# Are you against or for first person POV?



## lovetowrite (Aug 28, 2010)

How many of you like? Why? How many dont?

Pros: If it's well written, I think it takes the reader to a personal level with the character in the book, and if it's well written, it conveys the emotions. Stirs you, if you will.

Cons: It seems like every tom, dick and harry are doing it now a days, and it's hard to find a first person written prospective book that actually moves you. So far, I've only found one that has stirred my emotions.. 

The others, I'm just like.. what is this? The first time I read one, was twilight, and I never even knew people wrote in that fashion. I didn't like the way she'd done it, myself. 

I think there are ways to do it, that make it sound amazing, and there are ways that just make you want to claw your eyes out.  But that's just my opinion.


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## Lamperoux (Aug 28, 2010)

it just depends on your story. When i write, it goes either way. I tend to lean towards 3rd person, which lets me narrate the story morel like a movie in my head. 

first person, i believe,is also a free pass to a lower vocabulary level, depending on the person.


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## Waste. (Aug 28, 2010)

I usually only use first person in my writing when I am developing characters, or if my scene doesn't feel emotional enough. I'll write in in first person first and then translate it into limited 3rd. I have only found one writer who can do first person well, i find that in most books first person degrades the level of the book making it seem for a younger audience. Twilight being one example, many other vampire novels being another. The only books i've ever read that have been in first person are those for teens with one writer as an exception to that. Even then he switches between the 1st and 3rd throughout his book.


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## Olly Buckle (Aug 28, 2010)

*Are you against or for first person POV? 				*

No.


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## Lamperoux (Aug 28, 2010)

wait, what Olly?
I can't tell if you're for or against it!


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## Jon M (Aug 28, 2010)

I found writing First Person to be an excellent way to learn how to develop characters. So much of the characters personality has to come through in his dialogue, his inner thoughts, and mannerisms.


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## Sam (Aug 28, 2010)

Only when writing true stories of which I am the character. I find first-person fiction novels to be irritating because the author becomes the character. It's just a pet peeve of mine. I far rather writing and reading third-person.


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## Deleted member 33527 (Aug 28, 2010)

I love first person, but it does have its limits. There's only so much you can tell when writing from one person's perspective, because your only writing what that person is thinking, feeling or seeing. Third person allows you to expand and write in everything that's going on around the character that they don't or can't see.

It's funny, I used to be totally against third person. I thought that made the characters really two-dimensional and not as in depth as they could be with first person. I think I was just reading some really badly written third-person stories because now I like writing in third person as much as (albeit not as often as) I like to write in first person.


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## Deleted member 33527 (Aug 28, 2010)

Going back to the limits of first person, it can also leave a lot of gaps in a story, unless you do first person pov switches, like I used to do. But that can get a little disorienting, especially if you're jumping around between a lot of characters.


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## funnygirl (Aug 28, 2010)

I'm for the argument. In a character driven story I write in  a first person POV. It's just my style. If I'm ever to get a sweeping epic on paper though I'd go for third person.


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## lovetowrite (Aug 28, 2010)

Hehe. Very interesting answers.  I'm attempting to write in first person, though, she's more like narrorating the story. Kinda.


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## Lamperoux (Aug 28, 2010)

If you end up narrating, it usually means the story requires a third person. Third person can be taken in as a bland character description, but it isn't. If you know how to write, you can make very intelligent, and dramatic story. It also adds, in my opinion, you ability to use vocabulary without making the character seem a bit odd.


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## TWErvin2 (Aug 28, 2010)

I've written and had works published in both first person POV and third person limited POV. Readers read and enjoyed both POVs. It really depends on the story you want to tell and how you want to relay the story to the reader.


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## lovetowrite (Aug 28, 2010)

I cant seem to get a proper foot off the ground for it. I know how I want to start it, but I keep ending up.. deleting it.


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## mwd (Aug 29, 2010)

I love first person.  I've read plenty of great novels where I felt first person was totally integral to the book, that the book would just not have been the same in third.  Like if you've ever read Jonathan Lethem's Motherless Brooklyn (which is narrated in the first person by a guy with Tourette's), I think that book would've been a pale shadow of itself in third person.  It just would not have worked.

Or, say, try to imagine Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe novels in third person.  Impossible.  They would essentially be different books.

As far as more "classic" examples go, without first person narration we'd be missing out on The Sound and the Fury, Heart of Darkness, Dracula, In Search of Lost Time, Wuthering Heights, Lolita, and so on...

In no way is first person for younger readers, or vampire fiction, etc.  Anyone who thinks that's true needs to read more.

lovetowrite, as far as getting off the ground, well.  I think it's important when writing first person to have a good handle on your character's voice.  Is that your problem, though?  It might be you're just deleting perfectly good stuff as a form of procrastination.  I do it when starting novels all the time...


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## RM Americano (Aug 29, 2010)

The more I can relate to the character the more I like first person.


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## lovetowrite (Aug 29, 2010)

Mwd, you may have a point there. It just gets frustrating. lol

I think there's a place and a time for first POV.  For example, I loved the way Alice Sebold writes.  Her novel The Lovely Bones is narrated amazingly.. Though, because it's from the point of view of a spirit of her lead character narrating the story.. 

Twilight and Vampire Diaries on the other hand? Was attrocious... I've yet to start True Blood which is also written in that prospective.


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## RomanticRose (Aug 29, 2010)

I have to say it depends.  First person can be utterly sublime or it can be as bad as root canal without anesthesia.  It's all about the execution.  Whether or not it's the best choice for the particular story factors in, as well.


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## seigfried007 (Aug 30, 2010)

All stories are about execution. One thing really botched ruins the whole piece. 

I've written both and had both published. No problem.

Also try Robin Hobb and Flowers for Algernon.


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## Taskryr (Aug 30, 2010)

I think the good first person novels I have read use the limited perspective to create mystery. If all first person is doing though is description, it is probably better and less frustrating to the reader to write in third.


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## Foxee (Aug 30, 2010)

Questions like this are cyclical, I know I've seen this one come up regularly since I joined.

Asking if you're 'for or against' first person POV is a lot like asking if I'm 'for or against' wrenches. I may not use a wrench for every job but when I need one I certainly am 'for' having one.

First person POV is a tool in your toolbox as an author. You may not use it much but practicing with it can't hurt.


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## daisydaisy (Aug 30, 2010)

There's no right or wrong way, and you shouldn't let trends dicatate the way you write your story. It's your story, and if you can portray it more effectivly by telling it in first person, then that's what you should do.

It's not really something I think about when I plan a story, I don't know until I start writing whether I will be narrating the thing or whether my character will want to tell it. Just play with the ideas and see what works best for you.

T xx


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## ArcThomas (Aug 30, 2010)

It's all about the writer.


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## Waste. (Aug 30, 2010)

Its all about the story. If its the type of story that needs first person then perhaps it'll work. I'm not convinced though.


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## MagicalRealist (Aug 31, 2010)

I think first person is often considered the most accessible and comfortable way to write. In my opinion it's the most difficult. Have you ever heard someone say that they can't put their thoughts and feelings into words? That's what the writer is trying to do with first person. I find it's extremely difficult to recreate on paper what it's like to live life in first person. The crux of this is that it's a lot easier for the character to lose a sense of realism. It's like a magic trick, the more you know the less magical and real the trick is. 

We're used to watching other people from the third person, so when we read that way it's much easier for us to believe what we're reading, it feels more real. Right now I can't think of any author I've read who didn't lose some authenticity by writing in first person.


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## Jon M (Aug 31, 2010)

I think writing First Person becomes easier once you understand that word choice and sentence construction become ways to develop a character. Some people daydream and their thoughts are scattered, and the writing for those kinds of people should be the same way.


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## JosephB (Aug 31, 2010)

RomanticRose said:


> I have to say it depends.



Yes. I agree.


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## StrikingEagle (Sep 1, 2010)

When I’m reading a story I don’t pay attention to what form is used.  If something makes no sense, or seems odd, I will notice.

Same is true when I write.  I try to keep form and tenses correct for that sentence or paragraph, but again, I’m really not paying attention (until I edit).

As others have mentioned it is possible to use either 1st or 3rd Point of View (POV) for your narrative mode; however, I don’t think one POV is used consistently throughout a story.  Consistency is boring and difficult in certain scenes of the story line, especially in dialogue and possibly action episodes.

To answer your question, I am neither for nor against 1st POV; use whatever works best.


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## InSickHealth (Sep 1, 2010)

I think first person is a really good way to show a characters innermost thoughts if done well. I can really see exactly what a character feels and thinks. It gives me an insight to how the character views the world. I think that some people use first person because they don't know how to develop their character in third person. I think a common misconception is that people can't really get into a character's head with third person. It becomes a crutch for some to easily produce emotion and personality when they can't figure out how to show that in third person.

I don't think of third person as being a fly on the wall, simply observing facts and events. I usually let the camera follow the camera. I like to let the character's thoughts and feelings show through their speech and actions. I really only prefer to use first person point of view when my character has a very distinct view of the reality around him/her. Sometimes it's harder to show a person's unique perspective in third person.

Personally, I think that first person should be used carefully. It can be a crutch, telling a character's general thoughts rather than letting the reader discover it through their actions.


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## Motley (Sep 3, 2010)

I'm not a fan of writing in first person. I prefer 3rd person limited, but that's just me. I have used 1st person in several short stories where the main character has a distinct voice that adds flavor to the story. I think that is the perfect reason to use 1st person.


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## Vorrec (Oct 9, 2010)

I personally do not enjoy first person very much, because I am crazy about descriptions and forming a complete world instead of restricting the reader's viewpoint to what the main character is concentrating on. I feel like I am more prone to liking third-person characters, because I find characters in first-person viewpoints complain a bit too much for my liking. I don't like reading other people's minds. And frankly, I don't want to. I'm just not a people person.


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## Stephanie J. (Oct 9, 2010)

lovetowrite said:


> Cons: It seems like every tom, dick and harry are doing it now a days, and it's hard to find a first person written prospective book that actually moves you. So far, I've only found one that has stirred my emotions..
> 
> The others, I'm just like.. what is this? The first time I read one, was twilight, and I never even knew people wrote in that fashion. I didn't like the way she'd done it, myself.



Another con - and this showed itself in some of the Twilight Series - is that it's harder for the writer to convey what's happening anywhere that the narrator is not. For example, in the movie version of Eclipse, they were able to portray an exciting showdown between the newborn vampire family and the Cullens that the book did not. In fact, in the book, and I thought this was rather weak, the scene could only be "overheard" by Edward reading the thoughts of some of the fighters. The only way to deal with this is to then switch to another character's POV, but then the writer is still stuck wherever the new narrator is. I'm not saying this destroys a story, obviously it doesn't as so many books have been in first person, but it does pose some extra challenges to the writer. 

Actually, my own novel that I'm working on is in the first person, and I've been ruminating on all of the above, because I have some challenges there in terms of my plot. A good deal of the action is undertaken by a character other than the narrator.


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## Stephanie J. (Oct 9, 2010)

Another challenge writing in the first person is the risk that the writer identifies too much with that character. That can present a whole host of problems.


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## 72ZX (Oct 9, 2010)

A majority of what I write is in first person, mainly because I find it easier to do so. However, I would far rather write in third person, since when I am writing in first person, it feels like I only have one main character, but I'm not good at it whatsoever, so I don't even bother if it's for actual writing rather than just practice.


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## spider8 (Oct 15, 2010)

When I read _The Secret Life of Bees_ I found it awfully claustrophobic due to the first person. A character's got to be outstanding if I'm not gonna want a break from him/her by way of another person or situation. Over the years I've been weaned off reading first person, unless it's by someone I'm a fan of like Nick Hornby. I wish a lot of authors would challenge themselves and spread their wings a bit, and write in third.

I also agree that deficiencies in vocabulary, expression, imagination and intelligence are sometimes exposed with third and hidden with first.

 But of course, there's still great books in first and badd'uns in third.


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## S1E9A8N5 (Oct 15, 2010)

*Against*

I am against first person POV.  I don't know how many times I've been interested in the summary and open the book to find that it's in first person.  Ugh.  It completely turns me off.  For me to read a book in first person, it literally has to grab my attention right away and keep me entertained.  Otherwise, I get bored.  They read like autobiographies.  I don't like having stories told to me (telling me what happened).  I like to be in the moment. 

I was thinking the other day that it would be a great idea if authors would take their first person novels and convert them to third person.  I know not all books are capable of this but most are.  It would be a great idea IMO.  Be a new marketing gimmick.  Yes/no?


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## Bruno Spatola (Oct 15, 2010)

I'm not against it, but I choose not to read/write first person stories. Some writers just love doing it, and that's fine with me, but there's no room to breathe in my opinion. It feels like a very claustrophobic way of writing. Sounds like a strange description of the first person narrative, but I can't stand it.

You just see "I" way too often as well. It's pretty jarring. 

Overall, it depends who you are and who you use it. I'm sure there are some amazing stories written in the first person. I've yet to come across them, but I'm sure they're there.


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## RM Americano (Oct 15, 2010)

I think first person can be much more emotional.  When writing in third person things can get too expositional sometimes and bore the reader.  Both are fine, just different.


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## Scarlett_156 (Oct 15, 2010)

Obviously the first-person voice is a double-edged sword for writers.  As such, it should be used with great care.  

As to whether I "like" it or not:  I agree with the person (Foxee...?) who made the remark about wrenches.  To use a wrench for every task is of course insane; not to have a wrench in your toolkit is a very bad idea.


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## garza (Oct 15, 2010)

There have been a few books written in first person that have met with modest success. For example, Moby Dick by Herman Melville, Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner, Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Dracula by Braum Stoker, and Most of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Artuhur Conan Doyle. 

They are the exceptions because the writing is exceptionally good, except in the case of Braum Stoker's 'Dracula' which is so exceptionally bad it has become a cult classic and established a pattern which generations of other bad writers continue to follow.


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## Bruno Spatola (Oct 15, 2010)

I was planning on buying the Graphic Novel version of Dracula in November. . .is it that bad? I've never read it.

I enjoy Sherlock Holmes though. . .and I thought _As I Lay Dying_ was an awful death metal group.


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## garza (Oct 15, 2010)

Braum Stoker will always have a place in the study of English literature. Stoker and Edward Bulwer-Lytton of 'dark and stormy night' fame tie for first place (in my opinion) as the worst writers in the language whose works have been given  some status as serious literature. There are far worse writers, but somehow those two managed to raise bad writing to a place of grudging respectability. 

And yes, Dracula is that bad. But if you do read it, read the original.

As for _As I Lay Dying_, I would use that name to put together a band to blow Black Sabbath right off Laguna Beach. There's a personal story there, by the way, regarding the BS Laguna Beach track, but it's too long to post here.

The book _As I Lay Dying_ by William Faulkner is in alternating first person with different members of a family taking turns telling the story.


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## Bruno Spatola (Oct 15, 2010)

Ouch. . .you've made me want to avoid it altogether now. People seem to speak so highly of it, and it's recommended to me often.

Whoever started the _Dark and stormy night_ cliche must be bad though.

Do you think if Dracula was third person it'd be good, or is it literally just poorly written?


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## The Backward OX (Oct 15, 2010)

Vorrec said:


> I personally do not enjoy first person very much, because I am crazy about descriptions and forming a complete world instead of restricting the reader's viewpoint to what the main character is concentrating on. I feel like I am more prone to liking third-person characters, because I find characters in first-person viewpoints complain a bit too much for my liking. I don't like reading other people's minds. And frankly, I don't want to. I'm just not a people person.


 
Could someone explain to this dummy (me) what the hell reading other's minds has to do with writing in the first person?


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## caelum (Oct 16, 2010)

Unless it's an autobiography, chances are he's not going to be reading his own mind.


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## The Backward OX (Oct 16, 2010)

KLM, that has nothing to do with my question.


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