First or third?

StephenP · Oct 24, 2009

For those who are more familiar with the YA market nowadays, does first-person point of view still dominate the shelves as it seemingly did 10 years ago?

I did a search for this topic in this forum, but I thread I read through -- while favoring first-person POV -- seemed to indicate a misunderstanding of third-person.

I'd say 99% of the third-person POV novels I've read are third-person limited. You're in one character's head throughout an entire scene -- or even throughout the entire novel. Hence, I don't feel more detached from the story. I don't have a preference as a reader or as a writer.

For my current project, I'm trying to determine my number of viewpoint characters. I'm either sticking with the female MC or bringing in a secondary male POV. I'm worried that using this character's POV may be giving away too much too early in the story.

My dilemma: If I go with one viewpoint character, I want to do first-person unless the market is favoring third-person these days. If I decide to use two viewpoint characters, I feel like I have to go with third-person. I think the story could be told either way, so what are your thoughts in terms of what's selling and what's being sought out?

sydney · Oct 24, 2009

YA is very much first person! At least right now. Tons of snark and first person lol

Kathleen42 · Oct 24, 2009

Pick whichever works best for your story and don't worry about the market, imo. First person is still insanely popular in YA but there are are also bestsellers in third person (Wicked Lovely springs to mind).

peachiemkey · Oct 24, 2009

I prefer first person, but it all comes down to what works best for you and your story. There's no point in writing in third if you're better at first, and vice versa. Just do what feels right.

charlotte49ers · Oct 24, 2009

I personally like reading YA books that are in first person a lot because I enjoy getting into one character's head and seeing it from their POV. But if your story would be better told in third, I don't think any reader would hold that against it. Just look at Harry Potter - it's written in third. Though, I'm not exactly sure if that's YA really, but for argument's sake, it works.

A great story is a great story, imo. I felt that way when I was a teen, too!

sydney · Oct 24, 2009

What they said lol I don't think POV matters that much--it's more like, do you have a great voice and story.

thejordynface · Oct 24, 2009

First person is definitely much more prominent. I think most of the third person books I see are told in multiple POVs, but I think it's more about what works for your story and you as a writer, not necessarily what's big in the market right now.

elissa · Oct 24, 2009

I'm currently switching from close third to first at the advice of a couple of agents, and yes, although what they said they wanted was a different voice, they both said I'd have more success trying to sell it as YA in first person. So far, changing has been a great (if crazy difficult) exercise in finding my MC's voice, and I like the outcome so far (as of today I'm on page 235 of 309, so getting there!)

anyway, I went with third because it fit the structure of my story best, but I guess I had problems getting the voice across in third? So I'm hopeful that all this effort will pay off in the end and I'll have some more interest in the book in first person.

Terie · Oct 25, 2009

My editor said that he expects YA to be in first-person unless there's a darn good reason for it not to be. So if you have a darn good reason -- of which there are many, of course! -- go with third or even second, but if not, it's probably best to stick with first.

free_cashews_on_me · Oct 25, 2009

1st in no doubt the main POV in YA, but I like reading 3rd that is well done. If it is done well, I think you can feel the characters emotions just as much as in 1st.

Sage · Oct 25, 2009

elissa said:
I'm currently switching from close third to first at the advice of a couple of agents, and yes, although what they said they wanted was a different voice, they both said I'd have more success trying to sell it as YA in first person. So far, changing has been a great (if crazy difficult) exercise in finding my MC's voice, and I like the outcome so far (as of today I'm on page 235 of 309, so getting there!)

anyway, I went with third because it fit the structure of my story best, but I guess I had problems getting the voice across in third? So I'm hopeful that all this effort will pay off in the end and I'll have some more interest in the book in first person.

Also your first person voice in the journal entries was awesome.

timewaster · Oct 25, 2009

Maybe this reflects a difference between the US and UK markets but of my eight published YA books thus far only one is in first person. Perhaps more of the romance/relationship books are in first but the majority of action/adventure/fantasy are in third or omni.
The one I am currently working on is alternating third.

Sage · Oct 25, 2009

I'm starting to see more third person these days.

Writing I prefer first, reading I don't care as long as it's good.

heatercat · Oct 26, 2009

Sadly, yes. I truly prefer third, but it's more the exception than the rule.

I also think the British market is different. In my pretty exhaustive sweep of YA reading lately, I've noticed several times that the books that impress me with a certain uniqueness are products of the British market. Is there any way for an American to sell to that market without selling to this one first?

PoppysInARow · Oct 26, 2009

Truthfully, I'm tired of seeing first person in YA.

Sure, it's a great way to get into the person's head and it's very popular amung young people because it's easier to relate to the character, but it's not my forte. One of my favorite things about reading books is secondary characters, and I feel you often don't get enough of that in first person. It's too centered on one person and their thoughts. And yes, it dominates YA, but I don't think it has to. Who ever heard of a genre that stuck to one POV? People may disagree with me, but I don't believe at all that third person is the exception to the first person rule for YA. YA is like anything else out there and can be written from any POV. It just has to work.

But that's my opinion. I truthfully don't think it matters what POV you write it in, as long as it makes sense for the book. Don't force it one way or another, just write what comes naturally. I'm going to start on a YA thriller which is in first person (Which is going to be completely alien to me. Except for the YA part. :tongue

I normally do fantasy.)

I dunno, maybe I'm deluding myself as a lonely little third-person writer. *waves "yay for Third-Person" flag*

KarlaErikaCal · Oct 26, 2009

I actually have four viewpoint characters, and I write it in first person. Also, I am reading a YA book that has two viewpoint characters told in third person. It switches off each chapter. I'm so used to writing first person with four different characters, that it's really offsetting for me reading third person. Also, it's a romance, and usually you don't expect romances to be told in third since it deals with getting really into the characters' emotions. (I write romance too, obviously from my siggy). The book is titled Is He or Isn't He? by John Hall if you want to check it out.

ejwriter · Oct 26, 2009

Terie said:
My editor said that he expects YA to be in first-person unless there's a darn good reason for it not to be.

hm. i had no idea this was an issue for agents, but when i think about teenage readers, i can completely see why it would be.

the story i'm revising is in third. it has 4 equally important main characters, so hopefully that's a "darn good reason."

i have another story i'm thinking of pulling out of the way-back file that screams for first person.

now if i can just decide which pov and tense i'm going to use for my NaNoWriMo novel... !

eyeblink · Oct 27, 2009

heatercat said:
I also think the British market is different. In my pretty exhaustive sweep of YA reading lately, I've noticed several times that the books that impress me with a certain uniqueness are products of the British market. Is there any way for an American to sell to that market without selling to this one first?

I don't see why not - after all, there's nothing stopping an American submitting to a UK agent or publisher, or vice versa. It's certainly been done with adult novels.

I guess each country has its own YA. As most people on thsi board are American, there are a lot of novels mentioned here that aren't published in the UK, so I have to buy them off Amazon if I want to read them. Maybe they're considered "too American", though novels set in US high schools have certainly been published here too. To give just one example, Looking for Alaska is the only one of John Green's novels in a UK edition. I enjoyed the novel a lot, but I suspect one reason is that it is a "boy" book to some extent, and due to content a 14+ boy book at that. When it came out, most 14-year-old boys in the UK who read at all weren't reading YA, other than maybe Harry Potter, so maybe it didn't really find its audience over here.

TrickyFiction · Oct 27, 2009

PoppysInARow said:
Truthfully, I'm tired of seeing first person in YA.

It does seem to be the primary POV. I hope editors are open to third because I just don't feel my main character is the sort of person who would ever tell her story. So, for me, it would feel weird in first person. I had a reader recommend I switch to first after reading three chapters, but when she finished, she rescinded her recommendation. I was secretly glad of that. Hopefully, third person in YA isn't the death knell it's supposed to be.

Tuuli · Oct 27, 2009

I just finished reading a book (Wish You Were Dead by Todd Strasser) which was written in both first and third person. In the first person pov, there's the mc, the kidnapper, and the blogger, but each is set up differently so you know exactly which pov character it is. The third person pov occurs only a few times. It sounds comfusing but it worked really well in the YA thriller.

First or third?

StephenP

empty calories

sydney

Kathleen42

crushing on fictional characters

peachiemkey

circuits in the sea

charlotte49ers

let it snow

sydney

thejordynface

Newbie Jones

elissa

holding my breath

Terie

Writer is as Writer does

free_cashews_on_me

Insanium in the cranium

Sage

Our Lady of Parentheticals

timewaster

present

Sage

Our Lady of Parentheticals

heatercat

PoppysInARow

KarlaErikaCal

YA romance writer in love with love

ejwriter

lurk & learn

eyeblink

Barbara says hi

TrickyFiction

Who?

Tuuli

Research Addict