Young Writers Society

Is switching between the two ever a good idea?
That's what the question is, basically. I'm writing this story which I really want to open in 1st person, but don't want to keep the story like that all the way through, but I wouldn't mind going back occasionally.
Is this a good idea? Have you read other stories where it worked? Thanks for ANY advice.

Have you read The Bartimaeus Trilogy? It starts off in first person with endnotes (which I love!) and is in third person for the character Nathaniel.

It worked for Jonathan Stroud so I don't see why you can't try it too.

Try writing a few chapters and posting it on here, then you and readers can see whether it goes with the story or not.

It’s definitely something I've done before, most of the time it works.

Thanks, i'll post the first chapter on here soon. Thank yew

Ugh.

There are instances where it does work, but it usually sucks. Like... for one of the stories that it does work in, there's 700 billion that it doesn't work in. If that makes sense.

Be careful.

I haven't seen many where it works. Generally is has to be for a very specific purpose, otherwise it just looks like the writer was jumping around because he/she was bored.

So, basically, I agree with Snoink: it's possible to make it work, but you have to be careful.

It's only purpose really is so you get in the mind of the character more. I think i'll change it, post it on here and then if people say I should switch back to 1st person again I will.
Thanks for help.

i had the same question in mind and i want more suggestions please.

When you choose what kind of viewpoint you want, you also have to figure out whether you want to do first person or third person. So, when should you use them?

Basically, first person should be used when you want to display the character rather than the plot. Yes, the plot is still important, but the main driving force of the whole story is the character's reactions and commentary on things as they happen. That's why first person is used so frequently in teen romance fiction... yeah, we know the whole girl meets guy formula, so we don't have to delve into the plot. The plot is not INTERESTING. What is interesting is the main character's reaction to the whole thing.

Third person should be used when you want to display the plot rather than the character. The main driving force in the story is what happens to the character and how he reacts. And no, the commentary isn't important. This is one reason why third person is used frequently, especially for fast-paced stories.

So as you can see, changing it between third and first not only changes the voice but also, changes the entire feeling of the story.

Because of this, I would strongly suggest not to do this. Pick one or the other and stick with it. You'll be better off later.

I've read books where the author goes from 1st to 3rd person. It's a weird change that usually throws the reader off. Unless done for a specific reason I wouldn't actually put it into a story.

Keep this in mind if your trying to decide whether to write from 1st or 3rd person. 1st give you much less of a range and many critics believe that it may hold a story and writer back from greatness. You can only give the story from that characters point of view and no one else.

3rd on the other hand lets you not only focus on one character but also switch more easily from character to character. (many Fantasy authors use this style)

I've read books where the author goes from 1st to 3rd person. It's a weird change that usually throws the reader off. Unless done for a specific reason I wouldn't actually put it into a story.

Keep this in mind if your trying to decide whether to write from 1st or 3rd person. 1st give you much less of a range and many critics believe that it may hold a story and writer back from greatness. You can only give the story from that characters point of view and no one else.

3rd on the other hand lets you not only focus on one character but also switch more easily from character to character. (many Fantasy authors use this style)

There are ways you could do it, when you think about it.

Your story could technically be in third person, but then someone picks up someone elses diary and reads it. Voila! Diary entry is in first person. Letters characters write or read would be first person too. As would one character telling another character about something that happened.

Ever read Wuthering heights? Well, it's only ever in first person, but the person it's originally from the POV of isn't even there for the story. His housekeeper tells him the whole thing, so really the story is from the housekeeper's POV. And then occasionally she tells him of letters she got or when someone confided a story in her and when she kind of quotes the letter/person, it's from a completely differently characters perspective for a little while. That was proably confusing. But anyway.

Well, hope that helped a bit.

I've just remembered. There was a sci-fi book I read that used first person for a robot and third for other characters. It didn't working with the book though, it was quite confusing at time even when I re-read it.