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Post by [ Silver ] on Jul 23, 2012 1:05:34 GMT -5
First Person In a first-person narrative the story is relayed by a narrator who is also a character within the story, so that the narrator reveals the plot by referring to this viewpoint character as "I" (or, when plural, "we").
Second Person The rarest mode in literature (though quite common in song lyrics) is the second-person narrative mode, in which the narrator refers to one of the characters as "you", therefore making the audience member feel as if he or she is a character within the story.
Third Person Third-person narration provides the greatest flexibility to the author and thus is the most commonly used narrative mode in literature. In the third-person narrative mode, each and every character is referred to by the narrator as "he", "she", "it", or "they", but never as "I" or "we" (first-person), or "you" (second-person).
Alternating Person While the general rule is for novels to adopt a single approach to point of view throughout, there are exceptions. Many stories, especially in literature, alternate between the first and third person. In this case, an author will move back and forth between a more omniscient third-person narrator to a more personal first-person narrator.
Stream of Conscience A stream of consciousness gives the (almost always first-person) narrator's perspective by attempting to replicate the thought processes (as opposed to simply the actions and spoken words) of the narrative character. Often, interior monologues and inner desires or motivations, as well as pieces of incomplete thoughts, are expressed to the audience.
I stole those definitions from wikipedia because I was lazy. xD
But I don't know how many of you know this, but I've been working on a novel for the past year. It's been boiling in my mind for some time and I've got most of the characters done and the plot and twists, but when it comes to writing, well, I don't know what narrative mode to choose. Since there are a lot of characters in my novel, I imagine a 3rd or Alternating Person would be appropriate, but I was curious, how do YOU prefer stories to be told? o:
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Post by lynkhart on Jul 23, 2012 3:46:34 GMT -5
I'd go with third personally. First person can be tricky to pull off if you have a particularly complicated plot but if done well, wow. (the hunger games are a good example of a well written first person, as are the Bartimaeus trilogy which switches between first and third depending on character)
At the end of the day though it's up to you! XP
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Post by Venn™ on Jul 23, 2012 8:41:09 GMT -5
Don't choose an alternating narrative. Stick to one. Having said that, first and third person are the easiest imo.
Recently, I've actually been writing in second person, unintentionally. LOL. I don't recommend it, though.
eta. when I write first person, it almost always ends up stream of conscience.
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Post by Buffy on Jul 23, 2012 11:46:30 GMT -5
I'd go with third person, too. I really hate first person. I prefer to read about all the different characters, not just one. I find it harder for me to get into a book when it's in first person, too. I just don't like it. D:
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Post by [ Silver ] on Jul 23, 2012 12:13:19 GMT -5
Don't choose an alternating narrative. Stick to one. Having said that, first and third person are the easiest imo. Recently, I've actually been writing in second person, unintentionally. LOL. I don't recommend it, though. eta. when I write first person, it almost always ends up stream of conscience. Thinking about it now that I've had proper sleep, I most likely will not be doing Alternating simply for the fact that, especially with alternating first person, it is extremely difficult, even for experienced writers, to have multiple voices in the novel that can be easily distinguished without having to double-check or retrace your steps as you read. So yeah, I was already planning on doing alternating third person (As in two groups of characters are in two different places for practically the whole novel and every chapter will switch back and forth) anyway, because it seemed like the most logical for my kind of story. I'd go with third person, too. I really hate first person. I prefer to read about all the different characters, not just one. I find it harder for me to get into a book when it's in first person, too. I just don't like it. D: I usually prefer third person books as well, but The Hunger Games really blew me away with a cleverly written 1st person narrative. c: I only really made this poll because I asked a lot of people at my school what kind of book they liked and they always picked first person. They liked knowing what one person was thinking at all times, but my style of writing is almost always in third person because I enjoy not knowing fully what anyone is thinking, that way a plot can unfold nicely and you can pick it up at your own pace. c:
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Post by Venn™ on Jul 23, 2012 12:49:35 GMT -5
Don't choose an alternating narrative. Stick to one. Having said that, first and third person are the easiest imo. Recently, I've actually been writing in second person, unintentionally. LOL. I don't recommend it, though. eta. when I write first person, it almost always ends up stream of conscience. Thinking about it now that I've had proper sleep, I most likely will not be doing Alternating simply for the fact that, especially with alternating first person, it is extremely difficult, even for experienced writers, to have multiple voices in the novel that can be easily distinguished without having to double-check or retrace your steps as you read. So yeah, I was already planning on doing alternating third person (As in two groups of characters are in two different places for practically the whole novel and every chapter will switch back and forth) anyway, because it seemed like the most logical for my kind of story. Oh, that sounds fine. :0 That'd be interesting, I think, actually! Good luck.
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Post by Jack Sparrow on Jul 23, 2012 13:02:32 GMT -5
Personally, I find it easier to write in 1st Person because I seem to put myself in my main character's shoes. When I do end up writing in 1st, it does end up being Stream of Conscious though. I also like reading in 1st because it gives you an insight on the main character's feelings and thoughts, but then again, 3rd person is good because it can also share pretty much any of the character's emotions. c:
I just prefer to write in 1st, and I like reading in 1st & 3rd. C:
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Post by RodentLibrary on Jul 23, 2012 13:42:14 GMT -5
I like both 1st and 3rd person (sometimes I read stuff written in 2nd person, a lot of Homestuck fanfics are like that), but I tend to write in 3rd person a lot more.
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Post by sarahi on Jul 25, 2012 7:11:54 GMT -5
I prefer to write in First Person, but when reading it has to be a good first person. I like third person, but it sort of loses that personal effect. The Hunger Games and The Georgia Nicholson series are wrote in first person, and I like them.
But then again, Cherub is wrote in 3rd and I love those. But sometimes 3rd can get boring.
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Post by Bob Ness on Jul 25, 2012 14:45:36 GMT -5
I prefer writing in third person. I like showing how more of the characters are feeling and what they're doing, which is something I can't do in first person POV. I do write in both POVs, even if third person is the one I generally use more. ^.^
I've never enjoyed second person. And I really can't write it at all. X'D
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gunner
Petz Groomer
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Post by gunner on Jul 31, 2012 13:10:57 GMT -5
When it is done very well, first person can be tolerable. But I find that it is very rare for it to be done well, and very often seems childish and as though the author is writing a fantasy about their life. There's a reason third person is used so much haha!
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Post by Lark @ Lovestoned on Aug 10, 2012 1:45:53 GMT -5
I voted for 3rd, but honestly, it so depends on the piece itself for me. The kind of narration affects every aspect of a work of literature. But I'll spare you the long tirades of a lit major.
Personally, I write most fiction in 3rd limited past tense and generally prefer to read 3rd limited past tense, with the exception of epistolary novels, but that is simply because most people cannot pull off anything else. 3rd omniscient is typically a recipe for disaster in my mind, unless you're Jane Austen.
Regarding short stories (my favorite sort of prose), the author has much more freedom with their narration and I can think of at least one piece in each category that has blown me away.
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Post by Duke Arundel on Feb 16, 2013 18:49:48 GMT -5
I write in third extensively, like...2000-8000 words per day in it. I can't write or read in first person because it irritates me...second person I tolerate.
I also write in past tense.
I have trouble liking present tense too.
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