Because it's a concern for so many writers, we wanted to highlight a discussion that went on in the forum earlier this month regarding point of view. asal279 wrote: "I am writing a fiction story and am trying to figure out if it should be written from the view point of the reader or the main character. Is there any way to figure out which would be better for the story? Do publishers look for one POV over another with regards to fiction? Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated."
msnew answered: "For new writers, I think first person point of view is a good way to go. You can get the internal and the external story told that way -- at least from the point of view of the main character. Third person point view, which is what I'm assuming you mean by the 'reader's' POV, can be more difficult because you need to shift POV and doing that unless appropriate confuses the reader. There are other, more technical considerations, but I think my advice would be, if this is a first work, to try first person point of view."
It's a great question, and one that most thoughtful writers consider before starting a new work. What do you think? Is it best for new writers to start with first person? And what about the question about publishers? Does the market seem to prefer one to the other? Respond in the comments below, or in the forum.
Good question. Could expound more on the answer.
Please do expound! What would you add?
I have a question related to POV in a novel that I am trying to get published. The entire novel is written in first person except the opening scene. That scene is told third person by people that are controlling the situation from a distance and then again in first person by my main character. I don’t know how to list the third person part. It isn’t exactly a prologue as it really is part of the story; however, it doesn’t have the same feel as the rest of the novel. Should it be a preface, intro, section 1, chapter 1, or something else? Any advice would be appreciated.
I have a publisher/writer friend who believes first person is amateurish. I don’t agree. My first novel is written in 3rd, but my WIP is 1st. I think it depends on the story you have to tell and the best way you can tell it.
I wrote my first novel in 3rd person. No difficulties with it. It’s having the 1st person POV shifted like a bouncing ball. I would wear different clothing and even sit in a different way in front of the computer while doing it.
And if the 1st person issue came along…I made a dialogue out of it.
I hope it helps.
Cheers,
Chiqui
My advice?
Don’t stress it. Write what feels comfortable. Write what you love reading. If you love reading first person books, then your inner ear is more tuned to this kind of writing than someone who prefers third person.
Personally, I cannot get into first person. Hate it, hate writing it, and it doesn’t feel natural to me.
But that’s me.
Others love it.
Basically, if it feels forced, then avoid it.
It really depends on your writing style, as well. For shorter works, such as short stories, I like to mix up the reader perspective.
If I were to do something longer, I would more than likely approach it from a third person perspective, just because you can delve into many different kinds of intricacies and details that you wouldn’t be able to in the first person.
Hello. This is the first time I’ve left a comment on a writers’ forum, so bear with me please! Plus, I have not been published-yet! To RGW:- it can be intriguing to write your lead-in just as a stand alone feature at the beginning, leaving a blank right-hand page, and then begin the novel over the page as normal. Does that help? I find that writing in the first person offers the observations and opinions readily formed, whereas third person approach leaves it to the reader to choose. That’s all, folks! Feedback welcome.
Thanks for your comment, and welcome!
I prefer writing in first person, myself–I like reading it, and I like how it helps me avoid the “too many characters” urge I get. I like characters. I have all sorts of ‘em gallavanting around my head and insisting that they want turns*. Third person is therefore tricky for me, because I can easily get carried away with too many main characters, as I did with my first novel (which will not be published).
*(I’m not really crazy like that. I just pretend to be.)
Personally I like reading first person but hate writing it. I find there is too much of a tendency to put my rambling ideas onto the page. Huge advantage of writing in 3rd person is you can insert chapters or psart chapters from other characters POV which can add to mystery, help build tension, give reader more than one line of interest into the story and break up the main story with subplots etc because other characters will have other motivations etc.
First person sounds easy but in my experience it is easy to start but harder to maintain interest for the reader. I will leave it to the experts until I am an expert…
Good luck.
I’ve just finished my first novel and wrote in 3rd person, for me, I found it ‘easier’. Yes, a lot of characters, but so be it. I liked knowing I could see every angle, know everything, and explain everything without having to worry about staying in 1st person.
My novel is a murder mystery, so maybe that made it easier too. I can be in the killer’s head, then next chapter the detective, or any other characters.
I think, overall, it comes down to what is most ‘natural’ for you.
Third person is safer – editors and readers are used to it. First person offers fewer narrative options but is a good choice if your story has a quirky or compelling voice, e.g., of a child, mobster, or psychopath, where the main attraction is the character (not the plot) and where you need to burrow into the character’s head and interpret reality solely from his or her POV.
In the limited formal writing education I have had, the conventional wisdom was to tell a story from a single point of view (barring compelling reasons to do otherwise), whether written in first person or third person. As I understand it, POV and the person in which the story is written are different concepts, which are (erroneously) being discussed in some of the comments posted here as if they were the same.
All this said, it would seem to me more natural and easier for a new writer to stick to a single POV if a story is written in first person.
I think it totally depends on your plot and if you are interested in portraying in through one person or if you want to get into the minds of more than one character.
Personally though, I love writing in the first person point of view..it’s so much more fun, I think.
I I I I gets vet very boring I think you ought mix they you and I or you will read the book alone
I thank you
Firozali A Mulla
I started my WIP in third but switched to first person because it felt more natural for the main character to tell his story than it was for me to tell it.
Depends on the character, I reckon. If the character is…meh, spunky seems like the right word, if the character is more of a spunky one then first person usually works better. If the character is really boring, 3rd all the way. I’ve tried to write a first person character before and realised that it was the most boring thing in the universe. Perhaps the fault of my writing skills rather than the character, but still…
Also, there’s lots of different types of third person, aren’t there, so I guess that makes a difference too.
First person is easier though, I think.
I’m not published yet and my first novel is from many different character’s POVS (in third person) in varying times and places but it’s second nature to me writing like that. I think if you know your characters well enough you’ll have no problem writing from many different POVs in one book because you’ll be able to make the distinction between how they think. Personally I think writing first person is difficult without sounding arrogant or going on and on about something irrelevant.
I have read that first person can be difficult for the beginning writer, because the entire narrative has to be written in the voice of the character. For example, a teenager would use different vocabulary than a forty year-old English major would.
Third person can present the same challenges, if the story is from the perspective of the character (third person limited).
As a beginning novelist, I find the third person omniscient perspective easier, since the narrative doesn’t have to be in the character’s voice. However, I am not a published author, and more qualified people may disagree.
i want to know if its good writting if i start out woth 1st person then switch to 3rd person
Generally, it’s best to stick with one POV in a story. In rare occasions, novelists may switch from third to first from one chapter to another, but it’s not standard.
Heya.
I am new at writing also, even though I have been writing for years I am new to the ‘wanting to be published’ party. I find that first person POV is a good way to go then at least you can write it later on down the line in another POV.
I have tried the ‘third person’ and I can do it, but I do get carried away alot.
My question is can you have a first person POV for 2 characters?
In response to Gyspy G’s question (although it was posted a few months back now)… you can have 2 characters written in first person but they’d probably have to be separated into 2 sections. I wouldn’t have it flit back and forth, it would be too confusing.
I attend a creative writing class and we’ve been working on a group piece where several different characters write about their experience of one event. It’s interesting to see something through various characters eyes – often they’ll see the same situation in dramatically different ways.
Also, we looked at The Summerhouse Trilogy by Alice Thomas Ellis, which is an example of this technique in action. This might be worth a look if you’re interested in writing in this way.
I’m a new writer and I just finished my first novel so I’m in the editing phase. my question is can i have my prologue in the first person while my story is in the third person?
Dylan, I just wanted to let you know that I thought your question was a good one, and so I posted it on the blog. You can view it here: One comment has come in so far: hopefully there will be more.
One thing to consider regarding first person: if you’re writing any kind of fiction in which someone might die or be killed, if you write in first person, then I know ahead of time that you (the narrator) can’t die.
Very good point. Thanks!
Frank has been trying to write some books because he doesn’t have a job and he’s always liked stories. Up to now, almost everything he writes has been in the third person. Lately, however, he has been telling himself that he should probably switch to the first person because he thinks it would be easier. He doesn’t necessarily enjoy writing in the first person, but he’s having so much trouble getting anything off the ground, that he’s willing to try anything to make it easier. Perhaps he’s fooling himself…perhaps writing in the first person isn’t really any easier at all! “I” just don’t know! Any ideas?
Does anyone have a suggested reading list of novels for grades 3-6 with different points of view?
You mean novels that have both first and third person POV, or just novels good for those grade levels, some first and some third?