McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft

Him or me? First vs third person

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Danielle/Evie:
Personally, I'd write it third person. When reading books that go back and forth between different characters all in the first person, I get confused easily. Especially if the characters dont have strong enough personalites, it can get to the point where you can barely tell the difference. Also, first person can make it a lot more personal for the reader. With third person you have the option of following someone else around for a chapter or two. With first person, that just doesnt make since.

but  that may just be me.

good luck!

-d

pathele:

--- Quote from: Abstruse on January 01, 2007, 07:20:09 PM ---Imagine this for a moment...Harry and Susan have a child and their son is the key to protecting the world and all that when we get to the end of the Dresden series...since Jim says he's going to end the series somewhere in the 20s, say that by book 15 or so, their child is a teenager and he starts taking the center stage from Harry.  By book 20, Harry is no longer in the story at all, and the last 5 or so books are about his son.  That would be a pretty good analogy of how the series would work.

--- End quote ---
If it for something of the scope you described above (over 20 or so books) I would probably stay first person for all of them, but on the crucial book(s), where the son becomes the focus, I would have chapters where he is the POV character. It would be a transition of sorts.  You might lose some readers, but I would think it would be easier than something more abrupt.
Of course, I have a problem writing in 3rd person. It never seems to work for me.
Again, just my two cents...

-paul

terioncalling:
First/Third person perspective isn't necessary for any genre, I don't think.  Just depends on which the author feels like writing or feels fits the character best.

I myself usually write in third person though I do have a handful of first person stories.  It really just depends on what sort of character I'm writing or the time-set.  Example: current fantasy story in the works is written third person with main character featured strongly alongside the others and a werewolf story I have on the side with the main character loosely based on myself and written first person because its modern time setting.  Somehow the two viewpoints work differently.

So, like I said, I think it just depends on what you're writing.

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