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- May 28, 2013
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First-person tends to be more immediate. I enjoy third-person (I write in third-person actually), but for some reason, first-person always seems easier to read.
Strangely, I've read enough deep close third where later on I've forgotten whether it was written in first or third...
On the flipside, voice is way easier [for me] to nail in the 1st person. I find it harder to get it right in the 3rd.
I agree with this. When I write in first, the character really comes alive and their voice carries me through the book. When I write in third (which isn't often, and I always abandon everything I try in third), I feel very much like a writer concocting a story rather than a writer channeling a character. In third, beautiful, artful prose comes really easy, but it always feels stiff and formal to me. I prefer writing in first.
1. He walked to the car, as if to celebrate victory. Instead he was ran over by a car.
2. I walk to the car, I have won. Holy crap --
Which would you rather read? I don't mean that divisively, it's just very jarring if your also going to kill off your protagonist. Then again, I'm sure I'd be fine with it if I didn't.
1. He walked to the car, as if to celebrate victory. Instead he was ran over by a car.
2. I walk to the car, I have won. Holy crap --
Which would you rather read? I don't mean that divisively, it's just very jarring if your also going to kill off your protagonist. Then again, I'm sure I'd be fine with it if I didn't.
MK England, you confused me! I saw "my" avatar and was reading your post thinking, "I don't remember posting this!" The funny thing is, my first novel was in 3rd person, but current WIP (actually it's finished) is in 1st, and I struggled between present and past! I seriously could have written this post about a year ago. I went with 1st present. I wrote about 2/3 in 1st past, but found there were several parts that I wrote in 1st present and though I tried to change and "fix" them to match tense, but it just sounded wrong, so I switched the whole thing to present. I am so glad I did. I even started this novel in 3rd and switched to 1st. This book knew it wanted to be 1st present and it just had to fight me to get there. Glad I listened to it!
Well... killing off a protagonist in first person would stop the narrative (if they're truly dead and not coming back as a ghost or something). It's not exactly standard first-person fare.
Well... killing off a protagonist in first person would stop the narrative (if they're truly dead and not coming back as a ghost or something). It's not exactly standard first-person fare.
Keeps happening to me too, every time I see one of your posts! I think I have enough posts to change mine now, so I'll have to find something good.
What genres were your previous 1st and 3rd person works?