Young Writers Society

Upon coming back to YWS, I noticed how many 1st person stories there are. I have never been, and most likely never will be a person that enjoys 1st person story telling.

Honestly, I have opened a story or series that looks promising, and upon finding it was in 1st person, left. I can't handle it.

I don't like being told what the character is thinking, all the time. I feel this skips one of the most important, and funnest part of finding out about a new character. I can remember reading stories, and the main character does something I totally had no idea he/she would do, and I loved it. That is completely robbed in 1st person. I feel as though I'm being told a story, and not shown one. I am no longer left to figure anything out, besides the plot. I mean, imagine if all of the main characters in Harry Potter were written in 1st person? Some people would say: YES! SIGN ME UP! But, then the internet would no longer marvel at the revealing of what a character was actually thinking or feeling. The entire story would be based around the plot, and not the characters.

You're limited to a single viewpoint. You can no longer like a secondary character more than your main character. Which means your main character always has to be likable in everything they do, or the story gets boring and suffers. It doesn't allow me the ability to make my own choices in who and how I care for characters.

Now, there are exceptions. I freaking adore Amethyst Night. (A series on YWS that is 1st person.) But, I still think I would enjoy it more in 3rd. We shall see.

Tell me what you think!


(Not hating on anyone who writes 1st person. This is COMPLETELY MY OPINION.)

- First-person is only as limiting as you make it. Who says you can't develop your POV character? Kurt Vonnegut wrote his stories in third person, yet the narrative voice itself was characterized, too. The narrator of the book was a character all by himself, even if you never realize it. As for characters doing things beyond the reader's comprehension, again, it's really not that hard. Just don't say what you want to keep a secret. You don't /have/ to put literally every thought of the character down -- a book like that would be unbearably slow.

- Yes, first-person does limit the amount of characters down. I prefer this, because unless I'm investing two weeks into digesting a The Name of the Wind-sized saga, I don't have the memory capacity or patience to keep track of 40 characters. I'd rather have 4 deep and well developed ones. Incidentally, The Name of the Wind is written in first person, and nonetheless has tons of well developed characters.

- When I read first-person, I feel I am in the story, rather than being shown one. I'm rather the opposite of you -- for a long time I avoided any and all literature not in first-person. It is so much more visceral -- you can describe exactly what happens to the POV character and what they think/feel about it. You can do that in 3rd too, but it's hardly as effective.

- You mention the "internet" not marvelling at characters... If you are writing for the internet, it is even more important to keep the number of characters down. The average Internet Reader will give your story one glance. You have that one single chance to keep his eyes glued to the story. Even if you manage to write a good, hooking introduction, I can guarantee -- as soon as they find out they have to care for buckets of half-baked characters, nine readers out of ten will close the tab and move on to something that is less of an investment.

- In the end, I personally think that out of everything you mentioned, the only appreciable drawback in first-person is the limited number of characters (which can be a good thing, depending on the medium -- better in longer stories than shorter ones). Everything else simply demonstrates you haven't read many first-person pieces, and are thus unaware of how flexible that POV is, nor what its strengths are. This is my opinion.

I don't like being told what the character is thinking, all the time.

You have been reading some bad first person, then.

First person is not about knowing exactly what the character is thinking. How many times do we, ourselves, not know what we are thinking? Not know what we are feeling? We ourselves act in ways that are irrational, in ways we don't understand, and generally we do not understand ourselves at all.

Writing in first person should reflect this utter confusion about ourselves, and simply focus on the voice for how characters describe the world: sarcastic asides, the body language interpretations, and what they actually notice.

First person is simply another way of putting the world through a character's eyes. Third person can be just as stylized as first.

You can no longer like a secondary character more than your main character.

I raise you Sherlock Holmes. The original stories were told from Watson's first person perspective, yet everybody loves Sherlock (and often forgets Watson is the one narrating in first person). I raise you Paper Towns, where the narrator is really quite a boring guy, dislikable, even, and the story is all about his group of friends and how he interacts with them.

First person is not an automatic "look at me I'm awesome!" It is a "the way I see the world is interesting enough that I'm the best to read it out to you" or a "the actual main character is too much of a genius to be readable".

I also counter the number of characters a first person story can have. Mine is at 30-40 total, and I don't see the number going down any time soon. My character changes social groups quite often, and when she does, she meets new people. She interacts with them. It feels more personal, that way, because as cC said, you are the character.

I have also seen first and third alternate— from a storyteller to the narration of the work itself— so you can indeed expand from the single point of view.

First person is a tool. It just so happens to be done badly a lot. Third person is also done badly a lot. As with all writing tools, in the right hands it is a wonderful one.

I like to change whose point of view I use. At times I use my female lead but other times I use my male or even a minor character.

I also enjoy read third person stories for adventure and action stories, but if it is a romance or mystery I like to read first person books. I suppose each story has its own point of view and the author has to do some trial and errors to find which fits for their book.


well that's what I think anyway

I used to write 3rd person and preferred it. The reason for this being that the narrator was a God-like character who knew all and could relay this to the reader. For example: "Luke, having know idea what was just around the corner...".

1st person on the other hand is limited on account the reader only knows what the character knows(although written past tense and replacing "Luke" with "I" one could use the sentence above).

As I've gotten older though I have shifted entirely to 1st person as I view it almost like role playing. Instead of reading about someone elses story I am actually living it. Seeing, hearing, smelling everything alongside the main character.

And finally its fantastic to narrate(1st person) and not have to practice perfect english(because people generally dont in their thoughts)

I feel that when I write in 1st person, I get the chance to really connect with the character and create a character that others can connect with. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of writers that create the most amazing characters in 3rd person.

You just have to think about what is easy for you then build on it until you are confident enough to try a different perspective. For me I have a hard time with trying to figure out how my character would react to situations, so I put it in 1st person. This helps me think about how if I was her I would do this. Many of us tell stories about ourselves so when we do that with a character it's like we are acting.

i prefer reading and writing in third person because you get a wider scope of the written universe. like stated above by someone or another, when you read first person, you only get the story from the perspective of one character. you receive other character's perspectives through the filter of one character's view. i deeply enjoy delving into the thought processes of all characters important to the story when i read, it gives a much broader scope of the universe.

someone above me stated that first person is only as limited as you make it - untrue. first person by its nature is more limited than third person, unless you're reading from the perspective of a character that can read minds. the only way first person is just as flexible as third is if you change perspectives from character to character, and that would be a mess.

I work in a machine shop. to me a writer saying, "I have never been, and most likely never will be a person that enjoys 1st person story telling." is like a mechanic saying, "I have never been, and most likely never will be a person that enjoys wrenches. Vice-grips are the way to go!"

novice mechanics love blaming their tools.

I will write anything, or read anything. I'll read the much despised second person, singular third person, third person with many characters, singular first person, and rotating first person. I've written all of these except second person.

My personal favorite to write is actually rotating first person, and it really isn't that confusing. I write an ensemble of three, four, or five, and make each character have their own chapters. I put their names at the beginnings of the chapters and make sure to give each a unique voice, like one character who is somewhat pretentious and never uses contractions. I've never had a reviewer tell me they couldn't distinguish between my characters.

Each form is a different tool that takes slightly different skills. I use rotating first because then I can get right in a character's head and evoke certain emotions in the reader and I won't have a myopic view of the world.

Your very post on here addressing the first person narrative could be regarded as a story though, no? Do you not find it thrilling to be driven into a debate with someone who has posted a point? Surely then, that same passion could be applied to a first person narrative where you desire to engross yourself in some sort of relationship with the reader: would you do what they're doing in their shoes? What about the feeling of frustration when you know they're wrong? I feel there's far more emotion for the reader in a first person narrative - poetry, especially. If you look at poetry through history, I'd argue the detachment of third person span the author from their work until the days of the Romantics in the 17thC where we began to see true reflection, true emotion and true depth of thought.

But hey, just food for thought and opinion - I totally understand your point, I used to shy away from first person too. I think the reading of quicker paced works like Patterson or thought provoking works like McEwan's more psychological novels really turned that on its head for me.

I love both equally? I mean. It's fun to stretch myself as a writer and try my hand at both. Plus, let's face it... both perspectives bring a new flavor to the work, so it's fun to write!

I don't mind reading both either. But, it has to be good. If it sucks, then it isn't worth it.

Also I am currently working on a story alternating between 3rd person and 1st person. I use the 3rd person past tense to provide a wider view of the world and events I have created, specifically the interaction between my protagonist and antagonist, while using 1st person present tense to provide a more intimate view through the eyes of my protagonist.

Wow! I wasn't expecting all of the replies! Especially those of you that fully support and fight for equality of the Point of Views!

For the record, I do understand that each are tools. (I DID mention that I do like some 1st person stories. I am not a nut-case.) But, as @BadNarrator said (and was mentioned in @SquillsBot) They can be associated with a wrench. But, taking that into consideration; I would say that I simply find it easier to use the Ratchet instead of the wrench. Not because it doesn't do it's job, I just like the way it does it. (@BadNarrator to me it's more of a mechanic complaining about Kobalt tools, over a different brand. I fully understand and respect it's use. AM NOT saying 3rd is the only way to go.)

I support all of your opinions and I am glad you all took the time to respond so heartily!

@BenFranks Your response was incredibly interesting and I certainly believe you are one thousand percent correct. There are some instances that I think 1st would in fact be better. But, I simply don't ENJOY an entire story written in 1st.

Nice to know I am surrounded by such a passionate bunch!

(p.s. @SquillsBot I am NOT a girl.)

I feel as a person you change your preferences.
When I was younger I was anti-first person much like you are yourself, (Although I would still read it if it was good, I would just be discouraged from it)
It was only recently that I found myself writing in first person despite thinking that I didn't like it. Now I have become accustomed to first, though I could never dislike third person, it has a place in my heart.
To wrap that up I say both place equally for me now, but it certainly wasn't always like that. Just how perspective preferences change so do genre's. I used to be avid fantasy and hated realistic fiction and historical fiction with fire! But look at me now, I'm writing a historic fiction first person, 5 years ago I would have seen that impossible for myself.

Just read wide and experiment wide, if you keep trying first person then you will come to have a change of opinion too whether it be like it or hate it more. Some works are suited to first while others are suited to third. Time will tell.

I feel like being a necrohunter today, so I went browsing and came across this little bundle of joy.
I think that whether I prefer 1st or 3rd person PoV depends entirely on the story and the storywriter. I've read stories written in first person that had multiple PoVs, and the story was a mess. And then there are those that have multiple first person PoVs and can get away with it.
But then there are those with third person PoVs that are written almost as if they were first persons. Those are really interesting to read, if done well.
I think it all depends upon how well something is written. If you give someone a first person PoV that's written really well, and a third person PoV that needs to be overhauled completely, they're more likely to like the first person better. But then again, they may end up hating both.
Personally, I prefer third person, and am more inclined to read something in third person. However, if a first person's written really well, I don't mind reading it.
(I have also discovered that there comes a time when first person just makes sense, which is what I've been doing in The Kingdom of Boredom. I've grown a little fond of first person narrator that resembles the TV episode narrator that likes to comment on the actual TV show.)

Big question that may never get answered: why aren't there any good 2nd person PoVs? I saw one writer who attempted to experiment with it, and it wasn't that bad. But why doesn't anyone do second person? Hmmm....