# Do You Prefer Books Written in 1st Person or 3rd Person?



## D. B. Henson (Apr 27, 2010)

I was just wondering how readers feel about this.

My first book was written in 3rd person, and I had planned to continue with that viewpoint for my next novel.  However, now that I'm well into the writing, I'm thinking the story may tell itself better with a first person viewpoint.

The main character in the story is a female detective.  This is to be the first book in a mystery series.  If you were the reader, which viewpoint would you prefer for this type of novel?

Thanks for helping me make this decision. 

D.B. Henson


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## nomesque (Apr 12, 2010)

I don't tend to care - although first-person is probably one I've more often noticed being stuffed up. It's hard to stay 'in voice' the entire time, and you have to make sure that everything is seen only from the eyes of that character. Third person is a little more forgiving, perhaps 

Not to imply you're likely to stuff it up, mind - just something to take into consideration, I guess.


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

Either is fine.  The quality of the writing and the ability to craft a strong story are more important that first or third person viewpoints to me.


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

Personally, I prefer third person.  But I do read books in first person, it only bothers me for a little while until I get into the story.  

Vicki


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## mrscottishman (May 18, 2010)

I like first person books best, by the time they get to the third or fourth person they are worn and sticky!

just saying . . .
Scott


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Either is fine, what I dislike is to many points of view.


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

scarlet said:


> Either is fine, what I dislike is to many points of view.


I don't mind different points of view as long as there are section breaks in between them. Head hopping is disorienting if it's all over the place.


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## Gone 9/21/18 (Dec 11, 2008)

D. B. Henson said:


> However, now that I'm well into the writing, I'm thinking the story may tell itself better with a first person viewpoint.


I don't think it's usually reader preference so much as what you're discovering - some stories lend themselves to 1st person better and some to 3d. Dick Francis is probably my all time favorite author and his books are all 1st person, but every one of my other favorites I can think of (for example, Dana Stabenow, Nevada Barr, Tony Hillerman) wrote 3d person. There is a well known mystery author who wrote some books in the same series 1st person and some 3d, but I can't think of his name right now. I don't like books that have some parts 1st person and some 3d. To me it's a cheap way to get around the POV limitations of 1st person and means the whole thing should have been 3d, but you see more and more of that these days.

As a writer I did my mystery 1st person and the romance is 3d. Writing 1st person takes some planning to get what you want in with the limits of one person's POV and not doing too much I, I, I, me, me, me, but I think it also really helps you get a strong sense of POV and how to control it that helps with 3d person writing.


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## esper_d (May 2, 2009)

I suppose third. But I do enjoy a good 1st if it is written well.


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## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

Generally I prefer 3rd person. I think that 1st person writing is more difficult to get right, but I'd be hard pushed to say _why_ exactly. It's limiting plot wise in that you can only show one peron's POV and I think you need to be very sure from the start that that will accommodate your story without you having to resort to tortuous plot devices to get the necessary information over to the reader.

As has been said above, the most important thing about POVs is not have too many of them or to change them too often.


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## laurie_lu (May 10, 2010)

Usually 1st person because I can bond with the character better.


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## keithdbz (May 19, 2010)

No preference, it is all on the author's shoulders. I trust that he/she choose the right POV for the story.


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

I rarely register it while I am reading.


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## David McAfee (Apr 15, 2010)

I like both. And write both. There are different uses for each.

1st person is better if the story is about one person, like I, STRAHD, by P.N. Elrod.

3rd person works better if there are a lot of elements that need to be included, like THE STAND, by Stephen King.

Neither book would have worked well the other way.


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## D. B. Henson (Apr 27, 2010)

Thanks for all the replies.  I've made the decision to stick with 3rd person.


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## vickir (Jan 14, 2009)

I think you made the right decision. I prefer 3rd person, but what is more important to me is if that writer can accurately present the male/female characters. Some men don't write women characters well, but more women seem to write male characters well.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

I prefer third person, but first person is fine.

Just so it's not present tense.   


Mike


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## Kathy (Nov 5, 2008)

I prefer 3rd person. I find it harder to follow when it is written in 1st person.


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

The favorite style is the unreliable narrator which usually means first person.  The reader needs to be awake for a story told through the eyes of someone who may not be telling the whole truth.

I suppose there is a book with an unreliable third person narrator out there, but nothing comes to mind off hand.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I think I may have a slight preference for first person, at least as far as involving me in the story. However, as has been stated by others, the main thing is choosing the correct voice for your particular story and executing it well. First person has a number of obvious limitations compared to an omniscient third person, but when done well it can really involve the reader (e.g. Roger Zelazny's "Amber" series).

Whatever you do, though, don't compromise and write it in second person.


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

I also slightly prefer 1st person, but believe it is hard to do well. When it is done well, it is very easy to become immersed in the story. 3rd person works, the story is the main thing whatever view point is used.


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## Steph H (Oct 28, 2008)

ellenoc said:


> I don't think it's usually reader preference so much as what you're discovering - some stories lend themselves to 1st person better and some to 3d.
> 
> [snip]
> 
> As a writer I did my mystery 1st person and the romance is 3d.


This is what I was thinking, and exactly the first two examples I was thinking of. Mysteries and PI novels lend themselves extremely well to 1st person storytelling. Romances, not so much, though it can work. In fact, offhand, I can't think of many other genres besides mysteries that lend themselves so well to 1st person, although I have seen the occasional SFF and similar that work well enough. I guess if you have a strong enough main character that the focus is on throughout the book, it could work no matter the genre.

I much prefer 1st person in mysteries and especially in PI series, but can go either way otherwise.


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## L.J. Sellers novelist (Feb 28, 2010)

I prefer third person as a general guideline, but my last two favorite books (that I read) were both first person. Neither was part of a series though. For writing a series, think long term. You may get tired of the limitations of first person.


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

jmiked said:


> Just so it's not present tense.
> 
> Mike


I totally agree! I tried to read a story in present tense and it drove me so batty I could hardly stand it. (It wasn't published, so I told the author it drove me bananas.) 

Vicki


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## horse_girl (Apr 9, 2010)

I prefer third person and multiple character POVs, with appropriate breaks between POVs (no head-hopping) and preferably one POV per scene. As long as they all tie together, I don't mind a lot of POVs. (My fantasy epic has a lot of POVs, but they're so integrated to the overall plot that one POV scene segues into the next.)

I think it's boring only hearing one character POV all the time. Yawn! While they're going off to eat or do something mundane, I'd rather be reading about something that advances the plot somewhere else. Okay, so maybe I'm a little ADD or something, but when I read, I like a story to keep me wondering what happens next without hitting a big lull in suspense.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Victorine said:


> I totally agree! I tried to read a story in present tense and it drove me so batty I could hardly stand it. (It wasn't published, so I told the author it drove me bananas.)
> 
> Vicki


Yup. I just finished _Diving into the Wreck_ by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, which as in first person present tense. As a result, I've just about sworn off her work forever. It was more like work than enjoyment to read that one.

Mike


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

horse_girl said:


> I prefer third person and multiple character POVs, with appropriate breaks between POVs (no head-hopping) and preferably one POV per scene. As long as they all tie together, I don't mind a lot of POVs. (My fantasy epic has a lot of POVs, but they're so integrated to the overall plot that one POV scene segues into the next.)
> 
> I think it's boring only hearing one character POV all the time. Yawn! While they're going off to eat or do something mundane, I'd rather be reading about something that advances the plot somewhere else. Okay, so maybe I'm a little ADD or something, but when I read, I like a story to keep me wondering what happens next without hitting a big lull in suspense.


Me too, me too! (Sounds like my book and your books are similar in that way.) I love looking at things through different eyes. Plus, with suspense, you get to see what's happening with the bad guy... and then switch over to the MC who doesn't know the bad guy is right outside!!! 

Vicki


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## 5711 (Sep 18, 2009)

As many mentioned, I think First Person works best with mysteries and some thrillers in which the main character is on a quest to get questions answered and can't know (like the reader) what's about to happen next. Overall, I think Third Person works better for most stories because the writer can offer the reader more without resorting to monologues. As an author I like doing First Person but it's tough to pull off -- you have to have a likable character with a strong voice that doesn't get tiresome. I usually stick to third person because that's what I usually like to read. 

That all said, I think most readers don't care as much as us authors do as long as it works for them. 

Good topic!


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## Lyndl (Apr 2, 2010)

Definitely 3rd person for me. I have put books back on the shelf after realising they were 1st person. 
However, there _have_ been 1st person books I've enjoyed. I suppose it all depends on the story. I do think a story about a detective lends itself to 1st person. Does her office have a door with a smoked glass pane?


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## Neekeebee (Jan 10, 2009)

I don't have much of a preference anymore, though when I was a kid, I preferred first-person, which I thought of as "I-books".  I would actually flip through the book to see if it was an "I-book" or not if I wasn't sure that I wanted to read it.  I think it was just easier for me to get into the books that were told in first-person.

N


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## blackbelt (May 4, 2010)

Third person.  I like first person a lot when done well, but find too often it's a device used by author's with charming "voices" and little in the way of story telling skills.  There are exceptions, of course.  I love the "Myth" series by Aspirin.  But mostly I prefer third person.  Though that has its own pitfalls.


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## MinaVE (Apr 20, 2010)

You've already decided, so I'm just reinforcing your choice. Yes, third person.  If you want flexibility of having different POVs. I find books that switch first-person POVs among diff characters very awkward, unless very well done.


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## askenase13 (Mar 1, 2009)

Great question.  I strongly prefer third person, as i find that first person is too involving.  that means that the character is going through too much angst that I don't necessarily want to deal with.

Since getting my Kindle and reading more, I have been reading more first person novels and enjoying it (I'm about to start the third Outlander book which is first person).  But action novels really should be third person.

thanks for asking.


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## Amyshojai (May 3, 2010)

I strongly prefer 3rd both to read and to write. With 1st person, you're much more inside that one character but...it limits you and seems awkward to have more than one VP character. With 3rd person, you can have multiple VP characters, each showing their part of the story, and the reader gets to eavesdrop on all of 'em!

amy


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## 911jason (Aug 17, 2009)

ellenoc said:


> There is a well known mystery author who wrote some books in the same series 1st person and some 3d, but I can't think of his name right now.


Lee Child's _Reacher_ series maybe?

Here's a quote from his website about why he wrote some books in 1st person and others in 3rd person:

http://www.leechild.com/faqcontact.php#first_person

Why are some Reacher novels in first person but others in third?

Lee says writing in first person is more natural for him. But writing in third person gives him more freedom when building suspense. With third person narrative, the suspense builds easily as the reader can essentially see around corners and anticipate events about which Reacher has no knowledge. With the first person narrative, the reader can only know what Reacher knows. That's it in a nutshell. The storyline dictates what narrative voice would suit best. Certainly, with first person the story is more graphic and intimate as we're inside Jack's head. So far in the series, Killing Floor, Persuader, The Enemy, and 2009's Gone Tomorrow are in first person narrative. Die Trying, Tripwire, Running Blind/The Visitor, Echo Burning, Without Fail, One Shot, The Hard Way, Bad Luck and Trouble, and Nothing to Lose are in third person.


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## J Bee (May 17, 2010)

Third person feels much more cinematic to me, so I prefer that. Some stories do demand first person though and wouldn't work otherwise. Second person is just weird, although I remember loving King/Straub's Black House when I read it.


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## Susanne O (Feb 8, 2010)

It doesn't really matter to me, as long as the writer manages to get me into the story quickly. 

As  writer, all my own books are third person and some have multiple POV's (which is an interesting switch when you get someone else's take on the main character). As for the present tense, it seems to be a new method with many authors, Jane Green, for example. I don't mind that at all and am quite used to it now.

I am the moment co-writing a murder mystery with another writer, who insists on the present tense and first person. He is also a scriptwriter (he wrote some of the screenplays for the Wallander series), so this is what he finds works best. It's really stimulating to try a different genre and way of writing.


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## davidhburton (Mar 11, 2010)

Strongly prefer third person. I write it that way and I read it that way. It's rare that I pick up a book written in the first person and the two notable exceptions were Robert J. Sawyer's Wake and Cathy Clamp & CT Adam's Touch of Darkness - both so exceedingly well written I was able to overcome my aversion to first person.


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## horse_girl (Apr 9, 2010)

Victorine said:


> Me too, me too! (Sounds like my book and your books are similar in that way.) I love looking at things through different eyes. Plus, with suspense, you get to see what's happening with the bad guy... and then switch over to the MC who doesn't know the bad guy is right outside!!!


Definitely! (sorry, been busy the last few days and just getting back to the thread now)

Sometimes knowing what the bad guy is planning builds even more suspense, because then you think "Uh,oh! How will the hero/heroine get out of this?"

Besides, writing "bad guy/gal" perspectives can be a VERY fun break from the protagonist POV


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## Imogen Rose (Mar 22, 2010)

D. B. Henson said:


> I was just wondering how readers feel about this.
> 
> My first book was written in 3rd person, and I had planned to continue with that viewpoint for my next novel. However, now that I'm well into the writing, I'm thinking the story may tell itself better with a first person viewpoint.
> 
> ...


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## Kristen Tsetsi (Sep 1, 2009)

I've never opened the cover of a book with a POV preference. As long as whichever is used is used convincingly and is appropriate for the character or story, I just roll widdit.


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## amiblackwelder (Mar 19, 2010)

It depends on the story being told. Some stories are better told in first person or third person.

I would not think Twilight would have be as successful in third person. Then, Pride and Prejudice would not be as good in first person...

I write in both first and third...and am considering first omniscient for one novel.

Gregory Philippa did first person omniscient in the Boleyn Inheritance. Done very well.

I read both and write in both.

My novel The Day the Flowers Died is in third, because it is an historical romance and needs that extra perspective to work as well ...but my novel The Hunted of 2060 is very personal and about the main character personally and I wanted to go inside her head.

http://amiblackwelder.com


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## jonconnington (Mar 20, 2010)

I used to be pretty prejudiced against anything written in the 1st person...even today I'm still suspicious of it. It just seems so limited...unless it;s well written. Or a good mystery...thats a genre were 1st person seems to fit in well.


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## NicolaFurlong (Dec 4, 2009)

This's fascinating, especially to learn the different reasons and preferences.

I've used both in my mystery novels and am game for either as a reader...as long as it's not omniscient POV. Tend to really dislike it. Maybe 'cause I'm reading mysteries and often find it's a cheat for the author?

Nicola
www.epubbing.com


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## Dave Dykema (May 18, 2009)

My two Kindle books use one of each. 3rd was easier to write; with 1st I could get more personal.

The hard thing with 1st was if something happened to someone else and the POV character wasn't around, I had to tell what happened after the fact. That was difficult to pull off.

Of course, one of the books I'm working on now has both 3rd and 1st! Why am I doing this to myself?


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## CDChristian (Jun 4, 2010)

I strongly prefer third person over first. I find it allows for a richer story and in-depth character development versus first. I don't know if it's because of the material I choose to read, but it seems as if first person is popping up all over the place. Which is a "Wah!" for me.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

First person requires a very strong voice and understanding of the character to pull off correctly. It also means that the story doesn't need any other various viewpoints to be told to its fullest, unless you wanted to have multiple first person perspectives, which I can't even imagine how horribly wrong that could go.

I do like first person. Off the top of my head, I can point to a bunch of Lovecraft stories that are all excellently told from the first person perspective. But again, you must be have a strong voice and clear narrative vision. Oh, and not descend into self-indulgence, another big danger for writing in the first person perspective.

David Dalglish


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## Madeline (Jun 5, 2010)

I prefer first person, but a book being written in third person can still be a good read if its a good story.


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## PhillipA82 (Dec 20, 2009)

1st person


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## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

I like either when they're well written.

First person is great for books where the main charactor's POV is of vital importance, and only knowing what s/he knows is crucial to the story.

On the other hand, I also enjoy the freedom of "head hopping" that third person allows.

So, it just depends on the book.


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## JumpingShip (Jun 3, 2010)

I much prefer third person/past tense. Just the other day, I bought a bunch of books at a garage sale. They were in the thriller genre, which is generaly third person, but when I got home and went to read one, it was first person, I tossed it aside, grabbed another out of the bad, and it was also third person! Same with the next. Grrr...Good thing I only paid about 50 cents each. I'll be donating them to the used book sale at my work.  Sometimes I'm okay with first person, but I wasn't in the mood for it and was looking for a particular kind of read.


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## Guest (Jun 7, 2010)

1st person is very hard to do well. As an editor, I reject about 70% of the first person narratives. The problems I normally see are:

1. Narrator forgets to stop talking. A lot of first person narratives become monologues. Instead of telling the story, I get six pages of the narrator's "feelings" over a specific event, but only a paragraph that describes the event. And the more powerful the narrator, the LOOOOONNNGGGGEEERR these monologues get, as they have to take about how the feel about their feelings.

2. Narrator knows thing he/she should not. With a third person narrator, the narrator can often engage in a 'data dump' to enlighten the reader on various things. Particularly in fantasy novels, the third person lets the narrator provide backstory, history, etc that is important to the reader but not neccessarily something the characters would know. With a first person, the narration should be limited to what the narrator would actually know.

3. Narrator dies. Now I know a rare few authors who have pulled this off well, but usually when this happens I scratch my head and say "Wait, how did you tell this story if your dead? Are you talking to me from beyond the grave?" It's one of those lapses of logic that gets under my skin, particularly because it happens so much.

So for me, I get concerned when I see a story is first person, because too few writers can do them effectively.

That said, I've written a lot of first person short stories. Half the stories in _September and Other Stories _ are first person (using a diary format), but they were Lovecraftian in nature and the first person gave me the opportunity to keep the reader guessing as to whether or not the narrator was really seeing the things she was seeing or if she was crazy. The other was a bunch of Vampire fan fiction written in...gasp...first person present tense. But the narrator also routinely broke the fourth wall for comedic effect.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

First person present tense vampire fan fiction? Sheesh, with all those labels, thank goodness it was a comedy, eh?



David Dalglish


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## Guest (Jun 7, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> First person present tense vampire fan fiction? Sheesh, with all those labels, thank goodness it was a comedy, eh?
> 
> 
> 
> David Dalglish


I forgot to mention that it was also based off of characters from an actual _Hunter: The Reckoning_ game. So it was even WORSE than you imagine. 

Of course, I say it was a Hunter game, but only one character was an actual Hunter. I was a vampire (lasombra anti-tribu, ex homicide detective). Another was a mage (stuck in the body of a 12 year old after drinking something he shouldn't have as an apprentice). And then there was the werespider.

I use to post the stories online and they actually had quite the following, I think it was more in that "train wreck" sort of way. But a lot of folks got mad when I ended the stories. They missed the characters.


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## Lursa (aka 9MMare) (Jun 23, 2011)

ellenoc said:


> I don't think it's usually reader preference so much as what you're discovering - some stories lend themselves to 1st person better and some to 3d. Dick Francis is probably my all time favorite author and his books are all 1st person, but every one of my other favorites I can think of (for example, Dana Stabenow, Nevada Barr, Tony Hillerman) wrote 3d person. There is a well known mystery author who wrote some books in the same series 1st person and some 3d, but I can't think of his name right now. I don't like books that have some parts 1st person and some 3d. To me it's a cheap way to get around the POV limitations of 1st person and means the whole thing should have been 3d, but you see more and more of that these days.
> 
> As a writer I did my mystery 1st person and the romance is 3d. Writing 1st person takes some planning to get what you want in with the limits of one person's POV and not doing too much I, I, I, me, me, me, but I think it also really helps you get a strong sense of POV and how to control it that helps with 3d person writing.


Followed link in from a current topic......

Wow, if Ellenoc i still posting, she and I have lots in common in terms of writers and opinions. I'll have to take a look at her books.

*waves in case Ellenoc is still around*


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## Lursa (aka 9MMare) (Jun 23, 2011)

I'll read both but generally prefer third person.

I have trouble believing that the narrator can be completely honest...about his or herself and about what's going on. 

And I do think it's limiting in alot of ways, as others have written.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

9MMare said:


> ...I have trouble believing that the narrator can be completely honest...about his or herself and about what's going on....


Though that can be an interesting part of first person. When well done, readers can be given hints that they are being provided a biased view of the story, and part of the fun can be figuring out what the truth is -- hopefully as the narrator achieves some sort of self discovery that also brings him/her a bit closer to that truth, too.


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## Tamara Rose Blodgett (Apr 1, 2011)

My advice: first person on the female detective.

I wrote my first book in first and my second in third. First was entirely more intimate, with third more versatile. When I returned to my first book's sequel and had just finished my second novel in third...I have to admit, there was _some adjustment_, lol! Was there ever! I would get a little bogged down, feeling like I couldn't "show" enough writing again in first. But now, 73K words in...it's okay! 

Good fortune~!


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## RobynB (Jan 4, 2011)

I read both and write both.

Want to consider something wild? How 'bout third-person _memoir_. Yup, you read that right, and they do exist. Also, second-person memoir (which is wild). Here are some titles to check out in case you're interested:

*Third-Person Memoirs:*
_Boyhood: Scenes from Provincial Life_ by J.M. Coetzee

_Youth: Scenes from Provincial Life II_ by J.M. Coetzee

_Midnight Water_ by Gaylene Perry
*
Second-Person Memoirs & Essays:*
_An Italian Affair_ by Laura Fraser

"Dreamland" by Kathryn Hoffman Hughes (from Creative Nonfiction)

"People Together" by Chuck Palahniuk from Stranger Than Fiction

*Memoirs that use a combination first and third person:*
_A Shining Affliction_ by Annie G. Rogers

_Prozac Diary_ by Lauren Slater


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## SJWrightAuthor (Feb 11, 2011)

pidgeon92 said:


> I rarely register it while I am reading.


I'm the same way. Sometimes, I think the third-person POV gives you a better idea of
everything going on. But it's not always right for every story.


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## Kathy Bennett (Jun 15, 2011)

Someone touched on it earlier in this thread...

What do you think about 1st and third person in the same book?  Can you name some books where it worked and some where it didn't?


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## Beth Groundwater (Apr 6, 2011)

I prefer "close third" which is third person, but where the reader is privy to the thoughts and feelings of the point-of-view character. In first person, it's hard to avoid a monotonous proliferation of the word "I".


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## Doug DePew (Mar 26, 2011)

I don't think I normally notice. 

I prefer whichever one fits the story better.


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## tim290280 (Jan 11, 2011)

Am I the only one that prefers 2nd person narratives?


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## KateEllison (Jul 9, 2011)

Interesting question. I used to vastly prefer 3rd person, but now I like 1st person better (if it's done well). I write in both, but it's about 70% 1st person and 30% 3rd person. 

I will, however, read a good book in either POV. In my opinion, the best thing about 1st person is the feeling of really being inside the character's head, and the best thing about 3rd is the ability to look at something from a lot of different viewpoints or angles, or see stuff the main character doesn't.


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## Casper Parks (May 1, 2011)

Only 1st person writing I cared for was Ralph Cotton Series, "Life and Times of Jeston Nash."


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## Meb Bryant (Jun 27, 2011)

Personally, I prefer to read and write third person. Reading first person becomes monotonous to me (IMHO).
Writing in third person allows me to head hop all over the place.


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## Guest (Jul 10, 2011)

As long as it's well written, I don't mind. First person is closer to the action, but third person allows more detail and for the reader to build a complete picture that the characters don't have.


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## Sean Cunningham (Jan 11, 2011)

If I see first person on the first page, I usually don't make it past the first paragraph. In fact, when prologues were more common, I used to skip through to the start of chapter 1 just to make sure the prologue wasn't trying to trick me.

Rare exceptions to my no first person rule have been:

_Hundred Thousand Kingdoms_, NK Jemesin: Sufficiently intriguing beginning and concept that I gave it a few pages, and then couldn't stop reading it.

_Age of Odin_, James Lovegrove: The narrator in this one is an unusual character, in no way a regular person. Gideon is a black-hearted SOB who's only redeeming features appear to be he's a good soldier and he wishes he was a more decent human being. I'm also a sucker for Norse mythology and I'd read _Age of Ra_ before this, so I was more willing to give him a few pages.

I think for me I've got to connect with or be intrigued by a character in a really big way for first person to work for me, but that seldom happens. Most characters I encounter in books, I'd rather read about them in third person.

I seem to be an unusual reader in this respect though. I've had friends rave about a book to me, offer to loan it to me and then say, "Oh wait, no, you'd don't like first person. I've never met anyone like that before."


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## Tommie Lyn (Dec 7, 2009)

Beth Groundwater said:


> I prefer "close third" which is third person, but where the reader is privy to the thoughts and feelings of the point-of-view character. In first person, it's hard to avoid a monotonous proliferation of the word "I".


I like deep third as well...and I like multiple POV characters. I'm a "nosy-Rosie" and my inquiring mind wants to know what's in the hearts and minds of other characters, not just the MC.

But I've also enjoyed some 1st person novels...namely, Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe series, where Archie Goodwin is the 1st person narrator. And I've enjoyed several of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels.


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## StephenLivingston (May 10, 2011)

It depends on the story.  I have enjoyed books and written stories myself in the first, second and third person.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

tim290280 said:


> Am I the only one that prefers 2nd person narratives?


Yes. 

It took me about of half of Charles Stross's _Halting State_ before I quit being distracted by the 2nd person present tense used throughout. It still bothered me by the time I finished it, even though there was a certain rationale I could see for writing it that way.

As far as those who say they can't stand first person, I guess I'll never understand it, regardless of any explanations. Some of my favorite novels are in first person, some in third, and I've never been particularly bothered by either -- though I find as I get older the head-hopping, multi-POV third person gets more and more tiring for me: it seems far more artificial to me than first person or close third person (besides requiring more concentration on my part in extreme cases where it feels like you need a scorecard to keep track of whose head you're in.)


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

I don't think I have a preference.  I have read both.  I tend to find that if it is written in first person, well, then the narrator most likely survived whatever trials have happened, so you know they will be OK.  At the same time, I have written books in the first-person.  It's just a matter of what works for the story.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

I prefer 3rd person simply because most are better written than those in 1st Person. Many authors (particularly new ones) think 1st person is easier. They're wrong.

I have nothing against a good 1st Person narrative, but the "good" part is the hangup.


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## HDJensen (Apr 20, 2011)

I think there's a trend right now to writing in 1st person, but when it comes down to it, you should write what the story needs. If you're not sure, write a chapter in both and see which feels best to you. I had sixty thousand words to my last novel written when I realized the problem with it was the point of view. Starting over was hard, but I have a book that is far better now with the other POV. If you can avoid having to do that by figuring out which suits your book and characters best first, you'll be ahead of the game.


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## tituspowell (Dec 29, 2010)

I've written one of each. Writing 1st Person certainly had more challenges, but suited the story. The main challenge I found was that it easier becomes very linear in 1st person; 3rd person lends itself more easily to multiple characters' viewpoints.


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## Richard Raley (May 23, 2011)

I can write either and switch depending on the story I'm telling, but reading wise I must say one of the pluses of First Person is that you either like the narrative or you don't (which means you aren't reading it), while in third person there is nothing more annoying than to read some of your favorite POVs and then see the next chapter is one you hate.  Talk about a momentum killer.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

So long as the narration is good, witty, and not too pompous--not too many tricks and show-off devices--either style suits me.


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## jason10mm (Apr 7, 2009)

1st person works well for actiony, fast paced books and short stories, IMHO. The persona of the author really tends to bleed through as well. You can have a 1st person book with "extra" information if they are writing it in retrospect with the benefit of hindsight, this works pretty well in most cases.

I've completely forgotten 2nd person. Is that when it is  "you open the door, you walk inside..." like those old choose your own adventure books?


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## Not Here (May 23, 2011)

Normally I would have said 3rd but the recent trend in 1st has proved to me that, when done well, it is so worth writing in.


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## gregoryblackman (Jul 11, 2011)

I find 3rd person gives me greater ability to convey the emotions of each character, giving a more emotional impact to the reader.  Of course, a good 1st person book can suck you right in.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

D. Nathan Hilliard said:


> I like either when they're well written.
> 
> First person is great for books where the main charactor's POV is of vital importance, and only knowing what s/he knows is crucial to the story.
> 
> ...


Head-hopping is a fault, not an advantage.


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## anguabell (Jan 9, 2011)

L.J. Sellers said:


> I prefer third person as a general guideline, but my last two favorite books (that I read) were both first person. Neither was part of a series though. For writing a series, think long term. You may get tired of the limitations of first person.


This is true, generally speaking. And the readers might get tired of still the same voice. But then we have Conan Doyle, Rex Stout and Raymond Chandler. And of course Amelia Peabody series that would be hardly so much fun if written in the third person.


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## Lisa Scott (Apr 4, 2011)

I think I can more easily fall in love with the MC when it's in first person.  I tend to write in first person more often, too.  But third person can work well, too.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

No preference personally.  Either can be done well.  Either can be done poorly.


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## Cindy Borgne (Mar 21, 2011)

I favor first person stories, but I also enjoy third as long as there are not too many viewpoint characters.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

JRTomlin said:


> Head-hopping is a fault, not an advantage.


I think it's outstanding when done right (i.e. not back and forth repeatedly in the same scene). I love books where you can get inside the head of multiple characters in different chapters etc. Good examples are The Song of Ice and Fire series with each chapter being a different character's point of view and The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman which also has each chapter feature a different character.


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## QuantumIguana (Dec 29, 2010)

Generally, I prefer 3rd person. 1st person does have its uses, mystery is one of them. But if you're going to use first person, don't give me any more than the character can sense, feel or infer.


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## JanetMcDonald (Jul 6, 2011)

It really depends on the story.  If I had to pick, in generally I prefer the 3rd person.


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## Joseph Robert Lewis (Oct 31, 2010)

I prefer to read and write in the third person. I've found few first person books that really used that voice well (meaning the book would have been just as good or better in third person, in my opinion)

First person also implies that the entire book will be told from one person's point of view, so that one person needs to have a really interesting point of view all of the time.


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## Aimee Laine (Jul 11, 2011)

It depends on the story. For me, I prefer to be deep into the point of view of younger characters ... so if I'm reading YA, I prefer them to be 1st person. But for adult books, I want multiple perspectives and really like hearing both sides (especially since I write romance and want to hear from both the male and female characters). So there, I prefer 3rd person.

However, I've read both in both 'age brackets' and loved them.

I must be fickle.


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## Music &amp; Mayhem (Jun 15, 2010)

3rd person for the most part. For me, an author must have a very distinctive "voice" to carry off 1st person. Nelson DeMille is one that comes to mind. I actually do look to see which POV is used before I buy a book. Most 1st person POV's I pass up.


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## Debra Purdy Kong (Apr 1, 2009)

I'm happy with both as long as they're done well. I write in 3rd person because it's what I'm most comfortable with, though one of these years, I'll step out of the comfort zone and try something new.


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## David Alastair Hayden (Mar 19, 2011)

I prefer 3rd person, but only because most 1st person is done poorly. Well-done 1st person is just as good to me as 3rd. 

I rather prefer my 1st person to be an obvious "tale told of long ago when I was younger" or in present tense, ala Hunger Games.


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## David Alastair Hayden (Mar 19, 2011)

Steven Pressfield wrote a first-person novel with multiple viewpoints. I have a copy but haven't read it yet. Anyone know of any other books that do this?

I used to read R.A. Salvatore's Dark Elf books, and I always enjoyed the first-person inserts of the main character, written as a journal looking back, that were interspersed with the main third-person narrative.


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## RobynB (Jan 4, 2011)

David Alastair Hayden said:


> Steven Pressfield wrote a first-person novel with multiple viewpoints. I have a copy but haven't read it yet. Anyone know of any other books that do this?
> 
> I used to read R.A. Salvatore's Dark Elf books, and I always enjoyed the first-person inserts of the main character, written as a journal looking back, that were interspersed with the main third-person narrative.


I love that style when done well. Both Jodi Picoult and Chris Bohjalian use multiple first-person viewpoints in many of their books (e.g. Picoult: My Sister's Keeper; Bohjalian: Trans-Sister Radio, Secrets of Eden).


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## Theresaragan (Jul 1, 2011)

I prefer third person. The first book written in 1st person that I enjoyed was _The Bean Trees_ by Barbara Kingsolver. I don't know why, but some how the author pulled me right into the story and I no longer cared whether it was written in 1st person or not. I believe ALL but two chapters of that book are in 1st person.

Interesting discussion. Thanks.


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## WriterCTaylor (Jul 11, 2011)

I much prefer third person, but will read first person if the story is good. I read a book recently by a very famous author and it was a mixture. One chapter was from the first person point of view for the hero, the next was third person point of view for the bad guy. It got very tiring very fast!


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## Christy Hayes (Jan 21, 2011)

I never really notice first person unless done poorly.  For me, the plot and characters are what matter.  I did recently read a book done in first person that I thought would read better in third, but even then I'd read half the book before I made the discovery. Authors who can do both are very talented, as most can only pull off one successfully.


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## Alexandra Sokoloff (Sep 21, 2009)

It always ultimately depends on the quality of the writing, but in general I prefer third person.  First person narratives can get too cute and wisecracky, for one thing. But mainly I prefer third because I read mostly thrillers, mysteries, and some horror, and if the narration is in third person, then it means anyone can die at any time, which is just more suspenseful. I don't think I've ever read anything in which the first person narrator dies, and if they did, it would be a surprise, not suspense - I wouldn't have been afraid for them up until that point.


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## Christy Hayes (Jan 21, 2011)

I don't think I've ever read anything in which the first person narrator dies, and if they did, it would be a surprise, not suspense - I wouldn't have been afraid for them up until that point.
[/quote]

It wouldn't be suspenseful, but would make for an interesting twist!


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## Nick Wastnage (Jun 16, 2011)

I've read and enjoy both. Recently I read a 936 pages long book, Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts, about a man in prison for armed robbery who escapes and joins the Mumbai mafia, that was written in the first person. I couldn't put it down. It was so powerful I decided to try writing a book myself in the first person, in the mind of a man who forgot he attempted to kill his wife, twice. It's called Murder He Forgot and will be published as an ebook by the end of July


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## elenaaitken (Jun 18, 2011)

very interesting conversation.

For me, I like them both. But it depends largely on the writing. Sometimes I find that a writer who uses third person will use it almost as a cop out and 'tell' too much instead of showing. But again, that depends on the writing.
As for first person, the only thing I don't like (usually) is first person, present tense. 
I find it frenzied and exhausting to read. 
Don't get me wrong, I like a well paced book. But present tense is usually a bit too much.


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## Nick Wastnage (Jun 16, 2011)

elenaaitken said:


> very interesting conversation.
> 
> For me, I like them both. But it depends largely on the writing. Sometimes I find that a writer who uses third person will use it almost as a cop out and 'tell' too much instead of showing. But again, that depends on the writing.
> As for first person, the only thing I don't like (usually) is first person, present tense.
> ...


That's good 'cos I wrote Murder He Forgot in the past tense excerpt the last chapter which is in the present tense to make it fast and frenzied.


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## Lursa (aka 9MMare) (Jun 23, 2011)

Nick Wastnage said:


> I've read and enjoy both. Recently I read a 936 pages long book, Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts, about a man in prison for armed robbery who escapes and joins the Mumbai mafia, that was written in the first person. I couldn't put it down. It was so powerful I decided to try writing a book myself in the first person, in the mind of a man who forgot he attempted to kill his wife, twice. It's called Murder He Forgot and will be published as an ebook by the end of July


Sounds intriguing! I'll look for it in a couple of weeks.


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## Tara Maya (Nov 4, 2010)

Nick Wastnage said:


> I've read and enjoy both. Recently I read a 936 pages long book, Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts, about a man in prison for armed robbery who escapes and joins the Mumbai mafia, that was written in the first person. I couldn't put it down. It was so powerful I decided to try writing a book myself in the first person, in the mind of a man who forgot he attempted to kill his wife, twice. It's called Murder He Forgot and will be published as an ebook by the end of July


I prefer third, except in cases like the book you mentioned, where there is a clear reason it is in first person. The same goes for present tense vs past tense, except there has to be REALLY REALLY good reason to write in present tense. It's way too popular among lit authors, who abuse it, in my opinion.


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## LunaraSeries (Jun 19, 2011)

3rd.  If the writer keeps it to 2 to 4 characters.

1st takes talent to make it work.


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## Douglas Dorow (Jun 21, 2011)

I prefer third person. I feel it gives the author more to work with in getting me to know the characters and see the story through different characters' eyes.

I read first person, but given the choice I'll pick up a book written in third before first.


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## Ben Dobson (Mar 27, 2011)

I probably read more third person books, but I don't think it's so much a matter of preference as availability--I predominantly read epic fantasy, and they tend to third person.  I've also read some first person ones I've liked, such as the Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss, or the Farseer Saga by Robin Hobb.

Obviously people are going to have preferences, and it may be true that it's harder to write a good first person book.  But anyone who's counting books out completely because they're in first or third person is going to miss out on some good ones.  It's all about what voice works for the story.


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## Nancy Fulda (Apr 24, 2011)

I prefer to read in third person. A third person character feels like an individual. He has a name and a clear identity. In contrast, all those first-person 'I's tend to blur together over time.

Ironically and somewhat hypocritically, I enjoy _writing_ in first person very much...


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## C.R. Jakes (Jun 1, 2011)

It depends on the story. I don't really care either way. When I write, I like third-person because I prefer having different points of view, but when reading I'm happy with both.


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## StaceyHH (Sep 13, 2010)

Depends. If it's well written, I don't notice it at all beyond the initial observation. I have much more trouble with present tense than POV.


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## Elizabeth Black (Apr 8, 2011)

I prefer third person but actually either first or third is fine as long as the book is well-written and holds my interest. If it's boring it won't matter what person it's in. I won't read it.


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## Writtled (Jul 19, 2011)

I prefer first person. Note: I do read a lot of YA, and it's in large part first person, but that may be a strong reason I like it so much. It's easier for me to connect with the MC. 

BUT, either pov can be done really well, and if it is done well, it won't matter which one you choose.

Just my two cents  good luck making your decision


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## Tracy Sharp (Jul 13, 2011)

Either is fine with me


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## Julia444 (Feb 24, 2011)

I read a lot of Mary Stewart books when I was a teen, and she wrote everything in the 1st person.  I think that made a big impression on me, because I tend to really prefer that as a way of bonding with a narrator.

But as several of you have pointed out, any POV works if the author uses it well.

Julia


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## journeymama (May 30, 2011)

I love it when a book is so well written that you don't even notice whether it takes third or first person POV or present or past tense. 

In "Please Look After Mom," by Kyung-sook Shin, the author switches to second person and pulls it off perfectly. Each section of the book represents a different person's POV and this one just happens to be second person. It takes a minute to realize what is different, because it's so well done.


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## soyfrank (Feb 2, 2011)

I like first-person better, as a reader and a writer.


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## hakimast (Jul 23, 2011)

3rd person. 1rst is too finnicky for me. I like to know what *is* happening, not every thought about it that passes through the MC's head.


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## Skate (Jan 23, 2011)

My tastes seem to be changing as I get older. There was a time when I never read anything in first person. For me, it took all the tension away...if they were telling the story, then obviously they survived. Now I'm happy to read a well-written story in first person. I can even read one in first person, present tense - unthinkable a few years ago!


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## Ty Johnston (Jun 19, 2009)

It doesn't matter much to me, but depends upon the writing. Though I will say I believe first person generally works better in shorter fiction than it does in longer forms.


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## GerrieFerrisFinger (Jun 1, 2011)

D. B. Henson said:


> I was just wondering how readers feel about this.
> 
> My first book was written in 3rd person, and I had planned to continue with that viewpoint for my next novel. However, now that I'm well into the writing, I'm thinking the story may tell itself better with a first person viewpoint.
> 
> ...


Hi D. B. and all,

I've written in both. In my mystery series, it's first person, the heroine tells the story, its her voice. The immediacy makes it intimate and up close. Of course you don't get other points of view, you only see them through their actions, her interpretations of their actions and words. 
I write romantic suspense in third person. The books are longer and characters other than the hero and heroine give their voices to the story. 
There's merit in both.


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## B Regan Asher (Jun 14, 2011)

I also prefer 3rd person.  But it depends on the book.  Sometimes, if the reader really needs to look through the eyes of a single person, 1st person works really well.  As others have side, it's all a matter of perspective.


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## Andrew Davis (Aug 5, 2011)

Give me a tight, character-driven novel with a serious problem that offers dire consequences if the main character doesn't solve it, and I don't care what it's written in. 

I'm interested in the story; not the format.


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## markarayner (Mar 14, 2011)

Both have their places, but an author can really get my attention if he/she can use the second person. Put that in future perfect progressive tense, and you will have been writing a bestseller!


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## Guest (Aug 8, 2011)

Skate said:


> My tastes seem to be changing as I get older. There was a time when I never read anything in first person. For me, *it took all the tension away*...if they were telling the story, then obviously they survived. Now I'm happy to read a well-written story in first person. I can even read one in first person, present tense - unthinkable a few years ago!


Even Catcher in the Rye?

I don't have a preference when reading one way or the other. I'm big into just letting the author take me on a journey - and that the story is his/her and not mine. Perhaps that why I loved ALL the Star Wars movies; it wasn't my story to tell.

As for writing, right now I prefer third-person because the scope of my stories are somewhat large. I'm resolved to trying a first-person novel at some point but only when I have some more experience under my belt.


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## bertcarson (Jan 28, 2011)

I prefer first person but I'm prejudiced since I write in first person. The master of voice, from my point of view, is Nevil Shute - he wrote from every perspective and changed voice so smoothly I've reread countless passages to see how he did it. James Lee Burke has developed the same ability

, ,


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## Music &amp; Mayhem (Jun 15, 2010)

bertcarson said:


> I prefer first person but I'm prejudiced since I write in first person. The master of voice, from my point of view, is Nevil Shute - he wrote from every perspective and changed voice so smoothly I've reread countless passages to see how he did it. James Lee Burke has developed the same ability


Hi Bert, I haven't heard Nevil Shute's name mentioned in a long time. I only read one of his books ... the doomsday novel ... wasn't a movie made based upon it? At any rate, I'm happy to hear another author say they study passages of other novelists to see how they do things. I do this a lot. One of my favorites is Thomas Perry. Another is Elmore Leonard. And most recently I've discovered John Lutz (who wrote Single White Female), am reading The Night Spider right now. All of these authors write 3 POV -multiple, however, which is my POV choice for writing.


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## marimorimo (Aug 8, 2011)

Present tense, past tense, POV.... it doesn't matter much to me.

If the writer is good enough, tense/POV would disappear into the writing.

The Hunger Games is written in present tense? Gee, I didn't even notice.


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## Chris Turner (Jul 23, 2011)

Hi DBHenson: I would say if you write your detective series with a more intimate view in mind, like John D. MacDonald style, go for the 1st person.  His character Travis McGee is exceptionally well crafted in my opinion, attributable to 1st person narrative.  If your story requires a lot of backstory development and head-hopping go for 3rd person.  It's probably an easier POV to write in.  But, as has been mentioned in this thread, there are pros and cons of either voice.  Depends on what you are trying to achieve.  If you have the time, I would suggest try writing some snippets in both voices, and see where it takes you.  I have always used 3rd person as a rule, because that's what I grew up reading mostly; then last yr, I started writing in the 1st person, and was very surprised at the results . . . in a good way.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

**** friendly reminder:  authors, we're in the Book Corner so please refrain from mentioning your own books but, rather, address the question from the point of view of yourself as 'reader'.  You can, of course, address your own approach in the Writer's Cafe.  ****


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## Amy Corwin (Jan 3, 2011)

I like both 1st person and 3rd person, although if it's 1st person, I prefer the narrator to have a sense of humor.

The one form of writing, though, that I just can't read is present tense (regardless of whether it's told from the first person point of view or 3rd). It just seems so phony and unnatural. And descriptions written in present tense are awkward and frankly appalling (to me). I don't mind it in small sections, but if it's the entire book, it wears me down. It's like the author is playing a giant "I spy with my little eye" game.

I hate getting excerpts, but I've been burned so many times recently with the rising popularity of present tense that I think I may have to resort to them. 

I could wax poetical about how people don't experience the world in present tense terms, anyway, making it an even more artificial construct. Everything we see, touch, hear, taste goes through space, time and our nervous systems, making it happen just a wee bit in the past. Our experiences are of things past. There is no now. Only the past. LOL


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## Adam Kisiel (Jun 20, 2011)

I prefer the 3rd person, with the only exception noir detective stories which I prefer in the 1st person.


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## Nick Wastnage (Jun 16, 2011)

I think 1st person is more compelling, but it's dammed difficult to write.


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## tallulahgrace (Jun 9, 2011)

I prefer reading and writing in 3rd person. 1st person can be too limited for my tastes.


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## swolf (Jun 21, 2010)

JRTomlin said:


> Head-hopping is a fault, not an advantage.


I disagree. Sometimes the scope of the story is too large to be told from one person's point of view.

Stephen King's Under the Dome is a good example.


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## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

I've been writing a series of supernatural thrillers -- they are not on Kindle, alas, so no self-promotion here -- which have both scenes written in the 1st person and scenes written in the 3rd. I've used that technique before in a novella, James Patterson has used it as well, and it actually works a whole load better than it sounds it might.


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## Russell Brooks (Dec 23, 2010)

No preference.


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## Nancy Beck (Jul 1, 2011)

I like both.

Just as long as the author writes it in the way the story should be told (and not because one or the other happens to be chic or in vogue or whatever).


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## Katie Salidas (Mar 21, 2010)

I think both have their place and as long as they fit the story I don't mind either. Sometimes I think 1st person is better because you feel more in tune with that one main character, however, there are other stories where 3rd person can give you a better overall picture. It's really the story that dictates whether or not the POV works. 

I have noticed though that in first person, there is less tension in situations where the POV character is in danger. If they are telling the story, they obviously survived. But, that does not mean other characters cant be the source of tension and worry, even in this POV.


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## Quanah (Aug 16, 2011)

Either for me. I guess it's dependent upon the story being told. Like a lot of posters here, I too find my head spinning when multiple persons (POV) are used in a stories text.


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## lindapischke (Aug 17, 2011)

It depends on the author. Some do 1st person extremely well like Sandra Kring in "The Book of Bright Ideas" and Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series.


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## Katie Salidas (Mar 21, 2010)

lindapischke said:


> It depends on the author. Some do 1st person extremely well like Sandra Kring in "The Book of Bright Ideas" and Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series.


I do have to agree there, some authors have a knack for one POV over another.


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## Music &amp; Mayhem (Jun 15, 2010)

swolf said:


> I disagree. Sometimes the scope of the story is too large to be told from one person's point of view.


I agree, and so did Robert Crais when I asked him that question at a writer's conference. He said he enjoyed "painting on a larger canvas" with multiple 3rd POV as he did in Hostage, but he also mentioned his L.A. Requiem as an example where he wrote 1st POV for is protag Elvis Cole in some chapters and others with 3rd POV for Cole's sidekick (co-protag?) Joe Pike. I bought the book and it's an interesting example of this which isn't done all that often. L.A. Requiem


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## Zander Schloss (Sep 4, 2011)

I've read a lot about the pros and cons of each. The bottom line is that the choice of perspective should be whichever allows your story to best be told, both on behalf of the story and on behalf of the reader.

For example, Young Adult fiction is frequently written in the first person because younger readers can more easily identify with the protagonist - at least that's one theory.

Like anything in life, there are more exceptions to the rule than there are reasons for the rule. So I'd say... find whatever perspective serves your story and your readers and go with that.


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## shel (May 14, 2011)

This is just a general rule of thumb for me, but I like character driven novels in first person. Single POV or multiple POV doesn't matter to me, but multiple POV novels in first are _very _ difficult to do well, because readers tend to identify with one character over another.

Plot driven novels tend to work better in third.

And, yes, I completely agree with you Todd. YA is almost exclusively first and often present tense. It mirrors the way teens experience life.


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