Question about first person narration

I love first person and it took me a long time to try it. Now it's my main POV. It's probably just because it's new to you that's wigging you out. I'd just write, get into the feel and mind of your character and see where it goes.

It's unheard of for anyone to tell any story in 80K words verbally. So why would it be stranger for first person vs third? Why would some anonymous narrator telling you instead of someone who went through it makes it more realistic? If you think about it, most "real" stories are first person. When Bob tells you what he did over the weekend, he doesn't say, "Bob went deep sea fishing, which he swears he'll never do again." He says, "So, I went deep sea fishing this weekend, and my god I'm never doing that again!" POV is simply a tool to get a story across to a reader. There is no right or wrong one. It’s entertainment, not real life.

I find first person allows for a closer tone and connection to the reader. It's more personal, so I feel like I'm right there experiencing things with the narrator. Unless it's a tight third POV, I often feel disconnected from the protagonist in third person narratives, which lessens the immediacy of a story for me. It's a personal thing, so you just need to find the POV that feels right and works best for you. If you try it and still don't like it, I'd just use third. If you go with a really tight, close narrative distance third it's practically first person, so you can have the best of both worlds. Or go distant third omni if you prefer. Try several and see which clicks for you

It's simple, Dancing. Write 3rd .

And I'm exactly the same way. I love reading both 1st and 3rd, but whenever I'm writing 1st, I'm aware of how "artificial" it is, in a way that doesn't bother me when I read it. My natural style just works better in third person, so... that's what I do.

Why don't you try rewriting the first chapter or whatever into 3rd, and then seeing if you like it better?

Danthia's suggestions were also really good.

Everyone is saying first person should be avoided at all costs. It's fun IMO. I have never written in third person but I think I can give you a tip. I think I can help you determine the right POV for your story. If you feel like you are the main character of your story, or if you are ONE with this character then First person is right for you because it requires you to be deep into the characters mind, show us the emotion he is feeling and how he reacts to things. But it is a alot of hard work. If you don't feel like you are the character then third person.

BlueLucario said:

Everyone is saying first person should be avoided at all costs.

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Who is everyone and why are they saying this?

cletus said:

Who is everyone and why are they saying this?

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I mean everyone I have talked to and I don't know why. First Person is just a preference IMO.

If you can't be comfortable writing in first person, it's always okay to shift to third unless your genre demands first.

However, consider that finding first person difficult to write could be a red flag saying you don't know the inner workings of your narrating character well enough to get inside his or her head. Third lets you retreat a bit. Depending on what your novel's about, that may be just fine, but maybe it's not, too.

Maryn, who vastly prefers first both to read and to write

DancingMaenid said:

Okay...how do I word this? Does anyone find first person "weird" to write or read?

I haven't written much in first person, but I'm writing my WIP, which I've just started, in it. But I keep finding it strange. I can't get past the fact that it would be pretty much unheard of for a real person to tell a story about their life in around 80-90 thousand words in the style of a novel. I keep thinking, 'Why is my character going through all this trouble to narrate this? Who's he supposed to be telling this to?'

I don't encounter this as much when I read books in first person. I generally like reading first and third person equally, though with first person, I do occasionally start thinking about the narration being unrealistic, but I usually get into it really well. I don't know why writing it is different.

Is there any way past this, or is it just not the style for me?

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My recent work was done in first person. Up to that point, I had done everything in third so it was quite a transition. When I first started writing it just felt...odd, uncomfortable. The only advice I have is to keep pushing through it. It took me several chapters to get the feel for it but once I got into it I found it easier to get into the character and things just started flowing. Just keep pushing. Maybe by pushing through, all of the other thoughts you have will slip away as well. It's an adjustment but keep writing.

I'd sold five first person POV novels before someone informed me that it was the most difficult viewpoint to write.

Wow, was I ever surprised. ("W-T-F, you're kidding. You're not? Oh, well, back to doing more of it.")

If your writing doesn't flow naturally in that POV, if you end up second-guessing it, then shift to third person and get on with the story.

My first novel started out in third person, but after five pages it dried up and I started second-guessing the way you're apparently doing now. I shifted to a style that felt more comfortable and got the words out.

Some characters want first person, others are happier in third, and so on.

There's no right or wrong style. You use whatever works best to tell the story.

Good luck!

BlueLucario said:

Everyone is saying first person should be avoided at all costs. It's fun IMO. I have never written in third person but I think I can give you a tip. I think I can help you determine the right POV for your story. If you feel like you are the main character of your story, or if you are ONE with this character then First person is right for you because it requires you to be deep into the characters mind, show us the emotion he is feeling and how he reacts to things. But it is a alot of hard work. If you don't feel like you are the character then third person.

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You don't write in first person because you make yourself into the main character. IMO, it might work better to write in first person if you really need to get inside your characters head to show the readers the significance of the story. You can do it through either first and third person, although in this case, first person might be more interesting to read.

Re: Dancing, other people have said pretty much said it all. Just keep writing it and see how it works for you or just write in the POV you feel most comfortable with. Good luck!

I feel most comfortable writing in first person as it really lets me get inside my character's head. All my novels to date have been first person.

Like all the wise people above said, try it, see what happens. If it doesn't work you can always switch to third. (Whatever happened to second person? ;-) )

POV choice can be such a great tool. In my opinion it should be chosen carefully to fit the tale. First lets you connect your narrator directly to the story, which has many benefits. Third allows you some distance, which has many other benefits. Just depends on what you want to accomplish with the narrative voice.

I'm intrigued by second, but have yet to see it used in any way that actually functions beyond gimmick. It sort of just melts away and is no different than third. I imagine it can be accusatory, which would be fun to try. But most examples I've seen, it's just like someone replaced "he" with "you" and left it at that.

My WIP started out in first, but I thought better of it and rewrote the first three chapters in third. Let it cook, came back. Yuk. It's all first now because that's the voice that works best for my story. It's what I hear. And it allows me some great expressions, incomplete sentences, lots of other things that work best in first.

Did the same with tense. Started in present, went past close, came back to present. Ordinarily, on other projects, I don't feel that sense of immediacy that first present gives. It's powerful and it's working in this case because I have a great supporting cast of characters all doing intriguing things.

I do switch out to past on rare, brief occasions when I want the protag's broader perspective on a scene. Again, it's brief, maybe a paragraph or two, and the segue into present takes some doing.

So, Dancing, it depends on your story, what "sounds" right, what works. Try several approaches for your first three chapters or so. That should tell you what is right for you in this story.

I first discovered the power of first present in a YA writers workshop. In the sample story opener, a girl gets on the school bus and describes the hostile stares she gets from the driver and the kids, her isolation, her own mood, because everyone thinks she killed another student two days before. The writer puts you right in there with the girl as she takes each step to her seat, fearing assault, etc. Past tense would have killed the suspense and emotion.

My last couple of novels were all first-person. I love this POV, because as others have said, it let's me get into the MC's head. I get to tell the story from her POV, which is as daunting as it is exciting.

I say daunting, because unless you intend to mix it up with your narrators, you are limited to a single POV for the entire 80k words. For me, it's a fun challenge to figure out how to tell the story from this person's eyes. Sure, I can do that to some degree in third limited, but....I dunno. Right now, I'm enamored of first.

The novella I'm currently working on started out as third limited. Somewhere around page twelve, I switched into first without realizing it. I've been in first ever since, and just last night went back to change the beginning. I firmly believe stories know how they are best meant to be told. We just have to pay attention.

I've only done one work in 1st person and it was extremely easy to write. I wrote it as the MC was explaining himself to whoever was listening. It was made easier as it was the first work I have done in a modern day settling so I didn't have to do the same type of world building as I had done in my sci-fi works.

BlueLucario said:

Everyone is saying first person should be avoided at all costs.

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Nonsense.

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess
The Bean Trees, Barbara Kingsolver
I Am Legend, Richard Matheson
Little Big Man, Thomas Berger
The Ox-Bow Incident, Walter Van Tilburg Clark
all the Travis McGee thrillers, by John D. MacDonald
all the Nero Wolfe mysteries, by Rex Stout
. . .

caw

blacbird said:

Nonsense.

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess
The Bean Trees, Barbara Kingsolver
I Am Legend, Richard Matheson
Little Big Man, Thomas Berger
The Ox-Bow Incident, Walter Van Tilburg Clark
all the Travis McGee thrillers, by John D. MacDonald
all the Nero Wolfe mysteries, by Rex Stout

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This makes me think of rewriting some of these famous first sentences in the third person:

"Call him Ishmael."

"You don't know about him without you have read a book by the name of Tom Sawyer by Mister Mark Twain, but that ain't no matter."

"They were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold."

"If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where he was born and what his lousy childhood was like, and how his parents were occupied and all before they had him, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but he doesn't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth."

"Last night she dreamed she went to Manderley again."

THIS IS FUN!

That's the same way I feel when I write 3rd person. "Wait, who is this narrator supposed to be, and how the hell does he know so much about my MC?"

Don't like to write it, don't like to read it...I stick with my 1st.

I agree with the fact that you have to KNOW your character to write in first. Im writing my first novel now, and I really get into how my MC would react to a certain event. For example, if your MC has his/her car stolen, think to yourself " how would he/she react to this"

Thats what ive been doing so far, and its worked for me.

The part of first person I find a little strange is writing in first when the MC is female. (I'm not.) Especially the sex scenes. Definitely easier in third. I have my wife critique it to be sure I haven't gone off the deep end without knowing it

DancingMaenid said:

I keep thinking, 'Why is my character going through all this trouble to narrate this? Who's he supposed to be telling this to?'

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LOL! The very first thing I got on my present MIP is a preface where the 1st person hero explains why he's putting this story into writing and why. It totally gave me my perspective on him, his goals and his personality.

Just found that amusing.

I find 1st easier to write. If you're struggling with 1st, perhaps it's not the way the story should be told.

The biggest pitfall in 1st person narration, IMO, is the subliminal tendency to drift into autobiography. That all too often leads to obsessive introspection and internal monologue, and snoooooooozy prose.

The best first-person narratives I've read generally result from the writer adopting the persona of a narrator who is clearly not a simulacrum of him- or herself, or at least being able to resist the temptation to become confessional.

All that being said, the narrative POV needs to fit the story. Some work best in third-, some in first-person. I've failed with equal facility at both.

caw

This is why I narrate my first person in present tense. I don't see it as the character telling a story--I see the pages of the book as the character's mind, his interior monologue, and so I strive for as much realism as possible, as far as thoughts/observations go. I can't reconcile first/past in my head, logically.

Definitely the best first person is that which adopts its own persona. I strive to do that with all my writing--fully inhabit the character's head, or let the character fully inhabit mine, and I am just a translator, a middleman. When I do this, I don't have to ask myself how my MC'd react to someone stealing her car or slapping her in the face, or anything--because she just does it, with very little conscious thought on my part.