First Person or Third Person?

[orionsloosetooth]

So, I've been having this endless battle with myself on whether first person or third person is better. I want to know what other novelists, writers, and readers have to say about and what they prefer.

I asked some friends and it went into a massive argument about the point of views.

Here are three of the major points I got from the arguments for each POV.

For First Person:

1. Displays the main character's/characters' emotions better.
2. Gives a better sense of character
3. Easier for writers to put their own emotions into a character

Third Person:

1. Easier to describe side/other characters emotions
2. Better for world building
3. Broader perspective

I didn't have much to say in this argument because a majority of what I write is in the third person, however, a lot of what I read is in the first person. I do believe that the third person provides a more broad perspective for my writing and I am able to put my character's emotions into one rather than confining it to one character. To me, it helps the reader get a better sense of the character as plot furthers.

But I want to know what other people think and why, so let me know, so I can consider it for my next novel!

[JRHoch]

If you're writing an intimate novel, or a novel for teens, then first person is usually better because it's easier to identify with the protagonist.

If you're writing a book with a lot of plot twists then third person is usually better, because it allows you to show and develop threats/conflicts the reader is aware of but the protagonist isn't.

I also think if you have a more flowery or ornate style, third person is better. Humor works better in first person.

Class dismissed.

[elyss]

I prefer third person always and forever. With it comes the versatility of omniscience or you can keep it from the perspective of one character.
The 'I' is hard for me to get into personally unless it's a comic with inner monologues.

[joannekwan]

Yeah, 95% of what I read and write is in 3rd person, so that's what I gravitate towards naturally.

[Drewbie]

I use first person and honestly it is a challenge when it comes to world building and foreshadowing upcoming twists. The thing I use to kinda overcome this is to have some of the side characters reveal info about the world or political situations and such (Mine is a fantasy novel so not sure if that helps you). The emotional thing also allows for a new perspective ON emotion. The reader doesn't clearly see the other person emotion they just see how the protag interprets peoples reactions and expressions. It allows them to draw more of their own conclusions while leaving a bit of mystery

[kiplothedungeoneer]

I like to use first person for an intimate story, which is mainly focused on the development of characters, or maybe some very character oriented plots (plots with very active protagonists I mean), and third person for any plot driven story, or lore heavy story.

A fun challenge which I have attempted a few times too is second person. A confused cop reading back a confession to a suspect is a cool cheat which I think counts, or a person telling another person with amnesia about there life. Stuff like that can be really fun to try! (But maybe not always great)

[Penni]

I generally will go with 3rd person when writing, that's just what feels more natural to me. I also like to focus on the world, and the feelings of multiple characters.

I read 1st and 3rd person when reading, though most of the time I prefer 3rd person.

[vothnthorvaldson]

I find first person incredibly difficult to write, and actually, I also rarely like first person novels as a reader. So I would always advice third person for any novel that does not NEED first person.
This being said, my favorite novel is first person. But not everyone is Marcel Proust

[yansusu]

I'd say it depends on the story which one is better. The more the world of the story diverges from the one we know, the less first person works or at least that's my experience. But it also has a lot to do with personal preference. For example, I instinctively close every book in first person even if the premise sounded interesting. I just ... can't. It seems so wrong >.<

[racheldenucci]

I think it also depends on your writing style. Some writers just write better in one POV than the other. I personally tend to sidestep this debate by having both. I usually write in third person, but for scenes where it's more beneficial to see it through a certain character's viewpoint, I try to make it clear that it's a change of perspective by making it all their inner thoughts.

[therealbereth]

For First Person:

1. Displays the main character's/characters' emotions better
2. Gives a better sense of character
3. Easier for writers to put their own emotions into a character

I write one of my characters in a 1st person POV and that is not even remotely why I do it. ESPECIALLY not the third point. xD

When I first started planning out my current novel, I wanted to have it written as a memoir by one of my characters. So naturally, the POV was 1st person. And as he is a thirty-something scientist, there's also little danger of me falling into YA tropes of oversimplifying the surroundings or diving TOO deep into his inner world.

The BEST thing about a 1st person POV? You can easily make your narrator unreliable, while also giving clues about what's the truth. That's something I'd like to expand on in the future (when I edit the novel....... AGAIN), but I would never write nor read a 1st person POV narrative that is used because the author wanted to put their own feelings into it. I'm sure that's great for a memoir about a real person (hence my initial plan to write my novel as a fake memoir—think Frankenstein, or The Remains of the Day), but other than that, I'm not a big fan of the POV and gravitate towards 3rd person.

And 3rd person offers intimacy just as well as 1st person, actually. It depends on whether you're writing with an omniscient POV or an intimate one that's close to the character, meaning that the reader still only sees and feels (or smells etc.) what the character perceives.

As I am a sucker for the intimate 3rd person POV, you're sure to find that in my current and pretty much any novel I'll be writing in the future lol; but I love playing around with 1st person—if it serves a purpose other than intimacy.

[orionsloosetooth]

First person sometimes feels pushes me over the edge and I try a lot to not get too descriptive. A lot of my writing is prose-heavy so with first person I feel a little restricted. It's easier for me to get to a word-count goal compared to first person.A majority seems to lure to third person, so I was just wondeirng if you'd ever branch out and try to write a short story or maybe even a novel in first person. This can go both ways!

[DasIstWunderblyat]

Third person omniscient makes me feel like a god

First person is much better for connection between the main character and the readers, though.

[Cricketreadscomics]

If your mc doesn't have a particularly interesting / entertaining voice, I'd say go for 3rd person b/c 1st person has limitations.

[nostalgicroxas]

On that note, you can do first person omni. I've done it before. It's odd, but works.

I prefer third-omni because I do it naturally. Why fight something that I fall into naturally? Just keep doing it and get that exp!