I'm around 3/4 of the way through writing my first cosy and I've begun to get the nagging feeling that I should have perhaps written it in the first rather than the third person. The third person style I'm currently using is very closely aligned to the perspective of the MC, who we follow at every point throughout the story. I had a little play around with the first couple of chapters, and other than the obvious issue of making sure her voice comes through clearly, it does lend a sense of immediacy and connection that is pleasing. I suppose this isn't really a question, more a rumination! Has anyone else had a battle with which one to opt for?
1st or 3rd person?
- Thread starter goldenage
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Hi goldenage. I've had that issue myself, but it usually becomes pretty clear a few chapters into the work. Sounds like you're on the right track, recognizing the values of each. As yours wasn't a question, this isn't an answer, just some moral support! Best of luck.
My vote is finish it as is, put it away for a few months, and come back to it after you've written something else. You'll have a clearer perspective then.
Thanks for the encouragement!
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Sound advice. I'll finish it as it is, then perhaps re-jig the first few chapters after a break and find a willing beta reader to read both versions!
To me, it doesn't matter to the story. Most stories in most genres can be written wonderfully in first or third, so I write in the person I most enjoy reading, which is first person.
I seldom write third person in a single viewpoint story. I do prefer third for big, multi-PoV stories, but that's about it.
I seldom write third person in a single viewpoint story. I do prefer third for big, multi-PoV stories, but that's about it.
Thanks for that. I think that's the issue: it's a single viewpoint story in the third person. Using the first person would lend an increased sense of identification with the MC.
First or third? Good question. Fist is more personal, yet in third you can show your MC much more than in first, and you could employ internal dialogue to make it more personal.
Thanks for the reply. I've incorporated internal dialogue at various points - in fact I think it's those points which have led me to think writing the whole thing in first would be beneficial. Can you explain what you mean by being able to show your MC much more in third? Thanks!
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I've opted to use two main central characters and then several regular other characters across almost 6 books. I have also used a little internal d'alogue as mentioned in another post on here.I like the overall flexibility this gives.
Well, in first you’ll have only one POV. I did this, I did that. I’m telling without really showing my actions. There will be no second POV to portray me. Reader depends on my description to get the picture, and I might not see myself…unless I’m looking into a mirror.
In third, the narrator or another character could show the reader how well dressed I am, or how I stuff my mouth with food, eyes jumping out of sockets while I choke, or the smoke belching out from my nostrils and the cigarette hanging limp from the corner of my mouth. Or the woman staring at the bulge in my pocket…wondering if it’s a Beretta automatic, or a 38 special, or something else.
In third, the narrator or another character could show the reader how well dressed I am, or how I stuff my mouth with food, eyes jumping out of sockets while I choke, or the smoke belching out from my nostrils and the cigarette hanging limp from the corner of my mouth. Or the woman staring at the bulge in my pocket…wondering if it’s a Beretta automatic, or a 38 special, or something else.
Got it. That's what I thought you meant. It's a mental battle weighing up which would be most effective in this case.
You could always (make a copy) of your story, and play around altering the POV from the beginning, just to see if you like it that way. There's nothing inherent in the genre that demands one or the other, and I've read plenty of mysteries in both forms. Rex Stout wrote all of his with a first-person narrator; Tony Hillerman used third-limited mainly, sometimes with a couple of POVs.
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I've bounced back and forth with which POV is best for my stories. I used first person throughout my first book, but switched to third for the second book in the series. By the time I wrote the third book, third person just seem to be more of a natural fit for my characters.
Only if you're a really bad writer. You aren't going to sell much if you write first person that way. There is nothing you can do in third that can't be done equally well in first, including internal dialogue. Internal dialogue, in fact, is far easier in first. Showing, too, is every bit as easy.
Third limited, used in just about ninety percent of novels, only gives you one PoV, as well. You only get more than one PoV in multi-character PoV novels, which is not the option here. Even then, you only get one PoV per scene and location. The narrator can't say anything the PoV character doesn't know, which means the narrator can't say anything about bulging eyes. Nor can another character jump in and say anything about bulging eyes. You can only get away with these things in omniscient, and then only sparingly. Head-hopping is still head-hopping, even in omniscient.