Do you write in the first person POV?

fro9etb8j5qsl2

I read somewhere years ago that you should NEVER write a novel in the first person POV and that it is a sign of weak writing. However, some of the best books I've read have been written in the first person. Honestly, I cannot remember the last time I read a book that wasn't from the first person or multiple person viewpoint. But the notion that it shouldn't be done is ingrained in my mind like a mental block and I can't seem to shake it off. Urgh!

SepTomBer

I always love reading with first person POV.. full of emotion and the story is more understandable.

Fuzzytrooper

Darrell Old Searchlight wrote: »

I read somewhere years ago that you should NEVER write a novel in the first person POV and that it is a sign of weak writing. However, some of the best books I've read have been written in the first person. Honestly, I cannot remember the last time I read a book that wasn't from the first person or multiple person viewpoint. But the notion that it shouldn't be done is ingrained in my mind like a mental block and I can't seem to shake it off. Urgh!

Tell that to Dr.Watson

Das Kitty

The point of view should be the right one to suit the piece.

First person is not a sign of weakness. It can in fact be quite difficult to keep a piece of writing in first person whilst still conveying the relevant information to the reader. In first person pov the reader can only see what the narrator sees. It's the same for third, for the most part, but you get away with a little more distance.

Please try not to feel constrained by writing advice. A lot of people read Stephen King's On Writing and cite it as bible. However most of the most inspiring books I've ever read break most of his "rules".

That's the thing about rules. Knowing them is only step 1, knowing when and how to break them is the rest.

EileenG

First person POV is brilliant for misleading the reader. It can be amazing if done well. The trouble is, too many beginners think it's the easy way to write, and they do endless pages of self-satisfied drivel in first person.

The one thing to be aware of in first person is that you are limited to what your character knows or has seen. There might be a bomb under your character's seat, but because she does not know about it, neither can the reader, and so you've lost all the tension.

zeffabelli

There is no such thing as "never" in creativity.

Your decisions will depend on a number of variables in the vision of your story.

There are endless examples of fantastic writing done in 1st person.

One thing I've noticed in YA fiction for example is the trend of writing in first person present. Though this is very fashionable at present, I don't like it. I believe the present tense erodes at aesthetic distance and nearly defeats the purpose of story.

The purpose of story is also subjective. For me story is a kind of rehearsal in the magic what if, and so we need the past tense to create more distance.

First person also removes this distance but using the right tenses can make it work nicely.

alchemist33

Write it from the pov that best suits. I'm currently changing a short I'm writing from third to first because I can't get the voice right. My only problem is that I might kill my main character off, which is hard to do in first person past tense, but I think I've found a way around that