I have been doing a little research on what sells best in the erotica category. Some of the things I've read say that readers prefer stories to be written in the first person. Is this really typical? I have read some really good stories that are not written in first person, and to be quite honest, I'm very awkward writing that way. Maybe I just need to practice. What is the general consensus on this?
First Person?
- Thread starter K. Marshall
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I see both first person and third limited. I usually write in first because it's easier for me, but I've been pushing myself to work on third and it's improved enough to sell once in a while. So in your shoes, do what feels right but also seek to expand your skill set. You'll never go wrong that way.
Maryn, who accidentally expanded her hips instead
Maryn, who accidentally expanded her hips instead
Thank you both. That's a relief. 
I'll practice writing in first person. Like Maryn said, it's good to expand my skills. But I will still try to publish the ones I already have as well. So the next step is getting the confidence to publish. lol
I'll practice writing in first person. Like Maryn said, it's good to expand my skills. But I will still try to publish the ones I already have as well. So the next step is getting the confidence to publish. lol
Thank you both. That's a relief.
I wouldn't be thinking about what will sell particularly. I generally use first person because it permits me to feel more comfortable inside the head of my viewpoint character. I've written stories in third person, and they sound okay, but for some reason I don't feel the urge to read them myself afterwards.
DB
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I naturally prefer to write in first person, too. But, like Maryn, I'm making an effort to expand my skill set. Whichever I choose, I try and keep my POV as close as possible. A close third person limited can sometimes feel more intimate than first person. The more you practice, the better you'll get, but if you absolutely can't stand writing in third, just do what feels comfortable and do it well.
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I've read good stories in the third person, although first person does seem to predominate. I'm in the middle of writing one that is a mix of first person and second; in the middle of the action the main character finds himself mentally addressing his ex. I'm finding it a challenge to keep the POV's and even the tenses sorted out. Dunno yet if the idea is actually going to work.
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First person/third person limited are naturally more intimate POVs so I can see why that would be popular for erotica. Give it a try writing in first person- even if the POV doesn't work, it could help you strengthen your character.
To address the OP, is it true that readers prefer first person stories? I don't know. There are so many similarities in first person and third person limited. And I find that third person limited can be intimate, and in some ways, more freeing. Complimentary statements are certainly easier to intersperse without having your character sounding pompous or vain. You still have access to all the thoughts, motivations, and personality of your main character, but with the added outside perspective. Which can be as benign, subtle, judgmental, sarcastic as you like. I've written in both. I lean toward the third person.
I agree with everyone else. It depends on whichever PoV suits your story better. Mine is first because it's actually being recounted and written down by the MC, but limited 3rd can achieve similar effects of intimacy and closeness to the MC. 3rd is better if you want to be able to switch between the hero and heroine though.
As a reader, I dislike first person intensely. Unless the writing, story or sex (in erotica) is particularly compelling. I stop reading. If you do it well, you can do almost anything.
Really, your dislike of first person narrative is that strong? If you can, could you explain to us (well, to me, anyway) what it is about first person that irks you so much? I'm certainly not challenging your tastes or your right to dislike it, just trying to understand it.
Maryn, who confesses she sometimes writes in first
Maryn, who confesses she sometimes writes in first
Paula Davids
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Mmm… maybe readers like it when they get hot under the collar, which can be a problem since that can adversely affect IQ – temporarily of course, like running bloat-ware on too little RAM. But that does have implications for literary style. I am in a quandary – I like to switch persons from third all the way through to first person stream-of-consciousness for the climax of the episode. But maybe that’s too complicated for RAM overload situations, even with succinct paragraphing.
I write both. It depends on the story. Sometimes I need third person to show the transformation of the main character over time (if they are being corrupted by the sexual acts, it's easier to demonstrate it from an outside perspective, since the character themselves won't realize it). Sometimes I need to describe inner turmoil in only the way a first person perspective can grant. It just depends on the type of story it is, for me.