First Person

I never understood the hate-on for first person. I've even heard that only bad writers or first time writers write in it...that it's lazy, etc, etc, etc.

It's my favourite to read and it's my favourite to write.

Yep. I feel infinitely more dropped down into the story. It's like I become the narrator. So much more enjoyment.

If it works for the story, it works for the story. Sometimes I write a scene in both first and third and it doesn't always seem right for every story.

It is more immediate (especially coupled with present tense), I think. And can make things more intense. Just depends on the story you're trying to tell and what you're trying to evoke from the reader, I suppose.

I don't think it has anything to do with being able to envision things any better. Unless you mean emotions, maybe. I suppose with a little closer insight into what the character is thinking, you could argue that.

You can conceal things like the sex of a character with it, and I like to use that sometimes as a technique. But it can often confuse readers if you don't come out and establish the sex of the character, too. Again, depends on the story and how important that is, knowing the sex of the character.

I love a good first-person horror story. I've never understood the hate for first person. It's not innately worse than third, but a lot of people seem to prefer third.

Well, since this question is asked of the horror forum specifically I think it probably has to do with the fact that some people prefer to be distanced from the "horror" on the page a little. Maybe first person brings them closer to it than they are comfortable with.

Do you think that part of enjoying horror is the fact that you can be more...voyeuristic than in other genres? Is the hate for first person prevalent in say an adventure fantasy or mystery book? Maybe readers of those genres like to be more like the main character, to put themselves in their shoes because they are solving a crime or doing some other sort of wish fulfillment activity. In horror, often times, the MC is having the pants scared off them and that can be intense.

KTC said:

I never understood the hate-on for first person. I've even heard that only bad writers or first time writers write in it...that it's lazy, etc, etc, etc.

It's my favourite to read and it's my favourite to write.

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Same, I hear this all the time but I see no problems with past, present, first, second or third. As long as it's well written.
But of course my first novel is written in third person present so there's a group who just hates that.

JalexM said:

S
But of course my first novel is written in third person present so there's a group who just hates that.

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My latest is! I'm wondering if I made a HUGE mistake. But damned if I'm gonna go back and change all 90k now.

soapdish said:

My latest is! I'm wondering if I made a HUGE mistake. But damned if I'm gonna go back and change all 90k now.

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That's what I told the person editing it. If I fail at writing in that narration I'll just make the sequel the impervious and safe third person past narration.

A lot of my short stories are written in first person, but my novels tend to be written in tight third. The problem with first person is essentially head-hopping. Everything has to be viewed and described as seen or experienced by that person and that person alone when done correctly. That can be very difficult to accomplish as the tendency is always there to shift viewpoints from one person's perspective to another. Head-hopping is generally considered bad conduct even in third person, but can be gotten away with if done well. Your shifts have to be done carefully (I tend to do it on a chapter-basis where viewpoint shifts, when needed, in separate chapters). In first person, it's all about the viewpoint character and nothing and no one else.

I used to hate first person until I found myself writing a short story that way.

The thing about first person is that there is an immediacy to it. That makes the story not about what already happened but about what is happening. Now I think it works great in certain stories. I could never write a novel in first, though I have read some that don't suck. But I have no problem writing shorts that way.

What I refuse to write in is second. Old radio scripts--especially mystery scripts--used to use second a lot. Still not something I can wrap my head around.

I'll admit I never really understood when people say the don't like first, third, omni etc. Even second can work if used correctly. Night Circus, which isn't Horror but a Fantasy Romance type story, uses second in some of the chapters to great effect. It's not so much the POV as how effectly it is used. And currently I'm reading Darkly Dreaming Dexter, which again, not Horror and more of an extra dark Thriller that uses first awesomely.

That said, there was a time when I thought I couldn't write in 1st person. It wasn't that I didn't like reading it, because I do enjoy it. My problem was not feeling like I could personally pull it off writing wise. I wasn't sure my character and her viewpoint were interesting enough, but decided to see what would come of it when the characters story just flowed from my fingers in first. For all the major flaws of that story though, I do love it. It works. There's something about the story that works, and that comes from it being first person for me.

JalexM said:

As long as it's well written.
But of course my first novel is written in third person present so there's a group who just hates that.

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Yep, a large group. I don't just hate it, I'll never, ever read another one. The only thing I hate more is second person, present tense.

Calla Lily said:

I'm not a fan of first, but if the story requires it...

Most of my novels and short stories are in close third, but two of them were all wrong in that tense and demanded to be written in first. So I did.

Brian Keene does pretty well in first. His narrators all tend to sound alike after awhile, though.

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I don't believe any story requires any particular tense. Any story can be written perfectly well in any tense. It's the writer who sometimes "requires" a certain tense.

I think the whole idea that a story requires a certain tense, or a certain person, or a certain length, is why we have so many poor stories out there. I hear this at writing groups and seminars, and even from slush pile writers when I say they need to change tense person, or just about anything else. "But, but, the story demand second person, present tense. It just would be the same story without it."

Yes, it would still be the same story, except it would be far more enjoyable.

Dracula, of course, is first person, and it's difficult to argue with that.

Calla Lily said:

To each their own Jamesaritchie.

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Yes, but when you're a writer, it pays to note how many each to his own readers there are out there. Present tense is, at best, a conceit. A good novel can be written in any tense, but I've never found a case where present made anything better. The reasoning behind present doesn't make sense, even on the surface.

Stories don't need anything except a writer to write them. Writers are the needy ones.

Personally, I had always written in third and it was awesome. As a challenge to myself, my latest project (And also the first novel I feel good enough about to publish) was first-person and I absolutely loved writing it! So, I advocate both styles. The only one I have yet to be able to successfully write is present-tense, because that became incredible confusing.

I despise first-person. I hate the myopic/narrow/limited perspective and especially all the "I's" and "me's" etc. The only time I write in first-person is non-fiction autobiographical material.

When I go to the bookstore and check out a book, if the back blurb interests me, the second thing I do is open it up and look for the narrative. If I see first-person, I put, if not throw it back on the shelf.

Even worse, is first-person present-tense. I find that unreadable. Period. The same if it's in third.

Present-tense makes me feel like the author is trying to rush me, which just pisses me off.

Sorry, I digress.

There's nothing wrong with first-person in fiction for some people, just not for me. I don't recommend it to new authors but if that's what their muse tells them, I won't campaign too hard for them to change. However, I will point out how much more they can get by going third.

Quite frankly I don't give two craps whether a story is told in first or third or second as long as it's told well. I tend to prefer writing in third myself, but every now and then I find I story that just works better in first or second. That said, I do have a close friend who loves stories told in first much more than third.

I don't mind first-person, but it does carry a certain baggage--there IS an assumption the MC lives.

This can be handled multiple ways, including making the stakes more about losing loved ones or building a certain ambiguity about the MC's "survival" (could be actual life or sanity/safety or some combination thereof) but there is a certain hurdle in first which is simply there: if the narrator is telling "his story" in past tense we tend to assume he or she lived, so the "will they make it" angle is a harder sell than it is in third-person. It just is, which isn't the end-all of storytelling, but you need to handle it on some way.

I love first person horror stories! Third isn't any better or worse than first. Just different.

I think first person is harder to write than third. Unless you have a strong voice, first person might lead you to trouble. Characterization has to be tight. Third is more forgiving, methinks. Less voice. More about reaction. I love first. Especially unique first, like epistolary format! (My first and only published book is 100% epistolary) What's a proper gothic without first, anyway?

What I HATE is head-popping. I don't like having more than one narrator/POV per story. All my tales are told from ONE POV throughout. Head-popping is lazy and ameaturish. You should be able to finish a character's narrative all the way through. Your character should be interesting enough without 10 billion supporting characters. Your plot should be tight enough so your character is in the action, experiencing everything firsthand. No wasted space. Especially in a horror story! Popping in and out is a crutch. Introducing new characters every five seconds is also a crutch.

Third person horror stories are just fine, too. But honestly, it just depends on the story. Each one requires different methods.