Question about first person narration

[DancingMaenid]

Okay...how do I word this? Does anyone find first person "weird" to write or read?

I haven't written much in first person, but I'm writing my WIP, which I've just started, in it. But I keep finding it strange. I can't get past the fact that it would be pretty much unheard of for a real person to tell a story about their life in around 80-90 thousand words in the style of a novel. I keep thinking, 'Why is my character going through all this trouble to narrate this? Who's he supposed to be telling this to?'

I don't encounter this as much when I read books in first person. I generally like reading first and third person equally, though with first person, I do occasionally start thinking about the narration being unrealistic, but I usually get into it really well. I don't know why writing it is different.

Is there any way past this, or is it just not the style for me?

[Danthia]

I love first person and it took me a long time to try it. Now it's my main POV. It's probably just because it's new to you that's wigging you out. I'd just write, get into the feel and mind of your character and see where it goes.

It's unheard of for anyone to tell any story in 80K words verbally. So why would it be stranger for first person vs third? Why would some anonymous narrator telling you instead of someone who went through it makes it more realistic? If you think about it, most "real" stories are first person. When Bob tells you what he did over the weekend, he doesn't say, "Bob went deep sea fishing, which he swears he'll never do again." He says, "So, I went deep sea fishing this weekend, and my god I'm never doing that again!" POV is simply a tool to get a story across to a reader. There is no right or wrong one. It’s entertainment, not real life.

I find first person allows for a closer tone and connection to the reader. It's more personal, so I feel like I'm right there experiencing things with the narrator. Unless it's a tight third POV, I often feel disconnected from the protagonist in third person narratives, which lessens the immediacy of a story for me. It's a personal thing, so you just need to find the POV that feels right and works best for you. If you try it and still don't like it, I'd just use third. If you go with a really tight, close narrative distance third it's practically first person, so you can have the best of both worlds. Or go distant third omni if you prefer. Try several and see which clicks for you :)

[maddythemad]

It's simple, Dancing. Write 3rd . :D

And I'm exactly the same way. I love reading both 1st and 3rd, but whenever I'm writing 1st, I'm aware of how "artificial" it is, in a way that doesn't bother me when I read it. My natural style just works better in third person, so... that's what I do.

Why don't you try rewriting the first chapter or whatever into 3rd, and then seeing if you like it better?

Danthia's suggestions were also really good.

[BlueLucario]

Everyone is saying first person should be avoided at all costs. It's fun IMO. I have never written in third person but I think I can give you a tip. I think I can help you determine the right POV for your story. If you feel like you are the main character of your story, or if you are ONE with this character then First person is right for you because it requires you to be deep into the characters mind, show us the emotion he is feeling and how he reacts to things. But it is a alot of hard work. If you don't feel like you are the character then third person.

[cletus]

Everyone is saying first person should be avoided at all costs.
Who is everyone and why are they saying this?

[BlueLucario]

Who is everyone and why are they saying this?

I mean everyone I have talked to and I don't know why. First Person is just a preference IMO.

[Maryn]

If you can't be comfortable writing in first person, it's always okay to shift to third unless your genre demands first.

However, consider that finding first person difficult to write could be a red flag saying you don't know the inner workings of your narrating character well enough to get inside his or her head. Third lets you retreat a bit. Depending on what your novel's about, that may be just fine, but maybe it's not, too.

Maryn, who vastly prefers first both to read and to write

[Azure Skye]

Okay...how do I word this? Does anyone find first person "weird" to write or read?

I haven't written much in first person, but I'm writing my WIP, which I've just started, in it. But I keep finding it strange. I can't get past the fact that it would be pretty much unheard of for a real person to tell a story about their life in around 80-90 thousand words in the style of a novel. I keep thinking, 'Why is my character going through all this trouble to narrate this? Who's he supposed to be telling this to?'

I don't encounter this as much when I read books in first person. I generally like reading first and third person equally, though with first person, I do occasionally start thinking about the narration being unrealistic, but I usually get into it really well. I don't know why writing it is different.

Is there any way past this, or is it just not the style for me?

My recent work was done in first person. Up to that point, I had done everything in third so it was quite a transition. When I first started writing it just felt...odd, uncomfortable. The only advice I have is to keep pushing through it. It took me several chapters to get the feel for it but once I got into it I found it easier to get into the character and things just started flowing. Just keep pushing. Maybe by pushing through, all of the other thoughts you have will slip away as well. It's an adjustment but keep writing.

[Gillhoughly]

I'd sold five first person POV novels before someone informed me that it was the most difficult viewpoint to write.

Wow, was I ever surprised. ("W-T-F, you're kidding. You're not? Oh, well, back to doing more of it.")

If your writing doesn't flow naturally in that POV, if you end up second-guessing it, then shift to third person and get on with the story.

My first novel started out in third person, but after five pages it dried up and I started second-guessing the way you're apparently doing now. I shifted to a style that felt more comfortable and got the words out.

Some characters want first person, others are happier in third, and so on.

There's no right or wrong style. You use whatever works best to tell the story.

Good luck!

[Moon Daughter]

Everyone is saying first person should be avoided at all costs. It's fun IMO. I have never written in third person but I think I can give you a tip. I think I can help you determine the right POV for your story. If you feel like you are the main character of your story, or if you are ONE with this character then First person is right for you because it requires you to be deep into the characters mind, show us the emotion he is feeling and how he reacts to things. But it is a alot of hard work. If you don't feel like you are the character then third person.

You don't write in first person because you make yourself into the main character. IMO, it might work better to write in first person if you really need to get inside your characters head to show the readers the significance of the story. You can do it through either first and third person, although in this case, first person might be more interesting to read.

Re: Dancing, other people have said pretty much said it all. Just keep writing it and see how it works for you or just write in the POV you feel most comfortable with. Good luck!

[johnzakour]

I feel most comfortable writing in first person as it really lets me get inside my character's head. All my novels to date have been first person.

Like all the wise people above said, try it, see what happens. If it doesn't work you can always switch to third. (Whatever happened to second person? ;-) )

[josephwise]

POV choice can be such a great tool. In my opinion it should be chosen carefully to fit the tale. First lets you connect your narrator directly to the story, which has many benefits. Third allows you some distance, which has many other benefits. Just depends on what you want to accomplish with the narrative voice.

I'm intrigued by second, but have yet to see it used in any way that actually functions beyond gimmick. It sort of just melts away and is no different than third. I imagine it can be accusatory, which would be fun to try. But most examples I've seen, it's just like someone replaced "he" with "you" and left it at that.

[a_sharp]

My WIP started out in first, but I thought better of it and rewrote the first three chapters in third. Let it cook, came back. Yuk. It's all first now because that's the voice that works best for my story. It's what I hear. And it allows me some great expressions, incomplete sentences, lots of other things that work best in first.

Did the same with tense. Started in present, went past close, came back to present. Ordinarily, on other projects, I don't feel that sense of immediacy that first present gives. It's powerful and it's working in this case because I have a great supporting cast of characters all doing intriguing things.

I do switch out to past on rare, brief occasions when I want the protag's broader perspective on a scene. Again, it's brief, maybe a paragraph or two, and the segue into present takes some doing.

So, Dancing, it depends on your story, what "sounds" right, what works. Try several approaches for your first three chapters or so. That should tell you what is right for you in this story.

I first discovered the power of first present in a YA writers workshop. In the sample story opener, a girl gets on the school bus and describes the hostile stares she gets from the driver and the kids, her isolation, her own mood, because everyone thinks she killed another student two days before. The writer puts you right in there with the girl as she takes each step to her seat, fearing assault, etc. Past tense would have killed the suspense and emotion.

[ChaosTitan]

My last couple of novels were all first-person. I love this POV, because as others have said, it let's me get into the MC's head. I get to tell the story from her POV, which is as daunting as it is exciting.

I say daunting, because unless you intend to mix it up with your narrators, you are limited to a single POV for the entire 80k words. For me, it's a fun challenge to figure out how to tell the story from this person's eyes. Sure, I can do that to some degree in third limited, but....I dunno. Right now, I'm enamored of first. :D

The novella I'm currently working on started out as third limited. Somewhere around page twelve, I switched into first without realizing it. I've been in first ever since, and just last night went back to change the beginning. I firmly believe stories know how they are best meant to be told. We just have to pay attention. ;)

[Straka]

I've only done one work in 1st person and it was extremely easy to write. I wrote it as the MC was explaining himself to whoever was listening. It was made easier as it was the first work I have done in a modern day settling so I didn't have to do the same type of world building as I had done in my sci-fi works.

[blacbird]

Everyone is saying first person should be avoided at all costs.

Nonsense.

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess
The Bean Trees, Barbara Kingsolver
I Am Legend, Richard Matheson
Little Big Man, Thomas Berger
The Ox-Bow Incident, Walter Van Tilburg Clark
all the Travis McGee thrillers, by John D. MacDonald
all the Nero Wolfe mysteries, by Rex Stout
. . .

caw

[DancingMaenid]

Thanks for the input. It's been helpful.

I actually started this novel in third person. I got a few chapters in, and it was going okay, but I felt that the third person was a bit too distanced at parts, especially since so much of what happens hinges on my protag's perceptions of people and events. Then I decided I wanted a different beginning, and decided to switch to first. I think a lot of the trouble is that I'm just not used to it. Though, now that I think back, I had done some little scenes with this character in first person, and it worked well, so I'll keep going with it for now.

I would like to learn to write in first person effectively, regardless. Things I haven't done much all seem like challenges I've got to try.

[IceCreamEmpress]

Nonsense.

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess
The Bean Trees, Barbara Kingsolver
I Am Legend, Richard Matheson
Little Big Man, Thomas Berger
The Ox-Bow Incident, Walter Van Tilburg Clark
all the Travis McGee thrillers, by John D. MacDonald
all the Nero Wolfe mysteries, by Rex Stout


This makes me think of rewriting some of these famous first sentences in the third person:

"Call him Ishmael."

"You don't know about him without you have read a book by the name of Tom Sawyer by Mister Mark Twain, but that ain't no matter."

"They were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold."

"If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where he was born and what his lousy childhood was like, and how his parents were occupied and all before they had him, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but he doesn't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth."

"Last night she dreamed she went to Manderley again."

THIS IS FUN!

[Shady Lane]

That's the same way I feel when I write 3rd person. "Wait, who is this narrator supposed to be, and how the hell does he know so much about my MC?"

Don't like to write it, don't like to read it...I stick with my 1st.

[Just Jack]

I agree with the fact that you have to KNOW your character to write in first. Im writing my first novel now, and I really get into how my MC would react to a certain event. For example, if your MC has his/her car stolen, think to yourself " how would he/she react to this"

Thats what ive been doing so far, and its worked for me.

[windyrdg]

The part of first person I find a little strange is writing in first when the MC is female. (I'm not.) Especially the sex scenes. Definitely easier in third. I have my wife critique it to be sure I haven't gone off the deep end without knowing it

[DeleyanLee]

I keep thinking, 'Why is my character going through all this trouble to narrate this? Who's he supposed to be telling this to?'

LOL! The very first thing I got on my present MIP is a preface where the 1st person hero explains why he's putting this story into writing and why. It totally gave me my perspective on him, his goals and his personality.

Just found that amusing.

[DeadlyAccurate]

I find 1st easier to write. If you're struggling with 1st, perhaps it's not the way the story should be told.

[blacbird]

The biggest pitfall in 1st person narration, IMO, is the subliminal tendency to drift into autobiography. That all too often leads to obsessive introspection and internal monologue, and snoooooooozy prose.

The best first-person narratives I've read generally result from the writer adopting the persona of a narrator who is clearly not a simulacrum of him- or herself, or at least being able to resist the temptation to become confessional.

All that being said, the narrative POV needs to fit the story. Some work best in third-, some in first-person. I've failed with equal facility at both.

caw

[Danger Jane]

This is why I narrate my first person in present tense. I don't see it as the character telling a story--I see the pages of the book as the character's mind, his interior monologue, and so I strive for as much realism as possible, as far as thoughts/observations go. I can't reconcile first/past in my head, logically.

Definitely the best first person is that which adopts its own persona. I strive to do that with all my writing--fully inhabit the character's head, or let the character fully inhabit mine, and I am just a translator, a middleman. When I do this, I don't have to ask myself how my MC'd react to someone stealing her car or slapping her in the face, or anything--because she just does it, with very little conscious thought on my part.

[kuwisdelu]

1st person can be a great POV if you know how to use it well, or if it just feels natural to you. Like DangerJane, I like 1st person present and try very hard to inhabit the character's mind and make the story his. You have to fight the urge to get too introspective, like blacbird said. I don't think being autobiographical is necessarily a bad thing--it worked for Kerouac--but it does make it easier to fall into the introspective, rambling, observation that would make first person boring. I write from a fairly autobiographical viewpoint, but it's from a perspective of where I was at another time in my life. I'm not the same person as my narrator anymore, but it's certainly fun to revisit.

1st person definitely doesn't work for every story, but it can be great. Whatever feels right, at first, is probably the best POV to use, I think.

[Pup]

That's the same way I feel when I write 3rd person. "Wait, who is this narrator supposed to be, and how the hell does he know so much about my MC?"

LOL! Exactly. I also think, "why does this narrator care so much about my MC, and yet never express his own opinion about him?"

I can read it with no problem, but it seems strange to write it. I keep wanting to invent a character to be the narrator, because I sure don't know these people; they died before I was born. But then the character of the narrator keeps wanting to intrude with his own opinions on what's happening.

This is why I narrate my first person in present tense. I don't see it as the character telling a story--I see the pages of the book as the character's mind, his interior monologue,

My WIP is first person present tense, first time I've tried present tense, and for this particular novel, it seems the perfect choice. The MC is illiterate, with an attention span too short to sit down and "tell" the whole story. Makes more sense to try to give the illusion of reading his mind as things happens.

[dragoon_elf]

the great gatsby is one of the best uses of 1st person ever. After writing This Side of Paradise and The Beautiful and the Damned and so many short stories in 3rd POV, Gatsby came out and just cemented how great a writer Fitzgerald really was. Who could forget what Nick Carraway observes, the first time he sees Gatsby, when he's at the party, when he gets drunk at the apartment, etc.

[BlueLucario]

You should say the same when a person tells their story in a T.V show or a movie. Think of it as them as writing in their diaries.

[KTC]

Okay...how do I word this? Does anyone find first person "weird" to write or read?

I haven't written much in first person, but I'm writing my WIP, which I've just started, in it. But I keep finding it strange. I can't get past the fact that it would be pretty much unheard of for a real person to tell a story about their life in around 80-90 thousand words in the style of a novel. I keep thinking, 'Why is my character going through all this trouble to narrate this? Who's he supposed to be telling this to?'

I don't encounter this as much when I read books in first person. I generally like reading first and third person equally, though with first person, I do occasionally start thinking about the narration being unrealistic, but I usually get into it really well. I don't know why writing it is different.

Is there any way past this, or is it just not the style for me?

I wouldn't even think about who the character is telling the story to. Or...just for your peace of mind...picture the character telling the story to you. It doesn't matter...people tell their stories to grow by the telling...to inspire others...to get it out. Just let your character get it out.

[KTC]

Nonsense.

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess
The Bean Trees, Barbara Kingsolver
I Am Legend, Richard Matheson
Little Big Man, Thomas Berger
The Ox-Bow Incident, Walter Van Tilburg Clark
all the Travis McGee thrillers, by John D. MacDonald
all the Nero Wolfe mysteries, by Rex Stout
. . .

caw


Thank you. It riles me when people put the pish-posh quash on FP.

[Nakhlasmoke]

I think the biggest issue (for me at any rate) is to stay true to the voice of the characters in first person. An colouring the world the way they would - a chef noticing tastes and smells more, an artist texture, colour.

But hey, I enjoy reading and writing in first and second. I've even enjoyed reading a book in second, something I never thought possible), so yeah, go with what works for you, in the knowledge that you'll never please every reader with what you decide, but that shouldn't stop it from being the BEST choice you can make.

[Moon Daughter]

I love reading and writing in the first person. Of course, I love reading books written in first person because the BOOK is great, not the POV itself.

[Charlie Horse]

Write whatever feels most comfortable to you. And don't choose a writing style just because someone tells you that's the best way to write. Different things work for different people. If we were all the same then what would be the point of having more than one person on the planet writing books?

[bluemoonscribe]

My writing voice fits more naturally with first person narrative. I like being able to show exactly what's going on in the character's head. But that's just me.

[JoniBGoode]

Okay...how do I word this? Does anyone find first person "weird" to write or read?

I haven't written much in first person, but I'm writing my WIP, which I've just started, in it. But I keep finding it strange. I can't get past the fact that it would be pretty much unheard of for a real person to tell a story about their life in around 80-90 thousand words in the style of a novel. I keep thinking, 'Why is my character going through all this trouble to narrate this? Who's he supposed to be telling this to?'



I would say that first person is not right for you. Try third instead. I have written both in first person and fourth, but I have never doubted it.

Playing Dr. Freud for a second, could it be that you have some doubts about the plot? Because it seems to me that the reason the character is telling the story is because it's so compelling.

[SageFury]

POV is all I can really write myself, It comes natural as funny as that sounds. The best way to get in the motion of first person writing is to just take a day and make pretend your writing a first person. What do you notice, what interests you as you walk from one end of a street to another.

Your just being upfront with your curiosity, I don't see how first person can really effect anyone considering you have a whole life of personal experience on the matter.

[Ervin]

Frank McCourt stretches his life story out into three books of first person, I think he does it well.

[Erin]

I wrote my first 3 books in 3rd person POV. Then my current WIP begged for 1st person. The words flowed onto the page because I was able to get into this character's head. There were times when I wrote my 2nd book that I began writing in 1st person, so I think it was a natural progression for me to move to 1st person. Plus it's an Urban Fantasy which is a perfect venue for 1st person. I never doubted that this book should be written in 1st and I've not struggled with it at all.

You may not be ready to write in 1st person yet! But at least give it a try. If you are struggling, then rethink your choice.

Some of the best books I've ever read are in 1st person and I think that's why I needed to try it.