Rewriting from 3rd person to 1st person

I don't think switching POVs is going to have the reader connect with the character any better. First person can feel more intimate, but it doesn't automatically make the reader connect to them.

I've done POV changes before... I just rewrote the entire thing from scratch... I can't be much help, sorry.

I started mine in 3rd person, but on the 3rd draft I switched to 1st because the story just needed it, and it read a lot smoother as a result. It wasn't difficult, and I was able to add in more details I wouldn't have been able to put in otherwise.

It's what works for you, I suppose. But changing the POV won't instantly fix all the problems. Do you have a beta reader? Maybe they can tell you why they can't 'connect' with it.

Oh that's an interesting predicament! I have a question, however-- in your editing, have you found that the POV change has clashed with writing style? I've edited from 2nd POV to 3rd POV and sometimes even to 1st, and I've found that you have to 'kill your darlings', or so they say, as 1st person is usually less flowery/detailed, as the mind does not work in metaphors.

nadja1972 said:

Hi noraline, yes, the POV shift is definitely forcing me to change my writing style and giving a different feel to the narrative, but I think (I hope) in a good way. More voice seems to be coming through now. It's interesting that you've switched from 2nd person before - I've never been brave enough to attempt 2nd person even in a first draft!

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I am one of the very few people who loves 2nd person! My WIP was in dual perspectives, one of them in 2nd POV, but after reading about how much people abhorred it, I decided to switch to 3rd person limited! I like 2nd POV for the haunting, poetic-ness it seems to insinuate. I'm however in the opposite boat of you hehe, I'm not brave enough to write 'serious' anything in 1st POV! And I'm sure your piece will turn out very well, you seem to have a very good grasp of what you're looking for

Just keep going. Read portions aloud, too, especially when writing in first. If it sounds good or true to what you want to say, keep at it.

Imo you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Both POV and tense can change the 'vibe' of a story. I recently changed a short story from past to present tense to better convey to the reader the surreality my protagonist is experiencing.

But I would also reiterate what others have already said - a change in POV will only enhance, not fix.

I did it the other way around--changed from first to third. It was a beast, and I mean a big, hairy, red-eyed, drooling, beast of a project. Basically, I rewrote the entire thing. Then I beta'd it out and and am reworking it again...still in third but closer. Interestingly, close third has made the story more intimate than first, giving me opportunity to add more richness and depth to both the characters and the plot.

FWIW, I'd suggest making the change to first in three places within the manuscript to see if it will work...a portion on the beginning, in the middle, and then the end. You may find that it isn't working, and you haven't wasted weeks or months of time.

I wanted to chip in and say that yes; I changed a draft from third person limited to first.

Involved a total rewrite.

And it was absolutely worth it.

The MC is more engaging, more captivating, more real for everyone. I love her, whereas in the last draft I started out liking her, and couldn't really feel one way or another for her at the end. Being in her head works for me, and it was absolutely the right thing for the draft.

I hope you find the same.

And yes, it totally changes the scenes... but in a very enriching way for me. There were very few passages that retained any original wording (any!), but the basic context of many scenes was the same. Several scenes had to be scrapped and reimagined because of the POV changes, and again.. totally worth it.

I love my second draft.

Snuggle.

Moving on now... pretending I don't snuggle my manuscript...

I've gone the other way (1st to 3rd) and it was a big stinky pile of poo. In fact, I'd already drafted three books in the series when I decided it needed switching (so it was over 300k words of edits). It took months of focusing solely on that project and I still found errors. You have to decide if it's worth it and realize it's a major re-write. But it can be successfully done (although I'd never want to go through it again).

nadja1972 said:

Wow, I feel nauseous but excited.

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That perfectly sums up how I felt when I started rewriting mine... grin.

Six months later, I have a draft that blows the water out of my first one.

I'm very, very happy I went down that road. I hope you will be too.

nadja1972 said:

Thanks for the input. I get what you both mean that switching POVs won't fix all my manuscript's problems, but I am starting to believe there's something inherently distancing about 3rd person, even when it's very close.

My main character makes choices that are hard for people to understand, so even though I keep revising to add in more of her thought process and emotional state, it seems readers (agents and my betas) want to be able to experience more of what she thinks and feels from the inside out. I know you can do that in 3rd person, but it doesn't come as naturally.

Maybe my theory is wrong and it won't make a difference. At least it'll be interesting experiment to find out!

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You have a good mind. Third person is more distant than first, however it's written. Distance is the main point of POV.

Having said this, however, third can be close enough, can connect as well as first, if it's written properly. There are, after all, millions of wonderful third person books out there.

But you may be better at getting inside the character, or connecting him with the reader, using first person. It ain't the POV that matters, it's the writer. Every writer has strengths and weaknesses, and some write third better than first, while others write first better than third.

I'm much better at writing first.

And you can always rewrite the first three chapters and see how it goes.

I was in your shoes, in a small way. When I started my first ms, I started it in third. Got bogged down the first chapter. Finally decided to switch to first, and the story came alive and practically wrote itself. Doing a complete re-write is a daunting task, but it could be just what your ms needs. Try doing the first few chapters and getting some readers for feedback.