Hi everyone,

This sounds like an embarasing newbie type question but can anyone describe to me in detail the subject of writing from the third person?

Or the second?

Can you get stuck in one of these states, or write too much while in one of them?

Writing from the first person, well I'm doing it now, how silly of me!

I would appreciate some advice, bearing in mind of cource, that I am a newbie with no formal training in creative writing.

Thanks in advance

Paul

Hi Paul,

I'm a newbie too, so please forgive me if I'm wrong, or at least not quite right! In a third-person point of view the writer uses 'he, 'she' or 'they' instead of the first-person 'I'. This is further complicated by such things as Limited Omniscience third-person, Omniscience and a more objective third-person.

First and third-person are the most common forms of narration, Second-person narration is where the main character is referred to as 'you' - which almost feels like it is referring to the reader and, consequnetly, the reader feels like he is given a part in the story so to speak.

Creative Writing, edited by Linda Anderson, is probably one of the best writing books I've read for introducing all these sorts of things. It's very big as well so it feels like you get a lot of book for your money!

Anyway hope I helped a little,

Kate

Which person you write in is one of the first and most important decisions you make with a story. And it should be made according to the kind of story you're telling. Very broadly speaking, first person can work well, for example, if you're writing an introspective story, based around the developing emotional life of your main character. Third person is generally better for large-scale thrillers, mainly because it allows you to switch around between various locations and scenes (obviously first person means you're limited to the point of view of just one person, who may not always be where you want them to be, story wise).

The danger of first person is that it tends to become either too personal or, oddly enough, not personal enough. This is a subtle thing, but I've noticed in working with authors using first person that they tend to either get easily inside the emotions and thoughts of their main character, in which case the danger is they over-do it - every little thought and feeling is shown. Or they tell us every thought and feeling, which actually causes us to feel distant from the mc, in that we don't quite believe it somehow. It's a bit like going out with a friend one night, who clearly feels deeply about what's going on in his life, but you get exhausted after a while at all the tears, table-thumping and explosions of catharsis. Then the next night you go out with another friend who constantly tells you he's feeling this and feeling that, yet his expression never really changes.

Possibly the default position is third person limited. Which means the author has the advantage of being 'outside' the character enough to not fall into the over-emoting, chatty inner dialogue trap, yet also can use the focus on one character to make the reader care what happens to them. It's also easier to change point of view in third person - doing it between first persons can be a huge emotional wrench for the reader.

So, I'd say the key consideration is which person will allow me to achieve the best balance between emotional involvement and plot drive for the kind of story I want to tell.

There's a lot to say on this subject!

Terry

Can you get stuck in one of these states, or write too much while in one of them?

I wouldn't worry about getting 'stuck'. It's a good thing to keep with in first or third person through the whole story or novel, rather than wandering in and out of them, unless that is your intention. Over the years you will probably find yourself experimenting with writing in the first and third person (maybe even a touch of second person) with different stories and novels. Don't rush it, just write what feels comfortable to you and the story.




- NaomiM

Hello Kate,

Thanks for the tip, I'll look for this book in my central library. Judging by the way you explained things, It looks like I tend to write in all three, but mostly it seems from the third person, as I like to describe the background to a scene from the point of view of an outside observer i.e. the reader. This is the best way I can lead the reader into the scene of the story from which I can then write about the interaction of the main characters.

Paul

Thanks for your reply Terry,

There is a lot of detail in your reply, so I will have to read it a few times to let it sink in. I tend to write from the third person, I like writing fictional thrillers and building up the background is very importaint in presenting mc's to interact in.

A good answer,thanks

Paul

Hello NaomiM, thanks for replying.

I guess that as I write more, the flow of the story will dictate in which person I will write. If I write in free form which is my favourite way, I will have decided in advance which form of first, second or third person to use. Then when I edit my story I will then judge if I was right to use it. It's all a question of practice, practice, practice.

Paul

I like to describe the background to a scene from the point of view of an outside observer i.e. the reader. This is the best way I can lead the reader into the scene of the story from which I can then write about the interaction of the main characters.

Paul, what you describe sounds like 'third person omniscient' - i.e. where the story is told not through the third person viewpoint of a particular character but in the author's own, all-knowing viewpoint, periodically dipping into the thoughts of more than one character. It used to be the usual story-telling style - e,g, if you look at Dickens, there is a lot of direct authorial voice, and he self-consciously 'visits' the heads of all his characters. These days it is much less popular - and is generally thought to be hard to pull off effectively. It is far more common, when writing in third person to choose the point of view of one character at a time (one per scene, or at least one for a substantial chunk of narrative, followed by a clearly signalled change of viewpoint). This is what Terry was talking about - 'third person limited'. The danger unless you establish and stick to one POV at a time is what is known as 'head-hopping' - the reader never engaging properly with any character's feelings or view of events and being hopped about from the perspective of one character to another.

Mixing first, second and third person in one narrative is also a very demanding thing to take on. It can be done effectively, but the danger is just confusing the reader. I shouldn't, myself, worry about becoming 'stuck' in one narrative perspective. Consistency is the easiest and most effective route, in most cases.

Rosy





<Added>

On authorial voice, in particular, have you read this excellent recent thread?

http://www.writewords.org.uk/forum/65_311416.asp?spage=1