March 6, 2023
Do you have advice for changing perspective? For example, switching from writing exclusively in third person and switching to first person? Or do you have a reason for staying with the perspective you do?
The first book I set out to write, (one that will never be published,) I rewrote four times before calling it quits. I changed perspective twice in that process. The first two versions were third person past tense, the third version was in first person, then I switched back to third person. It was a great learning process. Frustrating, perhaps, but publishing the story was never a consideration, so I could ‘play’ with how the characters interacted with no deadline to interfere.
What the experience taught me was that I can write in either perspective. Which one I choose is dictated by the story. For example, in its original form, what turned into The Marquesa’s Necklace started out in third person. I didn’t get very far into that version before realizing it was all wrong for the story that was taking shape, and switched to first person.
On the other hand, The Free Wolves’ books are all written in third person. They started that way and never changed.
What advice do I have for writers wanting to switch? If you want to, do it! Yes, I know you’ll find readers who don’t like to read first person. You’ll also find readers that prefer it.
Something to consider—In first person, you can only see characters and action through one set of eyes at a time. As the author, you have to use dialogue or show physical cues from other characters to allow your main character to know what everyone else is thinking. I think that restriction is useful in helping to prevent head-hopping. On the other side, it may be a good tool for diving deeply into the internal thoughts of the speaker.
One minor thing: I’ve seen it done way too often. If you are writing in first tense, please, oh please, don’t have your main character look into a mirror or a pool of water or whatever to describe themselves. Just don’t.
What to be aware of if you’re moving from first to third person? I have to pay close attention to be sure I don’t head-hop for a sentence or two. It can also be easy to slip into the voice of an omniscient narrator. You, as the author, may know something that your characters and readers don’t know and it can be hard to not include it.
I haven’t tried some of the lesser-used points of view, like second person and fourth person. (Yes, that exists, but it’s rare.) It’ll be interesting to find out if any one else in this hop has used them. To find out, follow the links below.
As always, until next time, please stay safe.
March 6, 2023
Do you have advice for changing perspective? For example, switching from writing exclusively in third person and switching to first person? Or do you have a reason for staying with the perspective you do?
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
Head hopping is one of my pet peeves as a reader. If it becomes confusing whose eyes I’m looking through, I stop reading. @samanthabwriter from
Balancing Act
Sadly, it’s so easy to do.
I’ve heard of the second person but I haven’t heard of the fourth person. Do you have an example of that please?
The only reason I know about it is because I researched it! Here’s the definition: It involves a collective perspective, using the plural pronouns we and us. This POV allows you to tell a story from the perspective of a group, rather than an individual. Here’s an example : “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner is told from the perspective of an entire town.
“We did not say she was crazy then. We believed she had to do that. We remembered all the young men her father had driven away, and we knew that with nothing left, she would have to cling to that which had robbed her, as people will.” https://prowritingaid.com/point-of-view#:~:text=Fourth%20Person%20Point%20of%20View,-Fourth%20person%20is&text=It%20involves%20a%20collective%20perspective,larger%20institutions%20and%20social%20norms.
Thanks for the explanation, P.J.
Fourth person perspective – the Gospel of John and the story Jughead is writing on Riverdale. Those are my only examples, though my son named some novels written for his Zoomer generation that are 4th person. He says it designed to promote group inclusivity — we all feel the group identity of being bullied, for example. He says he’s also read books supposedly describing the non-binary experience written in 4th POV. I asked him if these were successfully written and his reply was “Mixed bag!” The story about bullying was effective, while the story written from a non-binary perspective just felt like the narrator was mentally ill, so he didn’t finish it. And, I should have taken notes to get the titles, but I didn’t.
Second person always brings to mind text-based RPG games, although I read a romance novel recently that was largely two-person 1st POV, but the writer included some 2nd person when describing the two characters’ past. I wouldn’t want to read an entire novel written in that POV, but it was an interesting twist in a more traditionally written book.
One thing I’ve realized — because I’ve asked people — is most people don’t spend a lot of time thinking about what they look like. We’re just used to it. People don’t look in the mirror and say “I have blue eyes.” Now they may look in a mirror during an allergy attack and say “My blue irises are swimming in blood-shot sclera” but that’s more a description of symptoms rather than a description of self.
I’ve used 1st person several times. In one book, it was completely from the view of one character. I never went to the other characters in the book. I’ve used 3rd alot and I’m guessing it’s my go to POV. But I am going to have to look up 4th. Never heard of it.
Oh and I’ll check my Twitter button. Thanks for the heads up.
there’s no problem with having a go-to perspective. It’s knowing when to try something else that counts.
Someone complained to me that a sequel was written in third person, when the first novel had been in first. While I could sympathise, the problem was that I couldn’t have told the tale any other way. In the end, surely that’s more important?
The story demands what the story needs
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