While writing fiction some prefer 3rd person and some prefer 1st person, which i

1. 83

   anusha15posted 12 years ago

   While writing fiction some prefer 3rd person and some prefer 1st person, which is more challenging?
   
   Success examples from recent past include Twilight Saga, where Stephanie Meyers chooses to write in 1st person - although she has changed her perspective from Bella to Jacob in her last book; and off course Harry Potter where Rowling sticks to 3rd person. Though she also writes mostly from the perspective of Harry. What are the challenges involved in each style according to you, and which is, in your opinion more difficult and why?

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2. 0

   jenuboukaposted 12 years ago

   My personal preference is 3rd person, I get to tell a story with in a story.  Writing in 1st person feels to constrictive.

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3. 74

   Zabbellaposted 12 years ago

   I think writing fiction in the first person would be harder.  You can detach yourself better in a fictional setting if you see it from another view.  Also, there is the present /past tense setting.  It would go a lot easier from the 3rd person view.

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   molometerposted 12 years ago

   I'm no expert but I would say that; the internal dialogue one has with oneself is 1st person and immediate interrnalised whereas 3rd person writing tends to be more externalised or more removed/remote.

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   beverleejbposted 12 years ago

   I think 3 rd person is more difficult
   Because one seems to forget about that person and has to keep looking back at their  notes.
   So 1 st person is easist for me.

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   L. Spikesposted 12 years ago

   I think it depends on the story you want to tell. If you have a really big, intricate  world that needs explaining and your main character lacks a certain amount of knowledge, I think that 3rd person works well for purposes of clarity and style. If the only thing that really matters is what that main character thinks or feels and that's enough to move the story forward without confusion, then 1st person should work. The subject matter really determines the effectiveness of the point of view, I think.

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   M. T. Dremerposted 12 years ago

   Personally, I feel that first person is easier to write. It tends to come out with less effort because I'm relying on the character's voice, similar to dialogue, to tell the story. This means that if you write poor descriptions or omit details, you can make the excuse that the character just wasn't paying that much attention. Or if the story takes a turn the reader doesn't agree with, you can always just say the narrator was unreliable. The hardest part of writing first person, in my opinion, is conveying a larger story with only one view point. One frequent result of this, like in twilight, is that a character completely blacks out during what should have been an epic battle sequence, thus cheating the readers.
   
   Third person really forces you to work hard on the descriptions and side characters because you never know when that story is going to branch away from your main character. It's true that a story writes itself and without a leash on it, the story will run off. But that's not a bad thing; a loose story can find new plot lines that you might never have thought of before, and it keeps your writing muscles in shape because you're constantly chasing after it. I'm not sure where these dog references came from, but I'm just going to go with it.

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   kaydenleeposted 12 years ago

   My first book was from the 3rd person point of view, and the one I am working on now is 1st person. I am finding the second one harder to write. I haven't determined yet though, if that is because I liked the characters better in the first one or not. I will have to see where it takes me.

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9. 0

   reeltaulkposted 12 years ago

   First person can be difficult especially if the writer doesn't know how to be honest forthright or upfront.  Third person can be easy because it puts the pressure on whoever is on the outside looking in, observing, jumping to conclusions "judging".  Therefore 1st person takes no blame, neither is responsible.  Lol This is getting quite tricky.  They both can be difficult or easy depending on the writers mindset, imagination and their (realistic) outlook

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    bright_sorcererposted 12 years ago

    That is dependent on many factors, not the least of which has a distinctly spiritual component to it. My own writing is almost exclusively written in first-person and I draw inspiration and content from the dream time. Some can recall playing first person in one dream and then remember as simply being an observer in another, not an active participant.
    
    For writers, using a first person approach can be quite effective in a book about a cancer survivor. The energy that literally jumps out of the page can be felt. Third person, on the other hand, is great for historical writing. My point is that each has its own pros and cons... and its own energy, which we infuse with every word.
    
    The spiritual component of my life includes a fair amount of personal effort but has enormous benefits. I discovered that my mind was ideal for visualization and, as a result, it has added a depth to my writing I did not have before. As I write, I am living it out in vivid color, in many cases using elements from my dreams.
    
    So, I'm a first person guy and writing in 3rd person would be more difficult.

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    OutsideTheLinesposted 12 years ago

    I have tried both and I have found 1st person to be much easier due to being able to imagine yourself as the character. It's much easier to think "What would I do?" vs "What would this distant person do?". It's a personal preference really, but this is just what works for me.

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    Rehana Stormmeposted 12 years ago

    When you write in 1st person, it is easier to get the readers to empathize with the character. When you write in 3rd person you are able to give the readers an unbiased nuetral view of the story, to a certain extent. Which is more challenging? I'm inclined to say writing in 3rd person is more challenging...but it all depends on the skill of the writer of course.

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    ambassadornchainsposted 12 years ago

    I suppose it depends...I think 1st person might be more difficult because, for me at least, when writing in 3rd person, everything is known about the characters, whereas from 1st person, I have to remember to think as that character and not giveaway what is not yet known about the other characters...Although, it may be easier writing 1st person because you focus on one character.  I suppose I'm a bit out of practice...I gave up writing long ago when I wrote about half a book (almost 200 pages) and then something went wrong on my computer and I lost everything.  Ever since then, I just stuck to poems!  I would love to get back into writing, but have never been able to gain the motivation since then!

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