LordOfTheFish Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 Hello all. I'm trying to determine what people like to read. So, what do you prefer? 1st person perspective, or 3rd person perspective? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Endorenna Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 I prefer third person, probably because I'm terrible at writing first person. Depends on how well it's written, really. Badly written third-person is just as annoying as badly-written first person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrrtoken Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 Doesn't really matter to me. Although I prefer third person to be altogether more cohesive, there are certain things that can be written well in the first person. Gonzo journalism would be a good example of excellent first-person writing, even though Hunter S. Thompson is a bit... overly eccentric. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Doctor Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 It takes more than any particular person form to make good fan fiction. Unfortunately, the internet is full of people who... let's say "don't understand", and leave it at that. For civility purposes. I usually prefer to write in third person, though certain techniques with the first person can be exquisite. I myself have used both, and actually found the first person piece I did more enjoyable to write. Which is really all that matters, in the end - if you're writing solely for an audience, you're doing it wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeadYorick Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 Generally I like them both. But lately I find that I prefer to write in first person. In first person I can fully immerse myself properly in the fiction then I ever could. The techniques used in first person are a personal favorite of mine I find far to many people write in third person however. Probably because most people start out writing in third person and never branch out. Most of them don't accept criticism either, however I have seen quite a few very exceptional fanfics written in third person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKA-001 Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 The first and second-person perspectives can serve more specialized purposes than the third, because they make it easier to conceal specific things from the reader. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabish Bini Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 Refresh my memory, what's second person again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabretooth Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 First person, I find it easier to write, easier to relate to and very immersive. It does a great job of sucking you into the story and keeping you addicted. The alternative is third person with great writing skills. Refresh my memory, what's second person again? You stood alone in a dark corridor. Winds swept clean the floor beneath you, and a piece of paper struck your ankle. You felt a prickling sensation in your skull as your bent down to pick up the inconspicuous parchment. The words in it made your eyes open wide and jaw drop, the words read: THIS IS SECOND PERSON. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabish Bini Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 You stood alone in a dark corridor. Winds swept clean the floor beneath you, and a piece of paper struck your ankle. You felt a prickling sensation in your skull as your bent down to pick up the inconspicuous parchment. The words in it made your eyes open wide and jaw drop, the words read: THIS IS SECOND PERSON. Oh, okay, thanks. It'd be hard to write a quality story like that, but probably would be masterpiece if done right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pavlos Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 Oh, okay, thanks. It'd be hard to write a quality story like that, but probably would be masterpiece if done right. Every odd-numbered chapter in Italo Calvino's If On a Winter's Night a Traveller in written in the second person. The Vintage edition is a good translation if you can't read Italian. Faulkner is also pretty famous for using the second person to address the reader. Absalom, Absalom! is filled with it if memory serves... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabish Bini Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 I'm assuming this book is a classic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samnmax221 Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 I prefer when it isn't written at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JediMaster12 Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 I have written both in the first person and the third. My triology set Heart of the Guardian is in the first person and was a huge feat for me since I had never conceived of writing in that mode before. Therefore I was surprised when members here found it enjoyable. I also found that some of my best scenes came from that expereince. Later incidents I wrote in the third mainly because of the amount of characters involved and the plot wouldn't have worked as well. Both are a great experience to write with. All I say is that practice makes better. The more you work at it, the more you develop your sense of style. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Doctor Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 I prefer when it isn't written at all. Then avoid this forum, please. There's no need to mock those of us who enjoy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salzella Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 personally i write in third-person all the time because, if handled correctly, you can just as much detail, personality and depth from the character you're writing about as you would if it was written from a first-person perspective, without having restricted yourself to one character or having to tell a scene from only one perspective, and so on. i dislike first-person myself because i find it restrictive though obviously that doesn't mean good writing is restricted to third person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samnmax221 Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Then avoid this forum, please. There's no need to mock those of us who enjoy it. Tell me that one again about how you broke up the fight and were everyone's hero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Endorenna Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Samnmax221, that was completely uncalled for. He was merely pointing out that there are some of us who actually enjoy reading fan fiction. If you don't, it's okay for you to stay out of the Coruscant Entertainment Center. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Ease up on the throttle, Sam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordOfTheFish Posted January 13, 2009 Author Share Posted January 13, 2009 Thanks, Prime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jae Onasi Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Third person is much easier to write, and generally easier to read. Having written my Jolee story in first person, I discovered I had to manipulate scenes in ways that my character could 'discover' information, because I was limited to her perspective only. If I'd written it in third person, it would have been much easier to describe things and give out quest clues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blix Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 I agree ^^. Third person/omniscient is much easier to write imo, as it grants you access to other character's thoughts, senses, rather than limiting you to your character's point of view. Personally I'm thinking of posting a fic, just not sure where to though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bee Hoon Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Darth_Sharrak, if you made your way here, you probably already passed through the Coruscant Entertainment Centre. That's where most fics are posted, with the exception of contest fics for the monthly Javyar's Cantina contests (which also get moved to the CEC when the contest ends). Now that you know where it is, I hope to see you posting there!;D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
machievelli Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 Hello all. I'm trying to determine what people like to read. So, what do you prefer? 1st person perspective, or 3rd person perspective? As those who have read my fics will note, I use both. Part of the reason I use what can best be described as shifting first person is to avoid the idea that the character must 'discover' things. This way the reader knows; sometimes ahead of the characters, what is happening. Besides, the idea that someone else is viewing the same scene gives you a stereoscopic effect. But there are pitfalls in the first person style. I got reamed rather badly at another site for having too many sentences start with 'I'. Third person jumps from character to character, but shifting first person does the same, with more emotional content. Second person I avoid with a passion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth InSidious Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 Whichever fits your style better. It'd more sensible to work on that that rather than to worry about details. Also, you should write for you; this doesn't mean not to accept criticism, but it does mean that questions like the one you've posted here shouldn't arise - write in whichever you feel like writing in. Getting into the mechanics of it, though, if you're going for first person, you need to ensure that that main character has a really distinctive voice - they should only sound like a third person narration would if there's a good reason for it. Pastrami mentioned Fear and Loathing, and that's a good example of what I mean. It's also generally wise to avoid homage and reference, lest they become cliché and repetition; and unless you are supremely confident of your skills, avoid sex scenes and romance like the plague, because a bad romance/sex scene will gut your work faster than a hot fish-knife wielded by a nutcase from Wisconsin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bee Hoon Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 That having been said, I write romance anyway (and fill the world with horrifying fluffy fanfiction). If it makes you happy, write it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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