First vs. Third Person

E. S. Lark · Feb 27, 2012

~~Nevermind. I found some threads using google. Mods, can you delete this please? Thank you.~~

I did find a few threads on the topic, but it doesn't hurt revisiting it.

I know this has been discussed within the forums before. I almost always default to third person past tense. It's worked for me and what I used to enjoy reading.

However, the piece I'm hoping to start today keeps flip-flopping in my head from third to first person. I want to know what other erotica writers think about using first person instead of third.

I assume that using first person would make it more immediate and personal, but do readers want to feel that close to the characters in erotica?

In my mind, either way could work, but I have yet to read a first person piece of erotica. I'm sure they're out there, I just haven't seen them yet. I've also written first person before and really enjoyed it, but like I said, this piece I plan to work on keeps going back and forth.

So, to my fellow writers, what are your thoughts when it comes to first vs. third person in erotica? Personal experiences are welcome

Maryn · Feb 27, 2012

Ordinarily we don't delete posts, but since you've found your answer, you can delete the original content by editing, leaving that first line. It'll sink out of sight soon enough.

Unless other erotica authors wish to discuss it, of course. You can't stop some people!

Maryn, easily stoppable

E. S. Lark · Feb 27, 2012

I guess I could leave it open. I still like learning how folks feel now compared to two years ago.

c.m.n. · Feb 27, 2012

In my experience, it depends on the story no matter the genre. There are a lot of people who like to feel close to a character in 1st person for numerous reasons.
Of course, if it's written in close 3rd person, it can be very close and intimate, too.

Most of the time, I write in 1st person because m/m is easier that way to distinguish between getting him/he mixed up.
But it's all just how comfortable the author is, and what the story calls for.

My advice is to start your story in whatever POV feels comfortable, write up to the first chapter and then if you're not happy, or want to take a stab at it, write again in the other POV to see what feels/reads right to you.

Satori1977 · Feb 27, 2012

Now I haven't read a lot of erotica, but the majority of what I have read is 1st person. It might be because it is m/m. The m/m I am writing is in 1st. Partly because of the pronoun confusion, and partly because 1st is my default POV. The only thing I have written in third was a contemporary romance, m/f just because that is how most of them are written. It felt so weird to me though, I couldn't finish it.

E. S. Lark · Feb 27, 2012

Yeah, I understand the pronoun confusion. However, this is m/f, and it keeps wanting to change. Right now I'm going to see what I can do with third person. If it doesn't start moving a little faster, I may have to change to first person.

Satori1977 · Feb 27, 2012

I say go with what you are feeling. If one POV is forced and awkward, then don't write it. If you are in the POV that the story calls for, it should flow easier. If that makes any sense.

E. S. Lark · Feb 28, 2012

I totally understand. I did a very long day of writing yesterday (around 13,000 words) and am beginning to think 1st person would be better. The story is moving too fast because I'm not evaluating everything like I should. So I might rewrite this once I finish the first draft.

DiloKeith · Feb 28, 2012

I've read and written both and I'm finding I especially like writing first person when the story can use it. It could be more difficult to flesh out the non-narrator character in first. I write a lot of dialogue, which give that character a chance to be heard. It might be best to keep writing to get the story done and deal with it later, even if it's more work. It depends on how you write.

E. S. Lark · Feb 28, 2012

That's pretty much what I was thinking. Finish the first draft and then rewrite it in first person.

Satori1977 · Feb 28, 2012

Good luck with that! I love writing in 1st. And I do have an unhealthy habit of editing while I write. Hard to write while you are doing that.

tedi.s · Feb 28, 2012

I read and write both. Currently, I am struggling through first person. I think I am too literal and inside I am like "tedi, you liar! this isn't you!" Like I don't have enough "voices" in my head saying "write about me!" now I have to listen the actual me!?

Tedi, we is having fun!

Anjasa · Feb 29, 2012

I really, really prefer third person past tense. However, one of my recent shorts just screamed to me to be written in First Person, so that's how I went with it and I think it was more suited to the story.

Silver-Midnight · Mar 2, 2012

As long as the story is told well, I really don't mind either or. I write in third limited, but that's because I feel comfortable writing in that POV.

L.Blake · Mar 3, 2012

I write third, it flows better for me. I usually focus closely on one character, though I write ominiscient. I like knowing what is going on in everyone's heads LOL. If I try to write first, I end up bouncing from 1st, 2nd and 3rd. I have a scattered brain. Dang, I can't spell the word first today.

E. S. Lark · Mar 3, 2012

Well, I did the first draft of this piece in third limited. However, after reading over it, there are a few scenes with multiples of the same sex, which makes it confusing. So, now I need to rewrite it in first

thethinker42 · Mar 4, 2012

I just finished the first 3rd person piece I've written in almost three years...and it felt really, really weird. It's a safe bet this will be my last third person book. You never know, of course, but I don't see myself doing third again unless a book demands it (which for me, they rarely do).

1st just feels more natural to me. Like I'm telling someone a story, rather than relaying one secondhand. The character's voice comes through more clearly for me that way, and the words flow.

And if a story needs multiple POVs? I'd rather switch between 1st POVs than write in 3rd. I recently tried writing a three-person story in 3rd, but it felt even weirder than the short piece I just finished. I suspect I'll be rewriting that story in first if I ever finish it.

As far as reading? I'll read 1st or 3rd. Doesn't make a difference. I just have a hard time writing it.

Silver-Midnight · Mar 4, 2012

I think I'm going to try to write in both first and third, not in the book I think, but you know. It might be interesting to try. I mean one benefit of first POV, I can think of right now, is the lack of pronoun confusion that's common in third.

slashedkaze · Mar 6, 2012

Personally I prefer reading and writing in third person limited. Maybe one day I'll feel compelled to write in 1st person, but atm, I don't see that happening. I'll read first person if it's very well done, but it's not what I want to write.

Maybe I like third person because I like to have different POVs. It's true that you can have multiple POVs in a first person book, but as a personal preference I don't enjoy reading that, so I don't write it.

(Oh, and I do write m/m, you get used to finding ways around the pronoun confusion

)

Eriador117 · Mar 8, 2012

I prefer reading and writing in third person, but that's just a personal thing. Some books are done well in first person, then there are others that read more like a list: I did that, then I did this, then I went there.

Unless it's a writer I know I've read an enjoyed before, first person tends to put me off.

Silver-Midnight · Mar 9, 2012

I mean the reason I like writing in 3rd POV is because one, I know the characters are acting the way they would act, not me, and two, I really feel like I'm showing, not telling. Again, that could just be me though. No offense to anyone who writes in first POV.

Morven · Mar 9, 2012

I can do both, but some characters really want me to be inside their head a bit too much for that third-person distance to work. (Yeah, I know I'm nuts. Occupational hazard.)

I have one story that I've been playing with for a while that feels better told in first person but really also needs several different points of view, and I'm struggling with that. Cutting and changing between different first-person points-of-view can be much more confusing to the reader than writing it in third.

I also have to work hard at not overdoing the "first person wiseass" point of view. Some of my characters want to snark a bit more than decorum should let them, perhaps.

TheaBlowsKisses · Mar 11, 2012

For reading, I don't really have a preference. For writing, I almost always wind up in 3rd person, though I've tried 1st person a couple times (not for any longer writing projects, though).

I think one thing to keep in mind is that if you write in the 1st person, it's more likely that "your" voice will come through. Sometimes, that can be a great tool you can use to your benefit, and other times, it just may not fit. For example, in real life, I tend to be a dry, deadpanning smartass. If I'm writing in 1st person, it can be difficult to completely turn that off (hell, it can sometimes be hard to turn it off when writing in the 3rd person!). For characters who are supposed to be snarky and rolling their eyes, it's great! When I tried writing from the point of view of a lonely princess who was reunited with a childhood friend and fell in love with...eh, I wasn't really thrilled with the results.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with trying something new!

Another · Apr 4, 2012

Guidance on First vs Third Person POV

Pretty good guidance on pros and cons of first versus third person POV, with some exercises to get feel for issues:

http://fictionwriting.about.com/od/writingexercise1/ht/ptofview.htm

dsoul700 · Apr 26, 2012

I'm more of a third-person writer than a first-person. I prefer that because it enables me to stretch my sight regarding character and the picture of erotica I want to showcase.

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