First Person vs. Third Person

Really? I've read a ton of YA that are in first person. I've also read some (and wrote one) that is in multiple 1st person POV. I haven't read a lot that have switched from 1st to 3rd, but they are out there.

Do what's right for your story--don't sweat it!

Good luck!!

1st person POV is very popular for YA. I prefer it as well.

I think first person works really well--especially in YA--because its easier for the readers to identify with.

althrasher said:

I think first person works really well--especially in YA--because its easier for the readers to identify with.

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Yeah, and I think it's at least partly because it's easier to get inside the character's head and give them the proper... attitude? The way the teenage character narrates their own life can do so much.

I like third and first pretty equally, but I do tend toward first for YA.

AmyC-- I think that clear scene breaks when switching first to third and back are enough. That's how I've seen it done, and while it threw me a bit the first time because I wasn't expecting the switch, it was fine after that. I wouldn't bother with anything like different fonts.

I must be on a Robert Cormier kick lately--I was just pushing The Rag and Bone Shop in another thread. Cormier's book Tenderness does exactly what you're talking about (I think), in that one character's narration is first-person, while the other's is told in third. Cormier handles the switch by establishing a set pattern and using chapter breaks, so even reading the book for the first time, I didn't find it confusing. I think that as long as the switch is clear and there seems to be a reasonable explanation for it, readers shouldn't have any problem. (In Tenderness, the first-person POV comes from a teenage girl, who is characteristically self-centered and likes to talk about herself, while the third-person POV belongs to a boy who is sociopathic--self-centered in his own way, but not given to providing a running narrative of his life, so the structure seems very appropriate to the story.)

The Bartimaeus Trilogy switches between 1st and 3rd too. He just puts the character's name at the head of the chapter or scene break. It works very well for those books!

Good luck!

I switched back and forth with my ms. I started 1st person, then rewrote it in 3rd and found it very liberating. Then I got feedback that it wasn't drawing the reader in, so I changed it back to 1st person for more immediacy. Now I find I'm putting much more personality into the MC. So I htink 1st person POV is working.
I've also noticed that a lot of current YA is 1st person and it does seem to have something to do with getting that teen 'tude into the tone...Wow, alliteration!

Robert Cormier's 'I am the Cheese' does this too. I think he may be the master! He uses 1st person/3rd POV of the main MC, Adam Farmer, to create a psychological tension. He also switches from present to past tense. By the end of the book you realise that the twist hinges on this device. Well worth the read.

I prefer 1st person over 3rd..and from the YA novels i've read, are written in
1st person... But it depends on what you're comfortable with

1st vs 3rd person

1st & 3rd can be used quite effectively in tandem. In Chris Crutcher's book, Ironman, he alternates 1st & 3rd, lending depth to the narrative. He differentiated between the POVs by using ***** when the perspectives shifted.
I used the same technique in my book, Courage in Patience, which is currently seeking a home. If you would like to read an excerpt from it, go to http://www.myspace/bethfehlbaum

The excerpt is in 1st person; however, if you are interested in seeing more, you may message me thru my page. Thanks!

I wrote my first MS switching from 1st to 3rd. I allowed the MC to speak more as the book went along, showing that she was coming out of her shell.

I thought it was a good idea, but I just never liked the result. It seemed gimmicky to me, and was confusing to my rather simple mind. So I changed it to all 1st person and am much happier with it.

I give you and anyone else who can pull this off effectively a lot of credit.

I recently finished a work that switches from first to third. It really only happened because I started it in first, got bored, and then moved to third. It seemed interesting so I kept it up. Mine kind of had a clear pattern, though, since the first person occured at the beginning of every chapter.

I think that as long as you make sure the switch is clear and not distracting it doesn't really matter how or when you do it.

Yikes, I have been writing my current YA book in 3rd person. I thought it might be safer since my mc is experiencing some violent behavior from other characters. But it sounds like 1st is more popular. I will probably stick to third and wait to see what the powers that be say about it. However, I am keeping the action strong by writing in present tense. Hopefully that will give it that extra 'kick of life'. Its good to write the way that is comfortable for you, and create your own style. That way, your stories have your own personality written in them.
Good Luck!