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I actually like writing, and have written in both styles of point of view. I suppose it has to work for the context of the story. Like, Aquila has two major characters, and therefore swaps between two points of view. Whereas a story focused around one character could benefit from having it in 1st Person.
I prefer first person just because I’m more comfortable with it. I get really into my character’s heads with it. (Which has made for some interesting occasions… If someone interrupts me while I’m writing 1st person, I sometimes answer like my character!) However, third person can be more practical to write. My current WIP is in third person limited.
For reading, I prefer reading a well written 1st person, but if the writing isn’t so great, than a 3rd person.I have found what everyone has said here very useful. but I was wondering what every one thought about multiple POVs all in first person?
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I think it’s a good idea. It’s especially useful if you have major characters in different places, and want to tell the story from their point of view, but in an omniscient way. And it could be interesting to hear the soliloquies of villains, how they justify their actions, or something like that. 🙂
I first did it in my WIP when me MC was absent. so then I did it a few other times to give the story some more… something, I cant think of the right word…
this is my first work in first person, the previous two were in third person. (I had to many ideas to get passed the first draft on any of them. I’ll try and get to that later in the year.)@gideon-sowdon Well, it depends how it’s done, but if it’s made fairly obvious when you switch POVs and give each one a unique voice for each unique character, I think it would work well. I have read one series where each chapter was a different first-POV of two siblings, and they started each chapter with a certain font to show which sibling was “talking.”
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@gideon-sowdon I’m so glad you brought this up, because I’ve been wondering the same thing. I tried this first about four years ago, and revisited the idea just recently, because I really like writing in first person, but I have a story about two siblings who have very different personalities and very different stories. I’m glad to hear it’s been done before, because I was a little uncertain that it would work. I’ve been trying to make them distinct, and at the beginning of each chapter I’ll say, “Chapter One: Character One’s Name,” then the chapter title, so that everyone can look at that to know who’s talking. I think it also works well to mention the other narrator’s name within the first few sentences so that the reader can make a smoother transition. E.g., “Completely disregard everything that Character One just told you. He lies.” (It’s fun to have dueling narrators.)
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Find me at hisinstrumentblog.wordpress.com@gideon-sowdon First person in multiple POVs can be hard to do, but I love it. (I write in first person most of the time.) Like @his-instrument said, you need to make it really clear who is speaking. Names before chapters and references to the other narrator can really help the reader track. I personally find it difficult to have more than two different POVs in a first person voice, but if they are really different from each other or have different views it can work. And when reading a work with multiple voices, I don’t like more than two, unless it’s well done. (I can’t think of any examples of this right now though…)
@gideon-sowdon I personally don’t like multiple first person POVs, mainly because I’ve never read one that was done well. Even when an author clarifies which character is narrating, the voice for both is generally exactly the same. You have to make sure and create a unique voice for each narrator, so that the characters don’t seem identical and flat.
“Completely disregard everything that Character One just told you. He lies.”
@his-instrument That’s a good one. XDINTJ ➸Your friendly neighborhood mastermind. ➸https://thesarcasticelf.wordpress.com/
@gideon-swodon This is a really good subject I’ve been wondering about… a friend and I were just talking about it! I have enjoyed multiple first person points of view when reading it. But definitely making it clear whose point of view it is is a key… hmmm… Ooo, that’s a really good point, @ethryndal!
A book series that was written this way are the Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordian. He wrote it as if the two siblings were speaking into a microphone, recording the book. Chapter One is the brother, Chapter Two is the sister, Chapter three is the brother, chapter four is the sister and so on.
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@gideon-sowdon I haven’t read many books from multiple first person POV’s, but I think it is a good idea. As long as there isn’t too many POVs and the POVs of the people who are not interacting with the MC don’t steal all the spotlight, I think it could work.
I started a book (and am hoping to finish it) which has two main characters, each of whom has a first-person point of view. They alternate scenes and chapters and I think they do have pretty distinct voices. Only when you have both of them talking about the same happening, it gets pretty tricky — how to tell it without being too repetitive, and so on.
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@gideon-sowdon I hope it’s a good idea, because that’s how I’m writing my current story! 😉 I’m actually relatively pleased with how it’s coming… but I may end up switching to third person for all but the MC if I feel that the voices don’t sound different enough. I think it’ll be okay… but you really have to think completely different when writing from other characters POVs- you have to know your characters all the way through. It’s dangerous ground… it can be either wildly wonderful or decidedly disappointing. 😛
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I so far in my writing haven’t had the story from the two POVs overlap, I can see why doing it could make the story confusing.
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