book one is out (see below) book two is done and in the copyedit stage, and I'm working on book #3 now. I haven't gotten tired of first person POV at all yet. In fact, I love it because I love the character. Viewing the world and other people through her eyes is quite entertaining.

My first three pubbed novels were all done in a limited third POV which, as someone else said, isn't all that different from first person, so maybe it's a matter of comfort. I find writing in omniscient voice is a nightmare for me.

Beth (aka Annelise Ryan)

Manuel Royal · Oct 9, 2009

I agree that you shouldn't worry about "adding too much stuff in", when it comes to the first draft. Maybe that's what you need to do to really get the character down. When you prune for the second draft, you can try to find what's essential about the character.

TereLiz · Oct 9, 2009

The Dexter books are great examples of first person. It couldn't have been written in third, or else we'd never sympathize with the guy. But the narrative is snappy and very revealing about the mc's state of mind and emotional problems without "telling" too much.

I also recommend "I Capture the Castle". Sure it's a classic, but somehow the narrator's style makes you want to care about this family in genteel poverty.

Definitely second "White Oleander". Reading it sometimes felt like someone was cutting my heart out through my stomach. But in a really, really good way.

Enzo · Oct 10, 2009

I just finished 'The Likeness' by Tana French which is in first person.
Admittedly, not a 'classic,' but if you're writing in the detective genre, it might still come in helpful.

Fredster · Oct 10, 2009

I'm pretty partial to S. King's Bag of Bones when it comes to first person stories.

Libbie · Oct 10, 2009

freeman801 said:
I'm having a lot of fun and its very different but I seem to be adding too much stuff in! For example: Everything my MC did that day. But I'm afraid if I don't the story will wind up way to short!

Better short than boring. Nobody wants to read about stuff that is insignificant to either a) plot movement or b) character revelation/building.

Any help with writing 1st pov?

Remember that even more than with other perspectives, first-person perspective is just like a character relating a story to the reader. In other words, picture your character and your reader on a road trip together. The reader is driving along, and the character is relating this experience she's had in order to keep her driver awake and alert. She's only going to tell the most interesting, revealing, and exciting stuff, right?

She's not going to bother with what she wore that day (unless it has something to do with the crux of the story) or how long it took her to paint her nails or what she watched on TV. If she does, her driver is going to fall asleep at the wheel and crash the car. Your character's job is to keep the driver wide awake, paying attention to the story, and eager to hear how it ends. Any detail from her life that doesn't achieve this sense of excitement, mystery, or anticipation will just be boring.

panda · Oct 10, 2009

There are just too many!!
But a great first pov, with a Very Strong Voice is the Color Purple which won the Pulitzer Prize, it's written as a series of letters.

Lady Ice · Oct 11, 2009

Just channel the emotions and thoughts of the character and write those. If they do think about boring things all the time, write that (although not too much as reader might get bored).

AngelaA · Oct 12, 2009

Gosh, I'm glad this thread is here...I just started a short story in 1st person...I used to write a lot with this POV when I was a teenager but stopped for some reason. I've written four novels in third person limited...and am finding the switch difficult and uncomfortable. Which is why I'm attempting a short story first. My biggest issue seems to be tense shifting... it seems like I should be writing in present tense but I keep shifting to past tense...it's frustrating and will mean a lot of hard editing when the times comes.

roonil_wazlib · Oct 12, 2009

I think it also depends on your main character's voice. I have a story set in first person and the MC talks about going through the motions when he gets to Denver International Airport from London. If I'd written it in third person, it would have put me to sleep, but with the MC's voice, it's fun and doesn't make my eyes cross when I read it over again. Especially since the MC is a cynic with a wicked dry humour.

Just make sure you're really getting into your character's head. If you can hear your MC's voice when you read it back, you've done well.

I feel your pain, though. I've just started dabbling in a first person/present tense story on the side and I'm so nervous it's going to come out all wrong.

Lady Ice · Oct 13, 2009

Short stories are a good way to begin. You could also do poems 'in character' or monologues.

First person POV

Around

I'm a grrrl dog, yo

Fear the Death Ray

Insomniac Writer

Insomniac Writer

I think you can do better.

Plays with fire.

Interprets for aliens

"Bear trumps Elephants!"

On the rocks

Necromancer to the stars

Village idiot

Worst song played on ugliest guitar

its harders sto type withh paaws

Makes useful distinctions

Are we there yet?

Smile.

Makes useful distinctions