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Position:Home>Books & Authors> First person or third person??Question: First person or third person!?!? Im writing a book that is mostly for young adults!. Its a horror/romance/thriller genre and i need help setting the view!. Should it be first person (main character tells story) or third person (Narrator tells story)!? Im not sure which would be better, but good advice will be followed!.!.!.Plz help! =)Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I find that third person is much better for horror and thrillers!. If it is first person, you will only know what the one character is thinking!. You can't see what is going on anywhere else, even though you usually don't leave the main character!. But you might find the need and want to go away from them!. And then you will be hearing everything that one person is thinking, and then if there is to be anything surprising about them, you already know it!. In third person you can write mysterious things that let on what the chracter is thinking, but not saying it straight outWww@QuestionHome@Com Well, it all depends on what your character's like!. If you want the story to be in first person, then you have to almost literally become that character yourself (of that makes sense)!. You have to know everything about them, thoughts, past, emotions, etc!. Everything!. It makes for a more exciting story and for a character that the reader can get more attatched to this way!. If you want to do it in third person then you don't have to be in the character's head all the time!. You still get to see what they're thinking, but in a less personal way!. The main difference is that things written in the third person have to be a lttle more detailed, since it's not just the one person that's seeing it in the book (again, if that makes sense to you)!. As a writer, you have to do all of this anyway; even if it doesn't all come out in the book, you need to know details, past all thoughts and actions of your characters, etc!. Pick whichever you think you can handle better!. I hope this helps at all, and good luck with your writing!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Third person, because some people feel you should be telling the story more than the character, but you have to put yourself in the story, and sometimes, on a certain occasion, change it to first person, for a description chapter of what had happened to her, so she can give her point of view!. I said she in all these sentences just for an example, it doesn't have to be a she!. And this way, your main character can tell her feelings and get the reader to really understand her feelings and put themselves in her place!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Actually, I tend to lean towards 1st person!. You might want to pick up or check out books done each way!. First person is good for coming of age type stories (think Catcher in the Rye) where you want your audience to identify with a hero (or in Holden's case more an anti-hero)!. Plus if you don't reveal too much, I always thought the unknown was scarier!. Third person allows you to show more detail, but it also puts up an invisible barrier between the reader and the writer!. You should probably set up your story arc too!. You have three different genres going on!. Might want to focus on one and keep the other two as subplots!. Good luckWww@QuestionHome@Com Which are you most comfortable writing!? There are limitations to the first person approach -that person has to be present in every scene!. The narrative approach, otherwise referred to as the 'fly on the wall' technique, allows you to comment on things that happen when your main character isn't present!. And that can be helpful for building suspense!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Interesting question! Consider this: In Third person, you can reveal all the details of anything in your story that you want!. But in First person, you are limited to what your main character sees/feels/experiences!. How much story detail will you need to reveal!? Good luck!Www@QuestionHome@Com Think what Stephen King would do!. In order to have the best of both views, he ofter places a writer or reporter in the book, so that they are expected to take an objective, yet nosey stance!. Then when they get the first-person wits scared out of them, it really is effective!. Teens would better identify with a school paper reporter, or such!. Maybe a big brother checking on a kid sister and giving off the aura that he is invincible, then blam, crying like a baby!.Www@QuestionHome@Com if you will use first person!.!.!.you must have a very short story!. Your novel would be limited if you'll use the first person, mostly the settings will revolve around your main character!. third person is better!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Definantly 1st person way scaryer !?!?!? it's just better, Trust MeWww@QuestionHome@Com first personWww@QuestionHome@Com |