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DesiredUsernameTaken
Sep '21

Personally... I love 3rd-person! Something about 1st-person always feels stilted to me, no matter what style it's written in. I think it's because of how it's reminiscent of someone telling you their story when you meet them at a bar. Of course, all of your own stories will be 1st-person as it is from your perspective, but I feel like I'm being told a tale, as opposed to actually reading a story. I don't register the writer as a 'narrator' in 3rd-person, but in 1st-person I'm far too aware of the narrator. In almost all cases I prefer 3rd-person. ^^

AmysGames
Sep '21

With first person, you get to describe events with the character's own words. This can make events feel a lot more personal, like you're actually experiencing them through the character's eyes. This can be really good for introspective stories about a specific character.

On the other hand, third person is more flexible. Since you're not confined to one character's viewpoint, you can describe things that the main character might not notice. You can even look into the thoughts and feelings of specific characters at any time. The one issue being that it can get a bit confusing if you swap between characters too much.

That being said, I don't have a strong preference toward one or the other; I think it depends on the needs of the story. As a writer, though, I usually go for a pseudo-first person, where I write in third person but focus primarily on one character's viewpoint. I find that to be the most flexible while also being the least confusing.

lexhera
Sep '21

I really like third person! I love seeing the overall picture of just not one character but a bunch at once. However, with first person, I feel like you can use it to show and hide certain things since the reader will only be able to understand everything through the narrator, if that makes any sense. If you feel that is a good tool to use for your story, I say go ahead!

BOMB
Sep '21

I typically write all of my stories in first person, but I'll read anything in either first or third person. I like how personal first person can be. And I also like how third person allows the narrator to jump around. If I had to say I have a preference for one or another, it would probably be first person.

Kura
Sep '21

Third person, to the point I tend to refused to even read first person and keep putting it off. I really have to fight with myself to read first person.

BOMB
Sep '21

If you really want to try a few 1st person stories I have plenty.

NatAberdeen
Sep '21

There are pros and cons to both, I think. My current story uses the third-person because it's a big and deep look into the whole environment and the characters within. Other stories I'm working on use the first-person to make it more personal and focus specifically on the psyche of the main character. I definitely prefer third-person omniscient to third-person limited though (even if the context for it doesn't make a lot of sense)

The_Syzygy_Epoch
Sep '21

Omniscient third person all the way! It’s getting less popular, but there’s something really fun and dynamic about having complete freedom I really love. Bonus points if the narrator has a personality.
Though it doesn’t fit every story. The best POV depends very heavily on what you want to achieve. As a general rule, I find first person puts you in the head of the character and third person puts you in the head of the world or the people around the character. But it depends on the writing style.
You could write out a sample few pages, have them be the same except for the POV, and see which you and your beta readers like more

DiegoPalacios
Sep '21

An interesting trick when doing a story with the first person perspective is showing the same story, but making versions with the perspectives of different characters involved

Iris-Grimoire
Sep '21

Third person, but not entirely omniscient. I like managing the state and place of characters and it's way easier in that format, and also, first person feels better in types of stories I don't usually write, or only in small sections.

cherrystark
Sep '21

I am in the third person crowd but for the most part, it depends on what works best for your story. I have grown to hate 1st person because of the trend of "announcing" who the narrator is before each chapter. 9 times out of 10, third person would serve the story better.

If you do pick 1st person, the narrator should be your top priority. Their inner dialogue is key to telling us who they are. Develop their voice and make it uniquely theirs. I push for this because I've sampled stuff from other writers where I can't tell one character from another. They all sound the same.

Flauschwurm
Sep '21

Personally I always prefer third person. It makes a story much more versatile in it's perspectives, and I find it kind of irritating to read in first view, but I think that's just a me problem haha

vholdfield
Sep '21

I don't mind reading one or the other but I prefer writing in 1st person. I find it easier and more natural

Ordinaryaverageguy
Sep '21

I do both. When the story is being told from the POV of a character, then I'd use 1st person. Otherwise, 3rd person seems to be my default.

SadSnake
Sep '21

I like being all over the place, i switch between first and third, characters everything depending on how i want to tell a particular part of the story

marbl
Sep '21

I'm used to writing in 1st person, but I do prefer 3rd person sometimes.

10 days later
toohalloo
Oct '21

If I were to read the question and answer it as directed, it'd be first, but the honest answer is second. I just really enjoy the strict subjectivity and tone of a good first or second person narrative voice.

12 days later
emanon
Oct '21

third person for me. i feel like first person would be more suited to introspective narrations, so i tend to avoid this if the themes are anything but solemn in their thoughts and dialogues (the little prince by antoine de saint-exupéry is one of my fav examples of first person). third person can also achieve this so it's more flexible, and plus there are more aspects to it that you can use from omniscient, to limited, etc.

but it still goes without saying that different povs can have different end results depending on the execution of the storytelling! like which one do you want to focus more on? inter-personal relationships, or the world? or the narrator itself? or all of it?

djourner
Oct '21

Seems i'm the minority here, I actually like first-person better.
The reason I like first person, and why I made the decision to use for my works, is mostly due to character proximity, I just feel more connected to the characters when they are 'in my face', when I can read their inner monologue and understand what makes them tick, and first person works best for that.
Do not get me wrong I understand both views can accomplish this, but first person has a few tricks which I like more than third.
At the core of it all, the narrator has to be entertaining, regardless if first or third person, but I like first person better because I trust my characters can carry the story on their own shoulders as opposed to mine.

I also like the use of first person to purposely hide information or change how information is delivered, in my story I shift perspectives every now and then, and I often use that to showcase how differently the characters view things.
Vernon is often quietly pessimistic while putting on a facade of 'everything is fine'
Azreth looks very confident, but is very self-deprecating and freaks out on the inside, also he is a people's person so he often knows the others better than himself.
Grey is generally calm and methodic in his delivery, and often plans lines ahead for better delivery.
All three of these characters are different, so it makes sense for them to narrate differently, and it just wouldn't translate as well if it was third person.
If all three of them describe the exact same scene, it would be viewed differently, and I like to play around with that... To make the reader dream up what is going on inside the perspectives they don't have access too while a certain character narrates.