1st Or 3rd Person

[Cadan Tazi]

So I was just wondering what people like to write in 1st or 3rd person.

Personally I write in 3rd, but I was just wondering what everyone else's preferences.

So go forth and discuss my precious'.

 

[Sanya Val Lerium]

It depends on the story, if it'd more solo base the 1st with others 3rd

 

[Ellie Mors]

So I was just wondering what people like to write in 1st or 3rd person.

Personally I write in 3rd, but I was just wondering what everyone else's preferences.

So go forth and discuss my precious'.

I write in both first and third person, in every post. Current is always first person, past is always third person.

 

[Sabena Shai]

I write in third person. I prefer third person dramatic, and I've been told by several people that they enjoy me writing in this specific way.

 

[Audren Sykes]

I've read a few novels that are written in first person and some that are written in both. Honestly, I've only read one that I consider 'good'. In my personal opinion, it reads more professionally to write IC from a third-person perspective. The only exception to this would be something like a journal or the occasional thought.

 

[Darth Timoris]

[member="Cadan Tazi"]

There is one inherent weakness with first person if you are true to the point of view. And that's the fact that you can only see, feel, touch etc. etc. what your character does.

So you have no idea what's happening in the next room, or what someone else is thinking, or the fact the person behind is holding a gun. I've lost track of the times I read in manuscripts where a first person POV character misses a clue. How do you know you missed a clue? If you see it, you see it. And if you don't, you're oblivious.

I could go on (and did but edited it back). First person is best for getting inside a character's head and as has already been mentioned - can work well if you switch from first to third at specific points e.g. dialogue.

Third person (limited or omniscient) gives much more freedom - but it's harder to truly allow the reader to get into the head of your character.

The simple answer is to go with the one that feels more comfortable and ignore my observations above - less they make you paranoid LOL

We're all simply here to enjoy ourselves

 

[Darth Timoris]

I've read a few novels that are written in first person and some that are written in both. Honestly, I've only read one that I consider 'good'. In my personal opinion, it reads more professionally to write IC from a third-person perspective. The only exception to this would be something like a journal or the occasional thought.

To Kill a Mockingbird, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night, The Great Gatsby, The Catcher in the Rye, Jane Eyre, Huckleberry Finn, Sherlock Holmes, American Psycho, The Color Purple, Fight Club, Breakfast at Tiffany's

Just a few first person POV books off the top of my head

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

Third person omniscient all the way!

I've been writing in that POV for years now and even though I've tried to write different ones (third person limited, standard first person, first person omniscient (don't judge me) and, most weird of them, second person), they just don't work out that well with me. Maybe because I am really used to the way I write and don't feel like changing it.

 

[Jen]

I feel like third person is the most caring way of writing, when writing with others.

This is mostly because you're telling a story together with other people with your characters as a medium. Your character is not the focus of the story and therefor should not be described in first person. Writing in third person makes for a much more fluid story. You can read every single post in a thread and follow it quite clearly. Which is really hard if everyone writes in first person.

First person can be useful though, but on a community roleplaying board I have rarely seen it be used well.

 

[Nima Tann]

I always write in third person. I think using the third person compared to first makes it more of a "we" story instead of "me" story. First person looks like a diary to me instead of a story.

But of course, everyone has their own taste so some people may be more comfortable using the First Person style

 

[Zatten Black]

[member="Cadan Tazi"]

I've sort of flip-flopped between the two. It depends on what character I'm writing. I enjoy writing first person, but I find it a bit harder for myself to try to write in detail sometimes.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

I have a deep and abiding hatred of 1st person prose except in very special cases.

Those cases are mysteries, stories with unreliable narrators and anything else where the 'point' of the story is that it requires 1st person. I only like it when an omniscient 3rd person narrator diminishes the story somehow, or you want to follow one person's story in an unfamiliar setting for them.

Otherwise I hate it.

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

Ooh, first person unreliable... One of the most amazing POVs, which I, unfortunately, have no skill in writing.

Somebody brought up details and stuff. My view on the POVs is not quite typical, I think. I mean, I hate writing inner monologues in first person and I typically use first person for writing action. Whereas I use third person to write details, descriptions, emotions, etc. Kind of strange, but that's the way I write. I also think first person creates a stronger bond between the reader and the character, but that's not too needed in RP.

Plus yeah, I think first person is the best for diary-type things and doesn't work out really great in prose except in some cases. So still, third person omniscient all the way!

 

[Ruby Wilded]

More to the 3rd. But I suppose I use the 1st enough on my characters. I don't particularly follow the structures that have been built around writing. I won't claim and will admit I probably don't even understand most properly. I just write what I feel would be natural to myself. Forget those that try and tell me otherwise. Eat your hearts out English majors.

 

[Akatan Adasca]

By and large, I lean towards 3rd. However, I'll occasionally pull out a 1st person post if I want to express a sort of Film Noire, old campy detective feel to things - like reading a Sin City movie.

On other sites, I often had a single character that I would write entirely in first person, if for just the practice of it.

 

[Xenia Nastassia]

Oh lawd. When someone writes a post in first person I'm like "no."

 

[Corey's OOC]

Second person limited.

"And then you dove out of my line of sight and came back covered in blood and leveled up."

Spoiler

third person story teller mode, I break the wall because I'm telling the story and hate taking it serious

 

[Kha'ro Ottosuki]

Third person, occasionally first. For example, in a story I have written a bunch of actions in 3rd person. I then get captured and thrown into a room. I write stuff in 1st person about how i feel about whats going on, and about how i use a table to smash my binders.