Point of view is all a matter of perspective. Are these his feet or my feet?
Is this her tummy, or my tummy. Okay. No contest. I vote for MY tummy.
When I first started writing, I was told never to write for an editor in first person. Why? No one seemed to know for sure. The most I could figure out is that editors seemed to think that two main characters couldn’t be fleshed out emotionally if we only “saw” into one of their heads. I was too nervous to speak up then, but now? I say bulltwackle.
I believe that once a writer moves beyond describing how a character feels happy (sad, greedy, shrewd), she/he can then learn how one character discerns happiness (sadness, greediness, shrewdness) in another.
We do it all the time in real life. Rarely does a person walk up and say, “Guess what! I’m happy!!” But looking at someone’s smile, hearing laughter, seeing how they bounce on their toes, noticing the glow in their eyes—it all tells us. First person can portray that same thing.
In an informal writing class that used writing prompts, several of us struggled. After a few minutes, the teacher suggested we write the same scene in first person. It was so much easier! And more emotional, too. I was surprised. The exercise taught me that when a scene gives trouble, try writing it in first person and then switch it back to third. Just be sure to edit well! There’s nothing worse than lots of “she saids,” “he saids,” and then an “I said” thrown in.
I read a lot of books now written in first person so editors must not hate it so much anymore, huh? 😉 That’s a good thing because it means that we can choose which POV style suits us best. Choice is always a good thing.
Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here.
Dee
Only a Good Man Will Do: Seriously ambitious man seeks woman to encourage his goals, support his (hopeful) position as Headmaster of Westover Academy, and be purer than Caesar’s wife. Good luck with that!
Naval Maneuvers: When a woman requires an earth-shattering crush of pleasure to carry her away, she can’t do better than to call on the US Navy. Sorry, Marines!
With the variety opened by self-publishing platforms, authors have the option to write as best suits them. That’s a good thing.
Hi, Holly. I think you’re right. As authors we have so many options open to us now that we didn’t have 10 or 15 years ago. Or maybe even 5 years ago! It’s freeing at the same time as scary. 😉
There are some writers who pull this off well! Unfortunately, I’m not one of them.
I’ve also seen some 1st person books that switch characters every chapter, but sometimes this is confusing, if it’s not clear whose head you’re in.
That is definitely true. I often have to go back and look at the top of the chapter to see who’s speaking. One of the pitfalls, right? I’ve also noticed that the racier books tend to use 1st person more than other genre. I wonder why?
I’ve also been told that readers hate first-person POV. Best-selling authors who use 1st provide plenty of evidence to the contrary. And no one who hates it has ever clearly articulated WHY to me. Like you, I found that one of my books came alive when I switched from 3d POV to 1st, so that’s what I’m using for my series.
I think it’s worth trying and have also been thinking of a new series in 1st person. Good luck to us! I hope when you write the next book you’ll come and let Nomad Authors interview you!