I feel like when I write 3rd person I am able to understand and delve deeper with all my characters. It helps me humanize them and instead of seeing them as my character I see them as a friend.
I’m writing a novel in second person! I chose this because I want to set the story apart from others and really make it clear how YOU are the protagonist, (which paves the way for a shocking plot twist eheheh). It also establishes a connection between the narrator and the reader, and to me feels kind of like a visual novel game, which is super nostalgic to me. Also, the way the story is set up, the reader, narrator, and protagonist are all different and distinct characters in the story. The usage of the word ‘you’ in my novel takes advantage of how in English, plural ‘you’ and singular ‘you’ are the same, and it switches around at various points, unbeknownst to the reader. This was a kind of random, but I just wanted to share because I think second person is super cool.
I love writing in third person close. Because I don’t usually like swapping in first person between characters. But I like having at least two or three important characters. I also feel like names are really important to me and I want the reader to remember the names. And I have a hard time remembering names when it’s from a singular first person.
I mainly write in first person. I'm terrible for saying it, but I feel I can get away with a lot of inconsistencies, like swapping tenses, when a character is making those mistakes. I love how intimate you're making the reader with the character. You're actually inside their head. You're feeling their feelings. You see how irrational they're being. You see their state of mind. It was a great coping mechanism for me last year when I needed to sort out my own feelings. Thank you so much
Hi, I like 1st and third person too, but I’m a little bit stuck on which one to use. The story involves a lot of exploration and adventure so do you have an idea which POV is better.
The book and Netflix Show „You“ is kond of written in second person (yet the narrator is the still protagonist but he’s constantly talking to his „crush“) and it really fits the story
Classics are usually omniscient and I grew up reading those so it makes sense why that’s my favorite POV. Although, I feel most modern books are first person and they do draw you in. You don’t even realize the “I” is there because you meld with the character’s point of view if the story draws you in. I just prefer to have the ability to be everywhere.
Abbie: I’ve started to watch and never finished so many T.V. shows that are like this that have so many protagonists. A Song Of Ice And Fire enters the chat
I used to write exclusively in first person. What I quickly learned from it is that it makes it difficult to write from different points of view, especially if you have two protagonist characters fighting each other or working together. It also makes it difficult to describe your character's traits and features without relying exposition or some kind of reflective surface at the start of the story. In my opinion, first person is best suited for main character focused stories. If you have a large cast of characters, 3rd person is a much easier perspective to work with. I've also found that if you want to use 1st person perspective and have a cast of important side-characters, you can reserve 1st person for the scenes where your main character is present and move to 3rd person perspective when the main character isn't present in the scene or is otherwise incapacitated. This provides development for the other characters and adds to your world building in ways outside of your main character's abilities/limits.
Oh my goodness I love your idea! I was trying to figure out if I wanted to write in first person or third person, but what you just described would be perfect for my story. Thank you for sharing ❤
I prefer to write in 1st person, because I feel that I can explain my characters’ internal conflicts and fears and desires much better than if I wrote them in 3rd person.
I like First Person for exactly the same reason as you, I can totally immerse myself into my character. It's like Halloween everyday, but you're also making decisions in their daily lives for them instead of just asking for candy.
I was just this morning realizing that I haven't clearly established a perspective for my novel, and thought, "I wonder if Abbie has a video on perspective." You did it again...helping me answer the exact question I am working through. Thank you for this video...extremely helpful!
I feel like I'm the only one who's a sucker for third person non-omniscient narrator. Constantly switching pov is a hell of a lot, but it's so rewarding in the end. 😍
Dean Koonz once wrote a few chapters in an Odd Thomas book from the first-person perspective of a dog, trying to get human beings to follow him. It was pretty amazing to get the dog’s perspective.
I prefer third person close. I just really like bringing out all the emotions of the character and showing what it is that’s ripping them apart inside. I really want to experiment, though. Second person sounds cool for a short story.
3rd person is by far my favorite. I really shy away from 1st and 2nd pov cause it feels ..idk too personal? And makes me feel really awkward for some reason 😅 3rd person feels better cause I can dare to do or say things completely out of character for me irl, but like at a "safe distance" lol
my default pov is actually second person since i love how it makes the reader feel like they're actually the ones doing all of the things the character does. on the other hand, i feel uncomfortable writing short stories/fanfics/etc. in first person, which is weird since i write poetry in first person lol
I used to love reading and writing in first person, but after reading a few books in third person and then reading again in first person, the first person writing just felt very 'off'. I understand the intimacy of first person and I can definitely get into it and really love the writing, but i feel like it takes me a second to be immersed into it while third person seems to suck me in right away. I think for first person, it's like I have to get passed this wall of being like, 'myself, the reader, is not actually the protagonist who's telling the story with 'i did this... and i did that...'' It feels a bit weird to read the pronouns 'I' and 'me' when I'm not the one using those pronouns and it's actually someone else. So then I need to accept that I'm going into the mind of the protagonist before I can feel like everything is happening to me as the protagonist. I hope that made some sense
I always write in third person omniscient because I mainly write in my native language which has many variations to say "I", ranging to formal, informal, even region-specific dialect, so it's kind of awakward for me to write in first person. Thank you for the video, Abbie!
I have that problem trying to learn German. There's so many different words for "I," "You," "Are," "Have," etc. I think I and You are the biggest ones.
I LOVE to write in third person close. I feel like I can show more about how my character looks and feels instead of going into their head...if that makes sense?
Same!! And maybe sometimes their motives and actions are logical and more understood to the viewer rather than using 1st POV. I feel like when using 1st pov, your cahracter NEEDS to explain all the time, why she/he is doing this or that, but in 3rd POV your character is actually MORE mysterious, and his/her actions tells a story by itself (3rd pov is definetily show dont tell, but 1st pov is tell, dont show) For instance when your character is riding on a bus or train, you can write everything that your character doesn't see...and THAT's so exciting! You're like their Guardian Angel watching and telling a story above the sky, telling a story from your "Guardian" point of wiev. I like to think that way. An angel who is actually narrating the story 😃 Also.... Using 3rd pov there is 360° camera activity, but 1st pov is only 180°.... i dunno, sometimes it makes sense, sometimes not.
@@MerzzzuuuuSO TRUE. I was confused over whether to write in 1st person or 3rd person like I usually do. But you just cleared my mind by saying the 360° thing. Thank you
Normally I like third person (either close or omniscient) because my characters are usually on such big adventures that limiting it to one pov narrows the world / story too much. This camp nano I'm writing in first person, to challenge myself - because apparently camp nano wasn't challenge enough.
A famous novel written in the second person is Italo Calvino’s If on a Winter Night a Traveler. A brilliant book. It works as an immersive, surrealist style but a bit too in your face at times
There are so many different POVs that I'm sick of so many books that oversimplify it into 1st/3d person and present/past tense. I can name at least six different POVs, but there _are_ others, and they all can be written in any tense you want. In fact, some POVs can be written in 1st, 2d, or 3d person, or even in all three (but not at the same time, thank goodness). So, POV is far more complicated than many make it out to be. I'm glad it doesn't sound like you oversimplify it in this way. There is an underlying logic to POV, though, so it pays to learn how that works, and that makes the complicated subject of POV a whole lot easier to understand, and gives you a boatload of more options to consider creatively than just 1st/3d person and present/past tense. One thing I almost *NEVER* hear anyone talk about with respect to POV is the difference between subjective and objective, since some POVs can only be subjective and others can only be objective and still others can be either. Why is this never on the table as a topic of discussion anymore? What ever happened to great dialogue on, to great discussion of, the art of fiction?! This current trend of oversimplification of POV is really annoying. And it’s making fiction a homogenous glop of illiterate goo, rather than a glorious, heterogenous palette of literary magnificence and creativity.
I just ordered a test version of my FIRST EVER published story! What I did for the POV in this one was... a little different. As you suggest, I started off in the head of one character. An innocent young lad who, throughout the first few thousand words of the book, is learning about the ACTUAL main character from this more antagonistic lense. He starts off by describing the main character as evil, but, as he learns more and more, wel along with him, get to see the true nature of this character. Eventually, the POV completely switches TO this character we had been learning about from another's POV. So, by this point.. hopefully at least.. the readers already feel somewhat comfortable around this character, though it is strange finally seeing the world from his eyes. And since he is more of the mysterious type, I chose to cover his perspective from a 3rd person POV, so we still keep a sense of that unsure aspect about his character, still a part of him a mystery to us. Idk, it's all for fun! In a different book, I had a LOT of fun challenging myself with this whole thing! The chapters would switch back and forth between 2nd person POV/present tense, and 3rd person POV/past tense. they would swap back and forth like 10101010, so you knew the even numbered chapters were one perspective and the odd numbered chapters the other. And both told COMPLETELY different stories!... Or so it seemed. The past tense one told of an innocent, yet mysteriously powerful being SLOWLY turning against the other, eviler "gods," who would eventually declare war on it/them. Meanwhile, the 2nd person story was about YOU, hence the perspective. Your character is kind of like a shape shifter who, every time you die, materializes again in a new, completely different body! I showcased the vast difference by having you die a couple times in the story. One as an old woman, two as a tall, strong man, and three as a small, weak girl. Your character is for the most part a complete mystery, obviously on a mission to kill the "gods" of this world, but having no real explanation why, or even a backstory to explain it!.. See where I am going with this? :] I ended tht book by, when I had brought both POVs to an end, started a whole NEW POV: 1st person, where the two perspectives collide, the big twist being that the main character from the 3rd perspective story was actually the past version of the main character from the 2nd person story! XD You can probably see why I had so much fun with this one! I loved finding ways to better tell the story through POVs, especially incorporating the point of the different perspectives and past/present tenses into the lore of the story as well.
My go-to comfort writing style is first person, but I sometimes do write in third omniscient if the story calls for it (but it's harder). I've never thought of switching up styles or writing in second person, makes me want to try both!
I think the “stay in your mc’s head for a while to establish who they are and why what’s happening is important to them” is done SO well by the show The Good Place. The first person you ever see and follow around is Eleanor. For the first several episodes, you would think that it’s just going to be focused on HER the whole time. We learn (some of) her backstory first, too. But then she bonds with Chidi, and the story expands. You think that Tahani is just some girl she hates, but she turns out to be one of the main four characters, along with Jason (who isn’t even CALLED Jason at the time; he doesn’t even speak at that point). Every time you learn more about these characters, the story expands until it’s clear who it’s about: Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani, Jason, and, surprisingly, Michael and Janet, too. The show does it so well without overwhelming you or feeling like you need to keep up. Ultimately, Eleanor remains the MAIN main character, too, even though it’s about more than her. (Huge ending spoiler ahead) You even end the series and watch the them leave the afterlife or move onto something greater through her eyes.
Thank you for this video! When I stared writing my story, I kind of lost track of my POV and got the first few chapters messed up, which is disastrous because one of my story’s main themes is ‘view points’. But then I realised that and now I kind of switch between two POVs (3rd person close) more or less naturally, with occasionally 1st/2nd/3rd person omniscient jumping in. It’s a very very long story so I’m experimenting with all sorts of ways of writing while keeping it as consistent as I can throughout.
You just gave me a BRILLIANT IDEA! I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH. ❤️❤️❤️ I like the idea of using 1st person point of view, switching to a 3rd person point of view further ahead in the story. Again I say, BRILLIANT!
Hi Abbie! Your content is some of the most valuable I've come across in my crazy ADHD/COVID-boredom fueled search for new tips that might help me stop ruminating and just jump in. I have searched high and low for a helpful channel that I look forward to returning to, and I'm so grateful to have found you! I'm so into this 3-part story structure right now. I also got a membership to support!
The Broken Earth Trilogy by N. K. Jemisin has a POV written in second person. It was very, very jarring at first, but it became very easy to read shortly into it. (There's also a reason for it, but, spoilers.)
3:36 Animorphs is a perfect example of doing more than 4 characters in first person WELL. There are 6, the books are short ('cause they're "meant for kids"), and the character perspective changes per book (there are 52 in the series). I love writing in third person close. Thanks for helping me rediscover what other perspectives and combos of them are possible.
Human acts by Han Kang had alot of second person and it was very good. I think what made it good was that the writing style made the reader develop their character throughout the story and it felt more like I was in a therapy session trying to piece together my own memory of a single event by pulling in perspectives from all those around me. I would highly recommend that book
Nora Roberts does a magnificent job of writing in Omniscient POV in some of her novels. When she changes whose head she's in within the same scene, she does so in a different paragraph.
The books i have read are mostly in a 3rd person POV so it makes sense to me. 1st person seems too much of a self insert to me and makes me a bit uncomfortable. But abbie's advice are always nice.
I've only ever read one novel that was written in second-person POV: "Bright Lights, Big City" by Jay McInerney. A very interesting read, not just because of its unusual point of view, but because it is well-executed and well-written. It was made into a movie in (thank you, Wikipedia) 1988.
Second person POV is actually my favorite. Not great if you want to feel immersed in the book but it opens a lot of other possibilities for the narration. I recommend If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino or Second Thoughts by Michel Butor if you want to give it a shot.
Limited Omniscient. :P This is my favorite POV. To add to my previous comment, the label "Third Person Omniscient," to my mind, is redundant and not very descriptive. *ALL* omniscient POVs, by logical necessity, must be told in 3d Person. This is because the narrator is omniscient and outside of the story. Thus, 3d Person. Omniscient means that you have access to some or all of the story character's minds. Definition of Limited Omniscient: You can see the story's central character from the inside _or_ the outside, but you can only see other characters from the outside (no access to their thoughts - thus the reason for the *LIMITED* Omniscient nomenclature). Therefore, the narrator can describe the central character's external appearance. Many times, those who use Limited Omniscient, will start the story or a scene with an external description of the central character, then will withdraw and no longer do so throughout the rest of the story or throughout the rest of the scene. The interesting thing with Limited Omniscient is that because this is an omniscient POV, you can have scenes _without_ the central character, but because this is a limited omniscience, you cannot take your readers inside the heads of the other characters. It makes such scenes very objective (or emotionally distant), but can still give the reader insights into things the central character does not know. What most call "Limited Third Person" (a term I do not like, as it lacks precision) I call Single Character Subjective. In this POV, you can see inside the central character's mind, but because this is _subjective,_ the writer cannot describe this character externally, except for, say, the character momentarily seeing their reflection (which is less awkward than when this is done in 1st Person). Single Character Subjective can be written in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd Person. I've just described two POVs (Limited Omniscient and Single Character Subjective) explicitly, and one (Omniscient) implicitly, and one of those first two POVs (SCS) has three variations. You won't find many modern books that speak of POV in these terms.
I solid heartedly love a third-person point of view. I might have tried the third person omniscient and first-person but the third person is my way to bag the hook of my story.
So what do you think of this - I’ve been writing a series, and I primarily write from one character’s POV in first person (my female protagonist.) However, there are a few scenes in 3rd person from my male protagonist’s POV. Do you think that makes sense? I try to only keep my main character’s POV in 1st person.
Hi, thanks for the clarity and the lesson, they are amazing! recently I was writing this one little book. I realised that writing in the first perspective is more difficult than second or third.
I also really really love second person. I started writing in second person when writing fanfiction and it is my favorite because we have this character, the narrator, and they narrate the story using the pronoun 'you' so it's like they are transforming me into the protagonist of the story. I actually think that it can feel even more intimate than first person, depending on the person reading/writing of course. I'm sure though that if I started practicing first person again, I would feel differently about which one is more intimate.
I prefer writing in 3rd person close. It's because when I read, I often don't want to be entirely inside the character's head, as cool as they are. I like to be reminded that it's a story, and it's as if I have a clearer view of the scene and what's going on, instead of having a limited vision as the character. When I read 1st person, I can't imagine their facial expression like how other characters would see them.
I prefer first person POV. I feel that this style gives me the ability to create a sense of immediacy and intimacy and strongly empathize with my characters, but I agree that there are no right or wrong POVs, only different preferences for different writers.
I chose for my (hithertofore unpublished) novel a first person perspective from the POV of a supporting character who acts as a chronicler for the protagonist, similar to the way Watson is the POV character chronicling the enigmatic Holmes
My preferred POV for both reading and writing is 3rd Person Close (Limited Omniscient.) I can write in 1st Person POV quite well, however, I don't usually like reading stories that are in 1st Person POV because I find it jarring and a little off-putting if the character isn't relatable to me. What I like about the 3rd Person Close POV is that I relate to the characters by "seeing and learning" how they feel in the same way that I do a movie character.
Well my favorite POV is third person omniscient because it's easy for me to write it that way and I have so many characters that are involved in the fantasy stories. I tried 1st person for another genre, but it does not work so well. I can't grab first person, unless I write like a diary/journal.
That was a great video - one of your best in my opinion. I personally enjoy the third person omniscient writing style, although I know some people consider it a bit archaic these days. Nonetheless, I find it an effective way to convey a narrative. Keep up the excellent work!
The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo is one neat example of 2nd person POV; its a trashy romance if you ask me, but i loved reading 2nd person, because you really don't see it all that much.
I am mostly a 3rd person omiscient writer, but I have some paragraphs where I try to go first person, but i do it best through character confessions. "That's me" (ABBA- That's Me- song from 1976)
In all of my short stories, I have written in third person, switching between character POV’s. They’ve all been romance genres. Now I have a novel draft.
I personally have read mostly in third person but feel like my book would have a better feel in first person, so I think that first and third person are my exclusives. (Trying to go for a sorta ORV feel you know but with my own novel)
Awesome video, as usual, Abbie. I write whatever fits the story best. My current WIP is 3rd close (i think). Have written in first. The next planned project will be 3rd omni/close.
I don't like writting or reading in 1st person because in my mother tongue, we hardlly use "I" to talk to other people. We often have different pronounce base on age and the order in the family. This leads to me feel very strange and distance to write in 1st person so I often write in 3rd person close. Beside, writing in third person close can help me to write about different characters stories without changing the POV. *English is not my first languague, please don't judge.
I usually go for first person or third limited, but right now, I'm having a hard time deciding which POV I want to write from. I have two protagonists and I have a few specific scenes already written that I plan to work into my book at some point, but I can't decide which of the two characters you should experience each scene through. 😅
When I first started writing as a kid, I was OBSESSED with first person writing XD I barely even understood how to write third person, and whenever I had some type of school assignment to write in third person, I went nuts. But when I started to roleplay as a teenager with third person...I now can only write in third person and cannot for the life of me do first person POV anymore lmao. For me, third person is the best way for me to better understand my characters and get inside their head.
I mostly write short “choose your own adventure” stories in second person. I’m trying to get back into writing more long form content however, but I have no clue what POV I should use
I usually write in first person, but I'm trying to write more in third person, specifically third person closed. One thing I struggle with in third person is tense. I never know whether to write 'She said "Will you make it home it time?"' or 'She says, "Will you make it home in time?"' When I write first person I always write 'I say...' Any help in the replies will be greatly appreciated!!
2nd person books (I'll give you two). You, by Caroline Kepnes. Written in first person referral (A type of second person). Bright Lights Big City, by Jay McInerney. Written in second person intimate. Hope you enjoy!
Your discussion of sticking with a protagonist and making sure we understand what they care about and why that makes the story matter just made me realize a problem I have with the movie "Tenet". Now, I wonder what your thoughts on that film are. And generally Christopher Nolan's work.
I love to write in first person but for the current piece that I'm writing, I wanted to do a scene in third person but I was told by someone that your story should always be in one POV. So thankyou for clearing that up for me
Head Hopping: I just saw this done well today. Rather than fully entering multiple character's heads, the author used inner dialogue in italics: unspoken words from multiple characters. I thought it worked very well.
For my current WIP I am using Third Person Close. Now do you think it works if you do two POVs, starting with one character, focus on them in that chapter... Then in the second chapter I focus on my second MC?
Given that it’s done well, yes! This is the way I like to write my stories and although most of the ones I do don’t turn out well, I’ve read plenty where it’s done to near perfection.
I wanted to write a Third POV because I think my book needs it. But I never really tried it and I'm really struggling. I would love Abbie to make a video about and everything about the third POV. xoxo
I can't decide wether to choose 1st person or 3rd person omniscient. I want my book to sound like a compilation of different perspectives of the major contributers (aka my protagonists) to a war that was so devastating, almost every creature that resided in the world died. Will it be okay to have 3 major povs (aka my protagonists) and then dash in a little bit of the perspectives of other people?
I don’t know if this is just me, but I find it so very irritating when people say that 1st person is the little league POV. Could also be biased bc that’s my current wip 😂 oh also a good example of 1st person + kind of second would be the Percy Jackson series!
i really wanna write something that starts in third person with a man in therapy, and once it gets to the subject of is first love it switches to first person pov of him as a kid and that would be a majority of the story. The beginning therapy chapter is a few thousand words, and it might jump back to that timeline from time to time but the bulk of the story is him as a kid with his friends and love before the end starts to wrap up back in third person and you learn the reason he’s going to therapy and all that jazz. Does that sound like it would work to anyone? I’m just gonna go ahead and write like that and figure out if I like it later and with beta readers but input would be great hahaha
I like first person, i used it for my wattpad story back in 2017. it's a romance comedy. But right now i'm writing a fantasy with several character arc, so i'm more comfortable using third omniscient.
You should have a podcast called Writers Life Wednesday
Yess
I feel like when I write 3rd person I am able to understand and delve deeper with all my characters. It helps me humanize them and instead of seeing them as my character I see them as a friend.
3rd Omniscient, 'cause I can do so much with the descriptions and the fun in that just drives me wild.
I’m writing a novel in second person! I chose this because I want to set the story apart from others and really make it clear how YOU are the protagonist, (which paves the way for a shocking plot twist eheheh). It also establishes a connection between the narrator and the reader, and to me feels kind of like a visual novel game, which is super nostalgic to me. Also, the way the story is set up, the reader, narrator, and protagonist are all different and distinct characters in the story. The usage of the word ‘you’ in my novel takes advantage of how in English, plural ‘you’ and singular ‘you’ are the same, and it switches around at various points, unbeknownst to the reader. This was a kind of random, but I just wanted to share because I think second person is super cool.
Omg please tell me more! Can I read??
I want to read that so badly!!! Can I read it?
Oh my gosh, I want to read this so much
Is this story complete yet and if so what's it called? This sounds really sweet and I would really like to read it if it's finished.
This is interesting
I love writing in third person close. Because I don’t usually like swapping in first person between characters. But I like having at least two or three important characters. I also feel like names are really important to me and I want the reader to remember the names. And I have a hard time remembering names when it’s from a singular first person.
I mainly write in first person. I'm terrible for saying it, but I feel I can get away with a lot of inconsistencies, like swapping tenses, when a character is making those mistakes. I love how intimate you're making the reader with the character. You're actually inside their head. You're feeling their feelings. You see how irrational they're being. You see their state of mind. It was a great coping mechanism for me last year when I needed to sort out my own feelings. Thank you so much
I prefer writing in first person, but have often written in third, too. It does definitely depend on the needs of the story. 💖
Hi, I like 1st and third person too, but I’m a little bit stuck on which one to use. The story involves a lot of exploration and adventure so do you have an idea which POV is better.
@@Lxpi. i have the same problem :(
third-person limited is basically my all-time favourite POV. I am starting a new book which is a fantasy-fiction, and I'm quite excited about it!
The book and Netflix Show „You“ is kond of written in second person (yet the narrator is the still protagonist but he’s constantly talking to his „crush“) and it really fits the story
1st person referral is the style the book and show is done in.
Bruh ur comment reminded me of the convo between the news reporter and the lady when they argued over this show 😂
Classics are usually omniscient and I grew up reading those so it makes sense why that’s my favorite POV. Although, I feel most modern books are first person and they do draw you in. You don’t even realize the “I” is there because you meld with the character’s point of view if the story draws you in. I just prefer to have the ability to be everywhere.
Abbie: I’ve started to watch and never finished so many T.V. shows that are like this that have so many protagonists.
A Song Of Ice And Fire enters the chat
I used to write exclusively in first person. What I quickly learned from it is that it makes it difficult to write from different points of view, especially if you have two protagonist characters fighting each other or working together. It also makes it difficult to describe your character's traits and features without relying exposition or some kind of reflective surface at the start of the story. In my opinion, first person is best suited for main character focused stories. If you have a large cast of characters, 3rd person is a much easier perspective to work with. I've also found that if you want to use 1st person perspective and have a cast of important side-characters, you can reserve 1st person for the scenes where your main character is present and move to 3rd person perspective when the main character isn't present in the scene or is otherwise incapacitated. This provides development for the other characters and adds to your world building in ways outside of your main character's abilities/limits.
Oh my goodness I love your idea! I was trying to figure out if I wanted to write in first person or third person, but what you just described would be perfect for my story. Thank you for sharing ❤
@@taylardotson8100 you're welcome 😊
I prefer to write in 1st person, because I feel that I can explain my characters’ internal conflicts and fears and desires much better than if I wrote them in 3rd person.
I like First Person for exactly the same reason as you, I can totally immerse myself into my character. It's like Halloween everyday, but you're also making decisions in their daily lives for them instead of just asking for candy.
I was just this morning realizing that I haven't clearly established a perspective for my novel, and thought, "I wonder if Abbie has a video on perspective." You did it again...helping me answer the exact question I am working through. Thank you for this video...extremely helpful!
I feel like I'm the only one who's a sucker for third person non-omniscient narrator.
Constantly switching pov is a hell of a lot, but it's so rewarding in the end. 😍
I like it too :-).
Dean Koonz once wrote a few chapters in an Odd Thomas book from the first-person perspective of a dog, trying to get human beings to follow him. It was pretty amazing to get the dog’s perspective.
I prefer third person close. I just really like bringing out all the emotions of the character and showing what it is that’s ripping them apart inside. I really want to experiment, though. Second person sounds cool for a short story.
3rd person is by far my favorite. I really shy away from 1st and 2nd pov cause it feels ..idk too personal? And makes me feel really awkward for some reason 😅 3rd person feels better cause I can dare to do or say things completely out of character for me irl, but like at a "safe distance" lol
THIS IS SO TRUE
my default pov is actually second person since i love how it makes the reader feel like they're actually the ones doing all of the things the character does. on the other hand, i feel uncomfortable writing short stories/fanfics/etc. in first person, which is weird since i write poetry in first person lol
I used to love reading and writing in first person, but after reading a few books in third person and then reading again in first person, the first person writing just felt very 'off'. I understand the intimacy of first person and I can definitely get into it and really love the writing, but i feel like it takes me a second to be immersed into it while third person seems to suck me in right away. I think for first person, it's like I have to get passed this wall of being like, 'myself, the reader, is not actually the protagonist who's telling the story with 'i did this... and i did that...'' It feels a bit weird to read the pronouns 'I' and 'me' when I'm not the one using those pronouns and it's actually someone else. So then I need to accept that I'm going into the mind of the protagonist before I can feel like everything is happening to me as the protagonist. I hope that made some sense
Your book shelf is so beautifully organised.... love it
I always write in third person omniscient because I mainly write in my native language which has many variations to say "I", ranging to formal, informal, even region-specific dialect, so it's kind of awakward for me to write in first person. Thank you for the video, Abbie!
That sounds a little overwhelming but it must be a really complete language :P
I have that problem trying to learn German.
There's so many different words for "I," "You," "Are," "Have," etc.
I think I and You are the biggest ones.
I LOVE to write in third person close. I feel like I can show more about how my character looks and feels instead of going into their head...if that makes sense?
Same!! And maybe sometimes their motives and actions are logical and more understood to the viewer rather than using 1st POV. I feel like when using 1st pov, your cahracter NEEDS to explain all the time, why she/he is doing this or that, but in 3rd POV your character is actually MORE mysterious, and his/her actions tells a story by itself (3rd pov is definetily show dont tell, but 1st pov is tell, dont show)
For instance when your character is riding on a bus or train, you can write everything that your character doesn't see...and THAT's so exciting!
You're like their Guardian Angel watching and telling a story above the sky, telling a story from your "Guardian" point of wiev. I like to think that way. An angel who is actually narrating the story 😃
Also....
Using 3rd pov there is 360° camera activity, but 1st pov is only 180°.... i dunno, sometimes it makes sense, sometimes not.
@@MerzzzuuuuSO TRUE. I was confused over whether to write in 1st person or 3rd person like I usually do. But you just cleared my mind by saying the 360° thing. Thank you
Normally I like third person (either close or omniscient) because my characters are usually on such big adventures that limiting it to one pov narrows the world / story too much. This camp nano I'm writing in first person, to challenge myself - because apparently camp nano wasn't challenge enough.
I write romance, and I like 3rd person close the best. I also occasionally switch perspectives between the two love interests. But only those two.
Abbie: Don't switch perspectives in the middle of a scene
Brandon Sanderson: You underestimate my power
Excellent u explain pov with clarity, I understand it
better. Thank you
A famous novel written in the second person is Italo Calvino’s If on a Winter Night a Traveler. A brilliant book. It works as an immersive, surrealist style but a bit too in your face at times
Hi Abbie, this is so great. I am a total first-person girl but sometimes I will write in 3rd for exercises, but I LOVE the first person.
There are so many different POVs that I'm sick of so many books that oversimplify it into 1st/3d person and present/past tense. I can name at least six different POVs, but there _are_ others, and they all can be written in any tense you want. In fact, some POVs can be written in 1st, 2d, or 3d person, or even in all three (but not at the same time, thank goodness). So, POV is far more complicated than many make it out to be. I'm glad it doesn't sound like you oversimplify it in this way. There is an underlying logic to POV, though, so it pays to learn how that works, and that makes the complicated subject of POV a whole lot easier to understand, and gives you a boatload of more options to consider creatively than just 1st/3d person and present/past tense.
One thing I almost *NEVER* hear anyone talk about with respect to POV is the difference between subjective and objective, since some POVs can only be subjective and others can only be objective and still others can be either. Why is this never on the table as a topic of discussion anymore? What ever happened to great dialogue on, to great discussion of, the art of fiction?!
This current trend of oversimplification of POV is really annoying. And it’s making fiction a homogenous glop of illiterate goo, rather than a glorious, heterogenous palette of literary magnificence and creativity.
I just ordered a test version of my FIRST EVER published story! What I did for the POV in this one was... a little different. As you suggest, I started off in the head of one character. An innocent young lad who, throughout the first few thousand words of the book, is learning about the ACTUAL main character from this more antagonistic lense. He starts off by describing the main character as evil, but, as he learns more and more, wel along with him, get to see the true nature of this character. Eventually, the POV completely switches TO this character we had been learning about from another's POV. So, by this point.. hopefully at least.. the readers already feel somewhat comfortable around this character, though it is strange finally seeing the world from his eyes. And since he is more of the mysterious type, I chose to cover his perspective from a 3rd person POV, so we still keep a sense of that unsure aspect about his character, still a part of him a mystery to us. Idk, it's all for fun!
In a different book, I had a LOT of fun challenging myself with this whole thing! The chapters would switch back and forth between 2nd person POV/present tense, and 3rd person POV/past tense. they would swap back and forth like 10101010, so you knew the even numbered chapters were one perspective and the odd numbered chapters the other. And both told COMPLETELY different stories!... Or so it seemed. The past tense one told of an innocent, yet mysteriously powerful being SLOWLY turning against the other, eviler "gods," who would eventually declare war on it/them. Meanwhile, the 2nd person story was about YOU, hence the perspective. Your character is kind of like a shape shifter who, every time you die, materializes again in a new, completely different body! I showcased the vast difference by having you die a couple times in the story. One as an old woman, two as a tall, strong man, and three as a small, weak girl. Your character is for the most part a complete mystery, obviously on a mission to kill the "gods" of this world, but having no real explanation why, or even a backstory to explain it!.. See where I am going with this? :]
I ended tht book by, when I had brought both POVs to an end, started a whole NEW POV: 1st person, where the two perspectives collide, the big twist being that the main character from the 3rd perspective story was actually the past version of the main character from the 2nd person story! XD You can probably see why I had so much fun with this one! I loved finding ways to better tell the story through POVs, especially incorporating the point of the different perspectives and past/present tenses into the lore of the story as well.
I too love to write in 1st person POV
My go-to comfort writing style is first person, but I sometimes do write in third omniscient if the story calls for it (but it's harder). I've never thought of switching up styles or writing in second person, makes me want to try both!
I think that the Series of Unfortunate Events books are told in kind of a mesh between 3rd person omniscient and 1st person, which works really well
I think the “stay in your mc’s head for a while to establish who they are and why what’s happening is important to them” is done SO well by the show The Good Place. The first person you ever see and follow around is Eleanor. For the first several episodes, you would think that it’s just going to be focused on HER the whole time. We learn (some of) her backstory first, too. But then she bonds with Chidi, and the story expands. You think that Tahani is just some girl she hates, but she turns out to be one of the main four characters, along with Jason (who isn’t even CALLED Jason at the time; he doesn’t even speak at that point). Every time you learn more about these characters, the story expands until it’s clear who it’s about: Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani, Jason, and, surprisingly, Michael and Janet, too. The show does it so well without overwhelming you or feeling like you need to keep up. Ultimately, Eleanor remains the MAIN main character, too, even though it’s about more than her. (Huge ending spoiler ahead) You even end the series and watch the them leave the afterlife or move onto something greater through her eyes.
Thank you for this video! When I stared writing my story, I kind of lost track of my POV and got the first few chapters messed up, which is disastrous because one of my story’s main themes is ‘view points’. But then I realised that and now I kind of switch between two POVs (3rd person close) more or less naturally, with occasionally 1st/2nd/3rd person omniscient jumping in. It’s a very very long story so I’m experimenting with all sorts of ways of writing while keeping it as consistent as I can throughout.
Parts of the “night circus” is written in second person
You just gave me a BRILLIANT IDEA! I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH. ❤️❤️❤️ I like the idea of using 1st person point of view, switching to a 3rd person point of view further ahead in the story.
Again I say, BRILLIANT!
Hi Abbie! Your content is some of the most valuable I've come across in my crazy ADHD/COVID-boredom fueled search for new tips that might help me stop ruminating and just jump in. I have searched high and low for a helpful channel that I look forward to returning to, and I'm so grateful to have found you! I'm so into this 3-part story structure right now. I also got a membership to support!
The Broken Earth Trilogy by N. K. Jemisin has a POV written in second person. It was very, very jarring at first, but it became very easy to read shortly into it. (There's also a reason for it, but, spoilers.)
3:36 Animorphs is a perfect example of doing more than 4 characters in first person WELL. There are 6, the books are short ('cause they're "meant for kids"), and the character perspective changes per book (there are 52 in the series).
I love writing in third person close. Thanks for helping me rediscover what other perspectives and combos of them are possible.
Using first person might be a good challenge for me, because it always felt so robotic, like sports play-by-plays, when I used it before.
Human acts by Han Kang had alot of second person and it was very good. I think what made it good was that the writing style made the reader develop their character throughout the story and it felt more like I was in a therapy session trying to piece together my own memory of a single event by pulling in perspectives from all those around me. I would highly recommend that book
Bright Lights, Big City for second person.
Nora Roberts does a magnificent job of writing in Omniscient POV in some of her novels. When she changes whose head she's in within the same scene, she does so in a different paragraph.
The books i have read are mostly in a 3rd person POV so it makes sense to me. 1st person seems too much of a self insert to me and makes me a bit uncomfortable. But abbie's advice are always nice.
I've only ever read one novel that was written in second-person POV: "Bright Lights, Big City" by Jay McInerney. A very interesting read, not just because of its unusual point of view, but because it is well-executed and well-written. It was made into a movie in (thank you, Wikipedia) 1988.
Came here to post this, it's one of my favorite books!
Second person POV is actually my favorite. Not great if you want to feel immersed in the book but it opens a lot of other possibilities for the narration. I recommend If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino or Second Thoughts by Michel Butor if you want to give it a shot.
Love this! This has helped me so much!! I'm still outlining my novel and this has helped me decide my narrative!
Limited Omniscient. :P This is my favorite POV.
To add to my previous comment, the label "Third Person Omniscient," to my mind, is redundant and not very descriptive. *ALL* omniscient POVs, by logical necessity, must be told in 3d Person. This is because the narrator is omniscient and outside of the story. Thus, 3d Person. Omniscient means that you have access to some or all of the story character's minds.
Definition of Limited Omniscient: You can see the story's central character from the inside _or_ the outside, but you can only see other characters from the outside (no access to their thoughts - thus the reason for the *LIMITED* Omniscient nomenclature). Therefore, the narrator can describe the central character's external appearance. Many times, those who use Limited Omniscient, will start the story or a scene with an external description of the central character, then will withdraw and no longer do so throughout the rest of the story or throughout the rest of the scene.
The interesting thing with Limited Omniscient is that because this is an omniscient POV, you can have scenes _without_ the central character, but because this is a limited omniscience, you cannot take your readers inside the heads of the other characters. It makes such scenes very objective (or emotionally distant), but can still give the reader insights into things the central character does not know.
What most call "Limited Third Person" (a term I do not like, as it lacks precision) I call Single Character Subjective. In this POV, you can see inside the central character's mind, but because this is _subjective,_ the writer cannot describe this character externally, except for, say, the character momentarily seeing their reflection (which is less awkward than when this is done in 1st Person). Single Character Subjective can be written in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd Person.
I've just described two POVs (Limited Omniscient and Single Character Subjective) explicitly, and one (Omniscient) implicitly, and one of those first two POVs (SCS) has three variations. You won't find many modern books that speak of POV in these terms.
I solid heartedly love a third-person point of view. I might have tried the third person omniscient and first-person but the third person is my way to bag the hook of my story.
So what do you think of this - I’ve been writing a series, and I primarily write from one character’s POV in first person (my female protagonist.) However, there are a few scenes in 3rd person from my male protagonist’s POV. Do you think that makes sense? I try to only keep my main character’s POV in 1st person.
I definitely prefer to read and write in 1st! Great video!
Hi, thanks for the clarity and the lesson, they are amazing!
recently I was writing this one little book. I realised that writing in the first perspective is more difficult than second or third.
also are you wearing a yellow shirt because of the 100 Days of Sunlight cover ?? :)
I also really really love second person. I started writing in second person when writing fanfiction and it is my favorite because we have this character, the narrator, and they narrate the story using the pronoun 'you' so it's like they are transforming me into the protagonist of the story. I actually think that it can feel even more intimate than first person, depending on the person reading/writing of course. I'm sure though that if I started practicing first person again, I would feel differently about which one is more intimate.
I prefer writing in 3rd person close. It's because when I read, I often don't want to be entirely inside the character's head, as cool as they are. I like to be reminded that it's a story, and it's as if I have a clearer view of the scene and what's going on, instead of having a limited vision as the character. When I read 1st person, I can't imagine their facial expression like how other characters would see them.
I prefer first person POV. I feel that this style gives me the ability to create a sense of immediacy and intimacy and strongly empathize with my characters, but I agree that there are no right or wrong POVs, only different preferences for different writers.
I chose for my (hithertofore unpublished) novel a first person perspective from the POV of a supporting character who acts as a chronicler for the protagonist, similar to the way Watson is the POV character chronicling the enigmatic Holmes
GIRL YASSSS 👏✨ This video is so, SO helpful! ALSO, your NaNo novel sounds E P I C 😍😍😍
My preferred POV for both reading and writing is 3rd Person Close (Limited Omniscient.) I can write in 1st Person POV quite well, however, I don't usually like reading stories that are in 1st Person POV because I find it jarring and a little off-putting if the character isn't relatable to me. What I like about the 3rd Person Close POV is that I relate to the characters by "seeing and learning" how they feel in the same way that I do a movie character.
Head-hopping was one of those things that didn’t bother me until I learned about it. Now it drives me INSANE.
Hi Abbyey, I have been bingeing your videos. I would love to see a few paragraphs of each style so I can understand more. 😊
Well my favorite POV is third person omniscient because it's easy for me to write it that way and I have so many characters that are involved in the fantasy stories. I tried 1st person for another genre, but it does not work so well. I can't grab first person, unless I write like a diary/journal.
That was a great video - one of your best in my opinion. I personally enjoy the third person omniscient writing style, although I know some people consider it a bit archaic these days. Nonetheless, I find it an effective way to convey a narrative. Keep up the excellent work!
There's a LOT of 2nd person writings in fanfiction. Not as professional, but can definitely be just as emersive and enjoyable if done right!
4:20 Dune does this, which is why it took me almost to the halfway mark to feel attached to some of the characters/ feel immersed in the world.
1st definitely....it soaks you in
Thanks 😊
The more videos on writing I watch, the more I realise I know everything I need to write my magical realism.
I need to JUST DO IT
The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo is one neat example of 2nd person POV; its a trashy romance if you ask me, but i loved reading 2nd person, because you really don't see it all that much.
Great video! I always write in 3rd person limited but I'm tempted to dabble in 1st. 😊 Maybe for a short story.
I am mostly a 3rd person omiscient writer, but I have some paragraphs where I try to go first person, but i do it best through character confessions. "That's me" (ABBA- That's Me- song from 1976)
In all of my short stories, I have written in third person, switching between character POV’s. They’ve all been romance genres. Now I have a novel draft.
Abbie I literally love you and your work 😍😍you’re a blessing from God.
How many books have you written tho?
I personally have read mostly in third person but feel like my book would have a better feel in first person, so I think that first and third person are my exclusives. (Trying to go for a sorta ORV feel you know but with my own novel)
It's like I was search for something and I think I got it, your channel is amazing
To us obsessed with 1st person 😂❤. Me also addicted to abbies vids I literally made my whole family subscribe to u thank you so much ❤❤
Awesome video, as usual, Abbie. I write whatever fits the story best. My current WIP is 3rd close (i think). Have written in first. The next planned project will be 3rd omni/close.
I normally write in 3rd person close but that's because that what's I prefer to read. I have thought about writing in 1st POV though !!!
I've always loved 1st Person best!! By the way, your books POV sounds so interesting!! I kinda want to try that now....
I don't like writting or reading in 1st person because in my mother tongue, we hardlly use "I" to talk to other people. We often have different pronounce base on age and the order in the family. This leads to me feel very strange and distance to write in 1st person so I often write in 3rd person close. Beside, writing in third person close can help me to write about different characters stories without changing the POV.
*English is not my first languague, please don't judge.
Cool what’s ur first language
@@HahaGirly1212 It's Vietnamese
I usually go for first person or third limited, but right now, I'm having a hard time deciding which POV I want to write from. I have two protagonists and I have a few specific scenes already written that I plan to work into my book at some point, but I can't decide which of the two characters you should experience each scene through. 😅
When I first started writing as a kid, I was OBSESSED with first person writing XD I barely even understood how to write third person, and whenever I had some type of school assignment to write in third person, I went nuts. But when I started to roleplay as a teenager with third person...I now can only write in third person and cannot for the life of me do first person POV anymore lmao. For me, third person is the best way for me to better understand my characters and get inside their head.
I mostly write short “choose your own adventure” stories in second person. I’m trying to get back into writing more long form content however, but I have no clue what POV I should use
I usually write in first person, but I'm trying to write more in third person, specifically third person closed. One thing I struggle with in third person is tense. I never know whether to write 'She said "Will you make it home it time?"' or 'She says, "Will you make it home in time?"' When I write first person I always write 'I say...' Any help in the replies will be greatly appreciated!!
2nd person books (I'll give you two).
You, by Caroline Kepnes. Written in first person referral (A type of second person).
Bright Lights Big City, by Jay McInerney. Written in second person intimate.
Hope you enjoy!
Your discussion of sticking with a protagonist and making sure we understand what they care about and why that makes the story matter just made me realize a problem I have with the movie "Tenet". Now, I wonder what your thoughts on that film are. And generally Christopher Nolan's work.
I love Jane Austen's work. Like Abbie said, PLLLEEEEAAASSEEE fix the problem of not yet having read her books. ;)
I love to write in first person but for the current piece that I'm writing, I wanted to do a scene in third person but I was told by someone that your story should always be in one POV.
So thankyou for clearing that up for me
Head Hopping: I just saw this done well today. Rather than fully entering multiple character's heads, the author used inner dialogue in italics: unspoken words from multiple characters. I thought it worked very well.
What is the book's name?
@@kasfizamanshama2136 This was a year's worth of books ago. 😐I have literally no idea.
I can't completely recall what happened, but I remember enjoying the perspective hopping between Juli and Bryce from the Novel 'Flipped'
love to do head-hopping :P
For my current WIP I am using Third Person Close. Now do you think it works if you do two POVs, starting with one character, focus on them in that chapter... Then in the second chapter I focus on my second MC?
Research "Deep POV" it'll help a ton, happy writing!
Given that it’s done well, yes! This is the way I like to write my stories and although most of the ones I do don’t turn out well, I’ve read plenty where it’s done to near perfection.
I wanted to write a Third POV because I think my book needs it. But I never really tried it and I'm really struggling. I would love Abbie to make a video about and everything about the third POV. xoxo
I can't decide wether to choose 1st person or 3rd person omniscient. I want my book to sound like a compilation of different perspectives of the major contributers (aka my protagonists) to a war that was so devastating, almost every creature that resided in the world died. Will it be okay to have 3 major povs (aka my protagonists) and then dash in a little bit of the perspectives of other people?
N.K. Jemisin does great work with second person writing in the Broken Earth series.
I don’t know if this is just me, but I find it so very irritating when people say that 1st person is the little league POV. Could also be biased bc that’s my current wip 😂 oh also a good example of 1st person + kind of second would be the Percy Jackson series!
i really wanna write something that starts in third person with a man in therapy, and once it gets to the subject of is first love it switches to first person pov of him as a kid and that would be a majority of the story. The beginning therapy chapter is a few thousand words, and it might jump back to that timeline from time to time but the bulk of the story is him as a kid with his friends and love before the end starts to wrap up back in third person and you learn the reason he’s going to therapy and all that jazz. Does that sound like it would work to anyone? I’m just gonna go ahead and write like that and figure out if I like it later and with beta readers but input would be great hahaha
I mostly write in first person! I’m super tempted to try third close though!
I like first person, i used it for my wattpad story back in 2017. it's a romance comedy.
But right now i'm writing a fantasy with several character arc, so i'm more comfortable using third omniscient.