Another 1st person/3rd person query

howiehok · Jul 7, 2006

I have decided I want to change my novel to 1st person perspective, as I feel it suits my style, and the story better. However, there are a few scenes from other people's perspectives in there-a policeman, the chief villain of the piece, etc. (oh, and a suicide bomber!)

If you are writing 1st person, do you need to have the whole book from that perspective, or could i get away with changing just the main character's scenes to 1st person? (about 3/4 of book)

CaroGirl · Jul 7, 2006

I saw it done in a recent book I read (that was a national best seller, by the way). I found it jarring the first time, as though it must be some kind of mistake. But once the pattern was established, I didn't mind it and the story flowed just fine.

I thought about doing it for my own novel, but I wasn't brave enough. I think you really have to be skilled to pull it off.

Tilly · Jul 7, 2006

I'm not sure I've ever seen that done quite that way. If I have it, was done well enough that I didn't really notice.

My concern would be that a reader would find that jarring, which would pull them out of the story. I think I would.

Siddow · Jul 7, 2006

I know it's been done before (someone help me out with published examples!), so I would suggest doing a draft the way you describe, let it rest, then reading it all the way through to see if it works.

I'm revising one from third to first, too. But I'm staying with the MC all the way through, because I realized that there was really only one scene that needed to be in another perspective (cause the MC wasn't there) but I decided the book was better if that was hidden from the reader until the end, when the events of that scene were revealed to the MC. So that's something to think about: if only 25% of the book needs to be in another character's perspective, would the book be made better by only revealing the events through the MC's experience of it?

Variant Frequencies · Jul 7, 2006

I asked my writing partner, and he said, "I've seen it done. Poppy Z. Brite wrote a book called Exquisite Corpse that shifted between first person and third person omniscient. And Rex Miller's Slob jumped all over the place."

CaroGirl · Jul 7, 2006

Siddow said:
I know it's been done before (someone help me out with published examples!)

The novel I was talking about above is The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd.

maestrowork · Jul 7, 2006

There should be a reason for the POV switches and you should try to establish that early on. It's really annoying if you read 220 pages of 1st person and suddenly it switches to Sgt. Smith's POV simply because you want to tell that side of the story and you can't seem to find a better way to do it through your first person narrator. It's "convenient" for the author, but not good for the readers... if I have invested 200 pages of my time hanging with the narrator, I don't want to be reassigned to another character without any solid reasons.

You have to ask: Why do you need to tell the story from the other characters' perspective? Is it necessary? Can you do it well enough that it's not jarring for your readers? Consider your contract with the readers -- are you honoring that contract?

Jamesaritchie · Jul 7, 2006

1st/3rd

There are novels that switch between first and third, but it's almost always done in a controlled, structured manner, and not just because you're converting from third to first and don't know how to handle scenes from another character's POV.

If you want to switch from third to first, I'd suggest switching all the way.

jules · Jul 7, 2006

Some of Anne Rice's novels are written in this sort of style. Queen of the Damned, for example. The novel's basically framed as text written by the 1st person POV character, using knowledge he obtained from the 3rd person POV characters after the events it describes had finished. It worked for me.

Hoody · Jul 7, 2006

There are several novels that switch 1st/3rd POV’s and like someone said it was done in a structured, controlled manner with a rhythm to it. Alternating scenes or chapters would work best but if you only have a few scenes of one or the other then I would think it is a bad idea to use both, pick one and stay with it.

jbal · Jul 7, 2006

Thomas Harris in the silence of the lambs did something like that (although not first to third), and it irritated me to the point of not enjoying the book.

tjwriter · Jul 8, 2006

Holly Lisle's Talyn alternates between first and third based on the two main characters. Some people like it, so people don't. Her work has a nice rhyme and reason to it, and I really enjoyed it.

In fact, I'm thinking of doing it the novel I'm outlining now. I feel that one of the main characters needs her story told in first, but that others are more suited for third. So, I'm going to try it and see how it works.

maestrowork · Jul 8, 2006

tjwriter said:
Holly Lisle's Talyn alternates between first and third based on the two main characters. Some people like it, so people don't. Her work has a nice rhyme and reason to it, and I really enjoyed it.

In fact, I'm thinking of doing it the novel I'm outlining now. I feel that one of the main characters needs her story told in first, but that others are more suited for third. So, I'm going to try it and see how it works.

As long as it fits the story and is consistent. Does it work? However, if you tell the story from character A, sometimes in 1st and sometimes in 3rd -- that probably wouldn't work very well. But if you always tell the story of character A in 1st, and character B in 3rd, I don't see why not.

howiehok · Jul 9, 2006

idea abandoned!

the main character would always have been in 1st, it was just the other few chapters from other people' perspectives that would have been in 3rd.

Thanks for your opinions, i agree that i think it will not work, i will stick with what i have.

tjwriter · Jul 9, 2006

maestrowork said:
But if you always tell the story of character A in 1st, and character B in 3rd, I don't see why not.

This is my intention. It will be consistent, but if it turns out not to work, well, that's what rewrites are for.

Another 1st person/3rd person query

howiehok

CaroGirl

Living the dream

Tilly

Siddow

I'm super! Thanks for asking

Variant Frequencies

Podcaster

CaroGirl

Living the dream

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

Jamesaritchie

jules

Bored fanatic

Hoody

jbal

tjwriter

Emerging Anew