First Person vs. Third Person

[Zuriel]

Which do you prefer?  A story told in first person or third person?  Does it depend on the author?

Just curious, because another group I'm in seems to thumb their noses at First Person storytelling, but now that I've read all the DF books, I'm thinking I like it even more than I did before I read DF.  I've tried it a few times and thought it worked very well, but those were short stories.  I have a series of short stories I want to write and am wondering if I should stick with third person.  Any thoughts on this?

[cenwolfgirl]

for my book i mostly write in first person
this is rely fun as it is rely easy to get diffrent vew points across and as i normaly have disabled chrs in my book showing what that is like for them is easia in first person
i can do third person it has advantages like you can show what is going on in other plases with out having to be rely clever aboutt your vew point shifts
infact you don't have to do them
but first person has disadvantages other then vew point shifts can become very nesersery you have to keep trace of hat is going on and what they will and will not notice
it takes mor planing to do first person but i think it is more fun to write

but that is just my vews on it

[Zuriel]

I know First Person has limitations as you described, but what makes it attractive to me is I can put more detail into the thoughts of the person than I normally would be able to do in Third Person, and do it without using as much dialogue, if that makes any sense.

I've also written a short story both ways, first and third, and almost always, the first person narrative won out over the third, so I'm thinking I should pursue this line of writing with my new series, which is completely centered around the main character.  Maybe it makes a difference if you're using your "main" character as a group or team, instead of an individual.  In that case first person wouldn't work as well to me.  Mmm...I feel inspiration coming on...

[cenwolfgirl]

yes that is why i like first person better
yes useing more then one main chr works better in first person and a few years back it was a bad habit of mine to get borad of a chr so swap to another one
how ever the story ended up being rely good and got me an A in my english class so i have mostly stuck with this method of writting
it in my opinone is rely fun

[OZ]

I don't have a real preference. It just depends on the author's skill and on the story being told. Both have strengths and weaknesses.

[cenwolfgirl]

that they do
personly i prefur writing first person
you don't have to do redicules long diologs to revile stuff
but thats just me

[LDWriter2]

Personally for reading I take it anyway that seems to fit. Even 2nd person.

I've noticed that most if not every UF novel is First person. Which leads me to my second point.

I started out writing in Third Omniscient--it's my default POV-- but after being told by editors and writers that readers don't go in for that anymore I try to just do Third Person. But I've noticed that, probably as a result of reading so many UF novels, that now I tend to want to do First person, especially when doing UF. In fact of 12 to 15 UF-paranormal short stories and five novels I've only done one in Third. I started it that way and decided it fit for that novel.
Other types of stories seem to be a mixture of First and Third, sometimes within the same story... Oops.

[Zuriel]

Personally for reading I take it anyway that seems to fit. Even 2nd person.

I've noticed that most if not every UF novel is First person. Which leads me to my second point.

I started out writing in Third Omniscient--it's my default POV-- but after being told by editors and writers that readers don't go in for that anymore I try to just do Third Person. But I've noticed that, probably as a result of reading so many UF novels, that now I tend to want to do First person, especially when doing UF. In fact of 12 to 15 UF-paranormal short stories and five novels I've only done one in Third. I started it that way and decided it fit for that novel.
Other types of stories seem to be a mixture of First and Third, sometimes within the same story... Oops.

Mmm...I wonder why UF leans more towards First Person than Third?  I don't actually read any other fiction at the moment - and it's been a long time since I have - so I can't compare other genres this way.  Interesting.

that they do
personly i prefur writing first person
you don't have to do redicules long diologs to revile stuff
but thats just me

One of my strengths, I discovered, is writing dialogue, which does seem to be difficult or not appealing to a lot of writers - at least the ones I hang out with online.  Most of them write without using dialogue at all or very little.  I've tried that for a few very short stories and it was a struggle not to put dialogue in!  It's just in my genes, I guess.   

[cenwolfgirl]

i personly love writing diologe but i know it can not always work in a seen
with my genetics sound is easia to write then sight witch exsplaines why i like to wright in the vew point of some one that can not see
like i said i vew point shift some times (not as often as i used to) this helps ilistrate the diffrence between you lot and me witch is rely fun and chalaging to write 

good luck with witch ever you chose

[Naomi]

As a reader, I prefer UF in the first person.  I enjoy the perspective of being in the MC's head.  UF uses so many contemporary references, that I don't immediately need an A to Z, full and complete, explanation of the novel's world.  I like it when the UF novel's reality comes to light through the MC's interaction with their world, rather than a lot of exposition about the rules and characters of the novel's world.  I don't remember an UF novel I've read that is in the third person.  Either I've never read one, or I read it, and forgot about it.

I prefer third person, or switching between third and first POV, in my other favorite book genres -- fantasy, high fantasy, and science fiction.  Third person provides a chance at a detailed explanation of the unfamiliar worlds of novels in those genres.  Without a third person perspective, or a MC that talks to themselves way too much, I'd be initially lost when beginning to read fantasy, high fantasy, and science fiction.

[MClark]

I don't really care which POV when I'm reading.

3rd person omniscient is sort of an odd duck and takes  a bit of getting used to as a reader. Watership Down is written in 3rd person omniscient.

I have written in both 1st person and 3rd and both have their strengths and weaknesses.

They say beginning writers should avoid 1st person, but it seems a lot of people break this rule and get published. Most UF authors. Like some one else said almost all UF is in 1st person.

[Zuriel]

When I first started reading DF, my initial reaction to the first person narrative was huh? what's this?...but the more I read, the more I liked it.  I agree with you, Naomi, that for the reasons you mentioned, a first person perspective works so well.  I'm really loving seeing the world through the eyes and voice of the MC, so now I'm hooked.  And my next series of short stories I write are definitely going to be told by the MC.

[Zuriel]

I don't really care which POV when I'm reading.

3rd person omniscient is sort of an odd duck and takes  a bit of getting used to as a reader. Watership Down is written in 3rd person omniscient.

I have written in both 1st person and 3rd and both have their strengths and weaknesses.

They say beginning writers should avoid 1st person, but it seems a lot of people break this rule and get published. Most UF authors. Like some one else said almost all UF is in 1st person.

I'll read both, too.  If it's a good book, it doesn't matter which is used.  But I'm fairly new to this writing thing (strictly for my own pleasure with no objective to get published), and I'm not clear on what third person omniscient is.  How is it different from plain ole third person?  Just curious.  Never read Watership Down.

[Naomi]

... and I'm not clear on what third person omniscient is.  How is it different from plain ole third person?  Just curious.

My understanding is that third person omniscient is a narrator that literally knows everything about the novel's world (past, present, and future), plot(s), as well as each character's inner thoughts and motivations.  Every single thing.  As opposed to third person limited, where the narrator of a novel has some sort of limit to their knowledge put in place by the author.  A third person limited narrator might not know, or have access to, anymore details than the main character.

edited: to change "may" to "might."  Why?  _*sigh*  Because my inner editor keeps bugging me ...

[Quantus]

I like both, fwiw but I tend to read 1st POV faster than 3rd.  The reason is simple, with 1st POV there is always only a single story line being developed, so its easier to get fully absorbed into the story.  In 3rd POV there are usually shifts in the story that jump from following one character to another.  Those jumps are an opportunity to put the book down, and so its less likely I will feel that compulsion to turn just one more page, and keep going through the night.  But 1st POV carries its own restrictions along the same lines;  it becomes hard to present any information to the reader without letting the narrating character know.  So 1st POV is ore immersive, but more restricted; 3rd POV gives you a broader, but slightly more distanced perspective.

0.02

My understanding is that third person omniscient is a narrator that literally knows everything about the novel's world (past, present, and future), plot(s), as well as each character's inner thoughts and motivations.  Every single thing.  As opposed to third person limited, where the narrator of a novel has some sort of limit to their knowledge put in place by the author.  A third person limited narrator may not know, or have access to, anymore details than the main character.

Sometimes it indicates that you are following a specific character or group of characters.  CA is Limited 3rd POV as far as I can tell.  It is written in the 3rd POV voice, but is told from a short list of character perspectives, so that the reader only knows what those characters do, rather than the more universal perspective of Omniscient