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Young Writers Society


1st or 3rd person?



1st or 3rd person?

1st person
49
21%
3rd person
41
17%
Depends on the story
148
62%
 
Total votes : 238


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Tue Mar 11, 2014 11:55 am
Demeter says...



If you had to choose between first and third person only, which would you prefer? Do you only ever use one of them or do you sometimes change it?
"Your jokes are scarier than your earrings." -Twit

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Tue Mar 11, 2014 3:16 pm
Bugslake says...



I think personal preference plays a large part as well as how you want the readers to see the world you've created.
  





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Tue Mar 11, 2014 3:52 pm
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Zolen says...



I have used 1st 2nd and 3rd person quite easily, it all depends on what you are doing.
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Tue Mar 11, 2014 4:26 pm
deleted5 says...



I usually prefer being inside the characters head although sometimes this can make it difficult to write and you need to develop a pretty solid character.
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Tue Mar 11, 2014 4:58 pm
Messenger says...



It really depends. I think for really complicated stories 1st-person just isn't a good choice. But there are some stories where I believe first person is great. It leaves a lot of question marks till the end, and you get to know the character better over a shorter amount of time.
  





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Tue Mar 11, 2014 7:24 pm
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ExOmelas says...



I think action stories are easier to read in third person because you can describe sequences easier and switch between different viewpoints

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Tue Mar 11, 2014 7:51 pm
Stormcrow says...



Personally I like using a narrator who is not just a normal narrator (Simon went to the beach) but more of a human-narrator (then, of course, he went to the beach). This is from a really great series called Simon Bloom. Theres a movie coming out this year :smt003 . Anyways...
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Tue Mar 11, 2014 8:49 pm
Magenta says...



It depends on the story in question. I admit, that I would rather read first person because I feel like I can connect with the character more, but third person sometimes must be used! ;)
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It's a tiny little mystery, that makes no sense to me...
  





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Tue Mar 11, 2014 9:04 pm
Tenyo says...



I adore novels that switch between third and first person.
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Tue Mar 11, 2014 11:29 pm
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Blackwood says...



Adding in the "Depends on the story" option completely defeated the purpose of your question.
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Wed Mar 12, 2014 9:15 am
Demeter says...



Well, that's what I would've picked all along, so naturally I had to add a suitable option for myself ;)
"Your jokes are scarier than your earrings." -Twit

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Wed Mar 12, 2014 1:07 pm
Cole says...



While I prefer a limited third-person perspective, sometimes a story just works better in first-person.
  





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Wed Mar 12, 2014 4:30 pm
Holysocks says...



What about second-person?! ( !!!! )
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Wed Mar 12, 2014 11:41 pm
KaiTheGreater says...



I think first person is usually better, because it allows you to add a personal feel, and use more emotion. But I use a lot of mystery in my stories, so I have fun trying to write on a personal level while still allowing the main character to preserve secrets until the appropriate big bang moment.... (Jennifer Nielsen was really good at that in The False Prince.)
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Thu Mar 13, 2014 2:14 am
MooCowPoop says...



Oh! I thought this was in terms of what you like to read, so I voted 'depends on the story'.


Well, for writing, I find that it's easier to write in first person, for I find thag stepping in the character's shoes allows for a more... personal connection and possibly more interesting story that way.
  








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