Writing in First Person

[JayDirex]

@Our_Lady_in_Twilight @anonjohn @CharlesEBrown

Guys, I'll positively assume I'm waaaaaaaaay older than all of you, and have read plenty of first person that I've enjoyed. I go so far back to Judy Blum Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and Superfudge, and in Uni suffered through Phillip Roth (Portnoy's Complaint) and ain't NOBODY UP HERE writing like Hammet or Lovecraft.

Just folks up here who can't even keep their tenses right. The real OP of this thread (not me) asked about first. And I gave my brutally honest opinion. STICK TO THIRD LIMITED. you can do a whole lot more and not have to "take notes on style" to mess it up.

And when they get to Lovecraft, Hammet, or even ALBERT CAMUS level. then they can shut me down. Till then, I stick to my guns. write Third Limited.

Then again, Third is just an excuse to info dump 3k word prologue. So there's that too.

 

[Our_Lady_in_Twilight]

Well personally I'll never stop learning, never stop 'taking notes' or aiming to improve myself. You might never be Lovecraft, but nor are you some loser who must limit themselves to the bare-bones basics or else your little head will explode. Learn, try it out and have a go. I'm sure you'll do just fine :)

 

[Eldoria]

@Our_Lady_in_Twilight @anonjohn @CharlesEBrown

Guys, I'll positively assume I'm waaaaaaaaay older than all of you, and have read plenty of first person that I've enjoyed. I go so far back to Judy Blum Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and Superfudge, and in Uni suffered through Phillip Roth (Portnoy's Complaint) and ain't NOBODY UP HERE writing like Hammet or Lovecraft.

Just folks up here who can't even keep their tenses right. The real OP of this thread (not me) asked about first. And I gave my brutally honest opinion. STICK TO THIRD LIMITED. you can do a whole lot more and not have to "take notes on style" to mess it up.

And when they get to Lovecraft, Hammet, or even ALBERT CAMUS level. then they can shut me down. Till then, I stick to my guns. write Third Limited.

Then again, Third is just an excuse to info dump 3k word prologue. So there's that too.

Well, a limited third POV is indeed the most comfortable for writing large, epic, and captivating narratives. With a limited third POV, the depiction of worldbuilding becomes more vivid and in-depth. We can portray any character to enrich the perspective, perfect for multiple POVs. However, we can also sometimes add a first POV for suspense or character reflection, especially when revealing layers of mystery or redemption arcs. The combination of the first POV and the third POV will produce the living narrative.

 

[JayDirex]

why @Eldoria doesn't hang out on Discord with us. are we too rowdy?

 

[Racosharko]

I had always written in thrid.

But i just decided to do a first person book for my most recent story...

I enjoy the process of working out how to tell the story with limited point of view and also how to tell it with out too many repetitions.

Personally, the narrator telling blatant lies and sarcasm have been a lot of fun. And I dont feel it works as well in third...using an unreliable narrator.

I do cheat a little, by having a story in the story, so I can have third person in the book, having my cake and eat it too.

 

[Eldoria]

why @Eldoria doesn't hang out on Discord with us. are we too rowdy?

I don't have (don't feel the need for) discord yet. Lol?

 

[Anonjohn20]

I don't have (don't feel the need for) discord yet. Lol?

You just haven't become a furry yet. Soon you shall be one of us. LOL JK

 

[CharlesEBrown]

@Our_Lady_in_Twilight @anonjohn @CharlesEBrown

Guys, I'll positively assume I'm waaaaaaaaay older than all of you, and have read plenty of first person that I've enjoyed. I go so far back to Judy Blum Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and Superfudge, and in Uni suffered through Phillip Roth (Portnoy's Complaint) and ain't NOBODY UP HERE writing like Hammet or Lovecraft.

Just folks up here who can't even keep their tenses right. The real OP of this thread (not me) asked about first. And I gave my brutally honest opinion. STICK TO THIRD LIMITED. you can do a whole lot more and not have to "take notes on style" to mess it up.

And when they get to Lovecraft, Hammet, or even ALBERT CAMUS level. then they can shut me down. Till then, I stick to my guns. write Third Limited.

Then again, Third is just an excuse to info dump 3k word prologue. So there's that too.

I tried to emulate Hammet, actually, in the Jack Diamond stuff.

Now, if you really want to see both the best and worst First Person has to offer, pick up some of the novels that came out in the romantic vampire glut of the 90s (of which Twilight was the most successful but not the first ... and definitely not the best).
The Anita Blake novels are first person, and the first book in the series is great (the eighth book probably is too, if you're into a smut to story ratio of about 1:2; I have not read any more than that, but was told that the first three books are the absolute best in the series, and the next-to-last one published was almost as good; while writing the fourth book, Laurel K. Hamilton was introduced to erotica and also either started or ended a tumultuous relationship in real life (I was told the details about a decade ago and don't recall them), and that took over her writing for the next seven volumes. She is a literal showcase of how good and bad 1p narration can be.
A lot of the really bad 1p YA stuff came out of this glut as well. A lot of it. And some gems, including one that featured a gay vampire postmaster who solved cozy mysteries (yes, really - only found one book in the series but heard there were four released in the UK).

In general, if the story focuses on a single character, first person CAN be the best option, but it also can be the worst, depending on the skill and style of the writer.
If it focuses on a group of people, first person is USUALLY the WORST option, especially if there are a lot of POV shifts.

 

[MFontana]

Personally, most of my inspiration for the First-Person PoV that I use (Preludes and Interludes) was inspired in part by R.A. Salvatore's use in the Legend of Drizzt series.
A brief opening to each story arc told from the perspective of one of the characters. Usually the protagonist.
Beyond that, I personally don't use it too much myself as I'm not overly fond of reading First-Person PoV stuff. Third-Person Limited is, in my humble opinion, the ideal choice for most works of fiction.

If that's what you're also used to writing in, stick with it.

 

[DismaiNaim]

I'm writing first. I made that choice long ago with my WIP because I figured someday I might want to go Roshomon, and I figured 1st pov just makes that too easy