I tend to generally enjoy third-person point of view, whether it is third-person omniscient or limited. First person is fine to use, but you have to be up for the challenge of it. First person is less likely to hold my attention if it isn't done well; therefore I feel that my reader is going to feel the same. If you write in first person, your "person" has to be interesting. They have to have the personality to tell/carry the story or make you want to share their experience. Either that or they have to have a unique take on what is happening. I don't want to get lost in boring stream of consciousness too (which is what happens when people are telling stories about themselves). That is something you have to watch out for when relating a personal tale or using second person. This happened and that happened...then, shit happens. That is the way it pretty much sounds with a boring narrator. First person and second person will work, you just have to be aware of those things. If you have a hell of a character to tell the story or their approach is interesting and can carry the weight of the tale, by all means use them. I think that I have only one first person narrative on Lush right now, "Lessons". I chose to do it that way because she was in a unique position in the scene and emotional attachment.
First or third. I was blown away with Dancing Dolls explanation.
Let's get second person narrative out of the way. Just don't do it!!!
First person POV is better for conveying stories where you want the reader to be involved in the story, as if they are a fly on the wall or even imagine themselves to be one of the characters.
The third person is more useful for a true 'story' where the reader is a bystander watching events unfold. I think more descriptive detail is possible in this type of narrative.
That's my interpretation anyway.
Danny xxx
Either one works if done well.
I FIND first person easier to write.
xx SF
I like them both for different reasons.
1st POV because I like hearing a story from one or more characters POV. You know that one character relates to others, ect.
3rd POV because I like to know what everyone in the story thinking, how they feel, ect. It helps me get invested in all the characters.
ist person present tense third person past tense
I know it has been a long time since this thread was live, but nobody pointed out the great problem with first person narratives.
In a third person "fly on the wall" composition there is no limit to what information can be passed to the reader. In first person only what that person actually knows, sees and experiences can be told.
"Is this love?" (s)he asked me. is fine but not (S)he was wondering if this were love. as the first person narrator can only guess at the other people's thoughts.
Similarly, the narrator needs to be told by a someone else what happened when (s)he was not there.
All my writings are in the third person because it allows me to relate activities which are forbidden in first person, such as events my hero(ine) did not witness and the feelings of other characters.
