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Do you prefer first person or third person?



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Fri Mar 13, 2020 7:10 am
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candywriter says...



For me, I like reading AND writing in third person best. I find it hard to find alternate sentence starters when all I’m writing is “I”, “I”, and more “I”!!
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Fri Mar 13, 2020 12:54 pm
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soundofmind says...



I definitely prefer writing in third person past-tense over any other point of view and tense, lol. At least, with stories/novels and all that. If we're talking like, how I'm typing now, all casual in a discussion post and from my POV then it's a different story! But normally, if I have to switch it up I get confused!

For me, I don't get stuck so much on feeling like I use "I" too much and it's more that I guess I have trouble getting into a character's head that way? If it's not me saying it my mind is like "why we acting like it's us?" Lol

That's all for writing though. For reading, I don't mind either way, as long as it's consistent and doesn't flip-flop between first and third. That's when I get confused again, haha.
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Fri Mar 13, 2020 2:29 pm
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4revgreen says...



I prefer writing in first person because it allows me to get to know my characters better, as all my work is basically character driven. If I'm going to be writing about multiple main characters, I'll usually use third as otherwise it gets too confusing. As for reading, I honestly don't have a preference, as long as it fits the story.
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Fri Mar 13, 2020 3:25 pm
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niteowl says...



When I do write prose, I tend to gravitate towards first person. Maybe it's because I mostly write poetry from my (or a character's) point of view so that carries over to prose? In poetry, I've used all sorts of perspectives but again I think I'm usually in first person.

Reading, I have no real preference. I can't think of a time off the top of my head where I've questioned the perspective an author used. Okay, now that I think about it, "Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides is a weird one. It's ostensibly first person, but the main character clearly is more omniscient at some points and more limited at others. It's a bit strange but it sort of works with the story (great read IMO).
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Fri Mar 13, 2020 7:09 pm
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Lib says...



I like writing first person because it's super easy for me and I guess I've always just liked being "I" in my stories. "I" am in an odd situation and "I" figure things out with the help of "my" friends/family. But sometimes, I use too many "I"s that is starts irritating me, hahah, and at that point, I get frustrated and don't know what to write. xD

Sometimes, though, I do go ahead and use the third person, because I like messing things up poking around different things.

When it comes to reading, though, I can read whatever, but I'd like first person more than third person. Because I find that I can relate to first person more than third person, ya know what I mean? But I'm cool with whatever as long as it's a good book! ^-^
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Fri Mar 13, 2020 8:23 pm
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deleted30 says...



I can honestly say I no longer have a preference. I enjoy the intimacy of first-person, but I love that in third, I can hop around and explore different characters. They each have their advantages.

I hate second-person though...
  





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Wed Jun 10, 2020 2:52 am
AlyTheBookworm says...



There are advantages to both tenses, but one of my absolute favorite book series (The Farseer Trilogy) was written in first-person so I've developed a bit of a soft spot for that tense.

The author chose it to make it seem as if the protagonist was relating his life story to the reader through an autobiography he began writing as an old man, which made the books very introspective and personal. I think it allowed me to relate to the protagonist, feel closer to him, and grow to love and care about his character more than I might have otherwise.

But, on the other hand, I enjoy a lot of other book series that are written in third-person and would never work in first-person. Just comes down to what approach and tone you're going for.
  








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