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Personal Preference, Day Three

Dark Misty Day
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Do you prefer to write from a first-person or third-person perspective?
Permalink     Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 12:10 pm     Reply with quote
"Don't hide in doorways, you may find the key that opens up your soul." - Ronnie James Dio

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ScrewTheDaisies
Rumors Abound That You're Dead

Joined: 06 May 2004
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I don't think I have a preference.

(Sometimes if a story is stuck, changing the whole thing over from one to the other (or from past to present or vice versa) can get it unstuck, which is nice.)
Permalink     Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 12:47 pm     Reply with quote
"That's what it's all about: you go to a live show because nothing sounds like that." - Robert Levon Been, BRMC

I’ve got a fatal heart / I’m tied to the living / Got a tortured soul / I can’t give it away - "Hate the Taste," BRMC

Duke
Booking Wedding Gigs

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I'm used to third person, but I think I enjoy first and second maybe even more. It's an interesting question!
Permalink     Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 12:50 pm     Reply with quote

Dark Misty Day
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Duke wrote:
It's an interesting question!


I always try to make good ones Smile

As for me, I like to write from third-person but I try to only focus on what one character feels and what they observe from the other character by looking at them or touching them. I think it's tough to crawl that far inside someone's mind. You're never sure what someone is thinking, so with first-person you have to have a much more vivid imagination.
Permalink     Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 3:01 pm     Reply with quote
"Don't hide in doorways, you may find the key that opens up your soul." - Ronnie James Dio

"You don't need Viagra, you just need metal!" - Rob Halford

Bringer of the het gentle!sex revolution


twitch
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I have a feeling I'm going to get the term wrong but most of my stories are written from third-person-omnipotent point of view. Whoever the narrator is they know and see all regarding all situations and characters. That goes for most of my stories. I'll change the narration according to the plot and main character(s). First person does have it's advantages as does second person and third-person and I'll use them where they seem to fit.
Permalink     Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 8:40 pm     Reply with quote
"They sang songs about love, about Vikings, about Vikings making love. . ." Jack Black
"You missed the bit about Vikings have sex with hobbits." John Paul Jones.

Getting your head up in the clouds is easy, it's getting your head out that's the hard part.

"I'm a novelist. Anything you say can be taken and used against you in a work of fiction." - Anne R. Allen

"Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the ones who see five or six of them. Most people don't see any." - Orson Scott Card

ScrewTheDaisies
Rumors Abound That You're Dead

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twitch wrote:
I have a feeling I'm going to get the term wrong but most of my stories are written from third-person-omnipotent.


So close! Smile Omniscient. Although third-person "all powerful" could be just as interesting as third-person "all knowing"....
Permalink     Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 8:51 pm     Reply with quote
"That's what it's all about: you go to a live show because nothing sounds like that." - Robert Levon Been, BRMC

I’ve got a fatal heart / I’m tied to the living / Got a tortured soul / I can’t give it away - "Hate the Taste," BRMC

sidewinder
Wrecking Hotel Rooms

Joined: 08 Jan 2005
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Third person limited is my favorite.

Omniscient can be abused; sometimes I like switching from chapter to chapter but I don't like it when the POV switches paragraph to paragraph. I want a limited POV for a good chunk of time, if not the full story.

I'll generally only do 1st person for a very short piece where I want that immediacy and if I really feel I can get inside that characters headspace/narrative well enough. 2nd person is the hardest and I've only used it a few times, again for short pieces where I felt it absolutely added to the tone of the story. Often I just find it dreadful to read, so I need a really good reason to write it.
Permalink     Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 11:11 pm     Reply with quote
"I just kind of let loose. I said in some other thing that I read that I was having sex with my record collection. I assume, for the most part, that anybody who makes records does that to a certain degree." - Taylor Hawkins

twitch
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I find limited POV good if I have one central character the story essentially evolves around. Most of the time I have more than one character to deal with. I suppose limited can still be effective with two lead characters but it can get tricky with three or more characters.
Permalink     Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2012 4:36 pm     Reply with quote
"They sang songs about love, about Vikings, about Vikings making love. . ." Jack Black
"You missed the bit about Vikings have sex with hobbits." John Paul Jones.

Getting your head up in the clouds is easy, it's getting your head out that's the hard part.

"I'm a novelist. Anything you say can be taken and used against you in a work of fiction." - Anne R. Allen

"Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the ones who see five or six of them. Most people don't see any." - Orson Scott Card

heavvymetalqueen
Slash is Written About Me

Joined: 16 Sep 2004
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Third.

I can write in first in certain cases but I don't really like it. It feels shoddy to me.
Permalink     Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2012 5:05 pm     Reply with quote
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twitch
Released an Album

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My brain likes to associate first-person narratives to Mary-Sue fics. Now granted I know that isn't always the case but it's the default thought my brain circuits to.
Permalink     Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2012 6:03 pm     Reply with quote
"They sang songs about love, about Vikings, about Vikings making love. . ." Jack Black
"You missed the bit about Vikings have sex with hobbits." John Paul Jones.

Getting your head up in the clouds is easy, it's getting your head out that's the hard part.

"I'm a novelist. Anything you say can be taken and used against you in a work of fiction." - Anne R. Allen

"Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the ones who see five or six of them. Most people don't see any." - Orson Scott Card

cobrasnaps
Scored a Recording Contract

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Third person limited for me, though I'll go omniscient when writing epics. (Depends, though.)
Permalink     Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2012 12:25 am     Reply with quote

rdyfrde
Slash is Written About Me

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Third person. I have no idea what type but they know what's going on and have insight into the character's feelings (without the use of internal dialogue).

I've written first a few times, but it really only works for me with drabbles and ficlets. I don't think I'd be able to do a long story solely in first person.
Permalink     Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2012 3:45 pm     Reply with quote
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