First vs Third Person

[standard muffin]

Which is better to read for you? Which is easier to write from?

I'm thinking about writing my first story, but I need some starting advice.

Anyone want to help?

[Jonfron]

Well, they both have advantages and disadvantages.

For first person a person may feel a personal connect because it is is like it is happening to them as everything goes on, but a disadvantage is that in can limit you in some ways because it can be hard to move to places if your character is not there.

[dcoen111]

Originally Posted by standard muffin

Which is better to read for you? Which is easier to write from?

I'm thinking about writing my first story, but I need some starting advice.

Anyone want to help?

like person above me said both have an advantage but if you choose to do 3rd person try to do it in such a way that it switches the main charecter like my story (dead men tell no tales (sorry had to get that ad in)) does and i like 3rd person better beacuse in first person you know everything only about one person while in 3rd you can know it all @.@

[Jonfron]

well there are different types of the third person narratives you are talking about..omnipotent 3rd person I think it is called.

[newninja]

Many people find it easier to write in first person just because its similar to recounting a story to your friends. It also gives you the option of writing a frame story to mess with the sequence of events.

[Saphir]

Originally Posted by newninja

and to mess with the sequence of events.

I totally agree with the other things you wrote but I don't really get what you mean by this. (In how far dealing with the sequence is different to 3rd person stories)

love <3

[newninja]

Originally Posted by Saphir

I totally agree with the other things you wrote but I don't really get what you mean by this. (In how far dealing with the sequence is different to 3rd person stories)

love <3

I'm thinking of stories that don't tell events in the order that they happened. A frame story is a good example.

Alot of books tell the story in third person and go from A-B-C-D (Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings etc.) Frame stories are almost always told in first person because one character is relating the story to another character or the audience (Forrest Gump, Owen Meanie respectively) That would be D-A-D-B-C-D. Though I did think of one example of of this kind of thing in third person which is Pulp Fiction which is something crazy like C-B-D-A or something I haven't seen it in awhile.

I'm sure there are other good examples of these different techniques, those are just the generalizations and examples I came up with sitting here.

[Saphir]

The examples are quite good, I get what you mean.

Well it's probably way easier to do that with 1st person stories... but if well-told also something very nice in 3rd person... probably a little bit confusing tho

So if someone wanted to write non-chronological on here 1st person would be probably the better choice. :3

[darebunny22]

Both are good, it depends what works for you. If you write in third I for one find it easier to add in description of the main character e.g

Bob had ginger hair, is easier than saying

I looked in my mirror too see my ginger hair, etc etc, but you can work round things like that. You could switch P.O.V's so like

Bobs P.O.V- I looked at her hair
Mary's P.O.V- I smiled at him
Third person- They all walked off into the sunrise, played Quidditch and lived happily ever after.

But that's just my view on things, hope I helped remotely

Darebunny22 xx

[Rachie]

Both seem to work. Just plan ahead and see what will fit best.

As others have already stated - both have positives and negatives.

How many characters will be in your story?

Will you be adding aditional characters at a later date?

Is there a main character?

Will the character be in most scenes?

If you do write in first person, there are ways to get around some problems.
eg) i combed my hair waiting in anticipation for what my lover would do when she arrived. MEANWHILE .........

Love Rachie
x x x x

[KatieK]

I my opinion third person is harder to do well, because there is a temptation to 'cheat' by dumping information instead of artfully unfolding a story. If you are limited to only telling what the main character hears, sees, and thinks, you are likely to tell the story in a way the communicates more suspense and drama.

Also, in first person, if you want to reveal what another character is thinking or feeling, you need to use dialogue instead of telling the reader directly, which makes the story more detailed and interesting.

While there are many good stories in third person, I have noticed that the stories I enjoy, sexual and otherwise, still do these things. They describe instead of tell, include large amounts of dialogue, use implication and subtlety, and have complex characters with distinct emotions and motivations, which are surmised by the characters words and actions, but never revealed directly to the reader.

This, I think, makes good fiction, sexual or otherwise, and if you are a newer writer, first person tends to force you to practice these things more.

[KatieK]

Originally Posted by darebunny22

Bob had ginger hair, is easier than saying

I looked in my mirror too see my ginger hair, etc etc, but you can work round things like that.

However, in most cases, I looked in my mirror too see my ginger hair is a lot more interesting and makes a better story than Bob had ginger hair.

That said, I have ginger hair, is also acceptable, although I think it usually creates a lazier, lower quality story.