Hi there, viewers! You can read an adapted text version of this video on Medium: medium.com/@quotidianwriter/the-complete-guide-to-writing-fiction-in-first-person-d1aedc104cab
Thank you including darker novels for the first person not much writers channel include dark fictional novels thank you keep educating dear. I made a long paragraph about 0:52 about lolita how it's nothing new in the dark trope/genre I never read it but I do watch. and try to read more, I do watch dark anime, and darker cartoons and I like darker themes besides murder and mental illness. There's nothing wrong and a lot of people think there's there is. As a new writer, I am writing isekai series and I always want to write darker themes but I never had the courage to write darker things this is a great video ma'am. Thanks for being open with first-person not many writing channels are like that. My previous comment glitched in half so I delete it to keep up the great work ma'am.
Hi there, I forget if I watched this video already but I just realized I should start asking online for people's opinion: if I have a story/anthology with a lot of different characters and I feel comfortable with first-person, do you personally I think the reader would prefer this perspective for its exploration of different characters' voices, OR do you think some readers may feel discombobulated without a slightly detached "her/he" observer perspective?
Been watching your videos. Great tips. I have a question for you and everyone here: would an orphan be more effective telling his or her story as an abandoned child in first person? It’s past tense.
Amazing! You wont believe it! I went through your video on first person, and to my surprise I saw a photo of myself and a friend sitting on the rocks having a discussion. This photo was taken in the early 90's on the coast of South Africa.
Almost all of my style is writing in the first person. A lot of my stories are based upon the perspective a very unique characters and how the world looks from their eyes. It forces me to do a tremendous amount of research on a particular person whether it be somebody who is blind, rich, or extremely extroverted. As I write I take on the personality of the character and try to show the reader something they've never seen before. Little subtle details about a world that they may otherwise not ever understand or know of themselves. It brings a much more authentic character that isn't over stylized or some sort of cliche.
not sure if you have done this but ai find it fun and very interesting if you write in first person like the story is happening to you. You will learn a lot about yourslef. Be careful though sometiems it can drive you a bit mad and sometimes you may enjoy that ;)
I like writing in first person, personally because I like reading it better. I like being able to be in a persons shoes instead of being some disembodied observer watching a “He” or a “She”
I am currently writing in the first person but with two point of views. Alternating the voices of two characters makes it feel less claustrophobic. The best part of the first person is showing the conflict between what a person says and thinks about themselves and what they actually do. It's fun to see how someone interprets events when the reader has another interpretation. Thank you so so much for your videos. They have been so helpful. You are so talented!
I've often thought about writing a murder mystery in first person where the viewpoint character is a detective working on the murder of his best friend. It ends with him filing the case in "Cold Cases" and walking away, pleased with himself.
I've realized my story's narrator style is "Campfire story". While its too long for an actual campfire story, it sounds like the character has come back to tell a story to a new generation.
Books in this video for my 'to read' list: 1. Lolita; Vladimir Nabokov, 2. The Stranger; Albert Camus, 3. Gone Girl; Gillian Flynn, 4. The curious incident of the dog in the night-time, 5. Room; Emma Donoghue, 6. The Martian; Andy Weir, Film mentioned: Rasho-mon, 7. Fight Club; Chuck Palahniuk, 8. The Catcher in The Rye; J.D. Salinger, 9. A Clockwork Orange; Anthony Burgess, 10. House of Leaves; Mark Z. Danielewski, 11. Flowers For Algernon; Daniel Keyes, 12. Not sure what this one was. 13. The Color Purple; Alice Walker, 14. World War Z; Max Brooks, 15. Life of Pi; Yann Martel, 16. As I Lay Dying; William Faulkner, 17. Jen Eyre; Charlotte Brontë, 18. To Kill a Mockingbird; Harper Lee, 19. The Book Thief; Marcus Zusak, 20. The Name of The Wind; Patrick Rothfuss, 21. The Canterburry Tales, 22. The Great Gatsby, 23. Sherlock Holms, 24. Diary of a Wimpy Kid; Jeff Kinney, 25. The Hunger Games; Suzanne Collins, 26. Divergent, 27 The Time Traveler's Wife, 28. Dark Matter; Blake Crouch, 29. Twilight; Stephenie Meyer, 30. Percy Jackson; Rick Riordan, 31. Matched; Allie Condy, 32. The Fault in Our Stars; John Green, 33. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, 34. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn/ Tom Sawyer; Mark Twain, 35. Dracula; Bram Stoker, Long list, fewww!
@@QuotidianWriter Thank you, you're a blessing and a guide. And for the record I'm planning to write down all the books in all your videos. You're a wonderful person. Wish I had the money to treat you to a coffee :)
I write in first person because that feels natural to me as if I am telling a story in front of an audience. One of the advantages of first person is that you can move the story along as quickly or slowly as you want. For example if the main character is bored he can unilateraly decide to end a scene. "I hated the petty people my date loved to talk to so I told her that it was time to go."
I am in love with the story Jane Eyre. I love how she says things in such detail. Everything from people, things and places. When she talks about expressions she tells it to the reader almost like she reads their mind just from a glance or a slight smirk.
@@TRSmith-vp9cq Then, watch the movie. It's my favorite Hitchcock movie. Joan Fontaine and Sir Laurence Olivier are amazing. The novel also has the best first line that ever was written.
My favorite 1st person story is Outlander. I'm ✍writing a fiction story and chose 1st person because I want the reader to experience what the protagonist is experiencing.
Personally, I like reading third person more than first person. Just cause it is detached doesn’t mean you are not living in the moment. When I started writing, third person was my go too, but that soon changed. My third person narration was too similar to other books I had read. I was unknowingly copying the voice of other authors. I switched to first person to escape from the familiarity. I hope that that first person really was the right choice.
Just bench watching your videos daily had turned me to an extraordinary writer, though started writing recently, because the urge came, I didn't want to suppress it. Thanks a lot Diane. You mean a lot to me. from Nigeria.
Thank you so much for this! I don't write in the first person, it seems so difficult, but with this advice i will going to give it a try :) looking forward to your other tutorials, so very motivating :)
Being eternally grateful is not a sufficient compliment for the rapid rate as well as volume of knowledge and experience I've gained from the lessons found in this channel. Thank you for enhancing my love of creative writing. Looking forward to more inspiring information/lessons! Writing is the center of my life!
I was thinking of keeping my story in a close 3rd POV of 3 characters, but this actually reminded me of the rewards and challenges 1st POV presents. I might experiment and ultimately switch, because the idea of having three distinct voices and personalities going about the same conflict just sounds so interesting and fun. Thanks for the video!
Thank you. My debut novel is 1st person, you touched on everything. Sometimes I get scared to be in my main character's shoe and want to tap out because I feel soo entangled with her emotions!! PS: Dear to Dream will soon be out on KDP.
I am putting together an idea, so this video hit the spot: clear, professional, honest, and the examples where delivered with stunning effect. My compliments Ms. or Mrs. Callahan.
Very helpful and informative, thank you! For me deciding between first and third person is becoming a matter of how intuitive it is to do so. I'm finding third person to be too artificial or unintuitive so I'm gonna try first person now and see how that goes!
I started out preferring 3rd person and not liking 1st person, but then a writing curriculum forced me to write a novel in 1st person (One Year Adventure Novel) and I did it and realized it was a lot of fun. Now I'm trying to figure out which one to use, because I love both for different reasons. I can do a good job of either one, though both are a challenge initially before editing. In first person, one of my characters will ramble on and on and never describe what's happening unless I force it and then it feels a little strange sometimes, whereas another of my characters will get straight to the point and is probably easier to write action in first person. I think I just need to practice more too and see.
I literally wrote a comment using first person for the first time just trying to lay out my thoughts and I think I have a decent start at it, but I mostly write in third person omniscent to where I can describe anything without limit. First person is very intriguing to me and I think I can find super complex ways to write with this new idea of it!! How is your writing coming along? I see it's been 8 months since this comment, but maybe we could exchange more feedback or have a learned conversation about writing if you are interested!!
@@Doubleaa500 I haven't been steadily writing, but did write a good amount a few months back! I got some experience writing from a guy perspective in first person and that was a lot of fun. Easier than I thought it would be--or at least it's starting out that way. That story got paused because I didn't have the whole thing planned out yet. How about you?
@@EmilynWood That sounds pretty good so far!! How long have you been writing? I'm currently taking a fiction writing class and trying to grow my longer form writing skills, but at the moment I'm trying these different pov's! I am writing every day pretty much! I usually write very short vivid scenes that have a poetic tone and deeper meaning to them so I'm trying to expand on the details and dialogue so I can build an entire world of a story rather than just a single point in the picture!! What kind of writing do you like to write the most?
@@Doubleaa500 I've been making up stories for about twenty years--started really writing stories about thirteen years ago. Went to college for writing and that taught me a lot about how to write concise--the program was more for technical writing than for fiction writing but they had a couple classes on creative writing as well that I snagged when I got the chance. I like fantasy writing with some literary elements. Dostoyevsky and Charles Dickens and Charlotte Bronte meets Narnia/Lord of the Rings/Inkheart I suppose is what I like, or those are some of my top inspirations. How about you?
@@EmilynWood That's awesome!! I have been writing seriously for 10 years or so, but I have grown so much in the past year and a half! I am working on reading more and trying to like reading lol. My favorite things to write are more abstract concepts and short vivid scenes. I write across all genres though and do a lot of scifi fantasy, poetry, poetic prose, basically anything. In my fiction class, I find myself writing very similar to Edgar Allen Poe and Ray Bradbury as we have been studying a couple of thier short stories. I work on concepts and techniques as well to learn how to teach very complex and creative ways to write and get inspiration!!
Where are u? It has been long since u posted a new video. Your content is helpful to writers and I truly enjoy ur videos. Thank u for making these. Have a great day.
if the guillotine pic insert when the limitations were mentioned and the use of the word execute at around 5:30 wasn't intentional, i now revel in the joy of an accidental pun. if it was intentional, hello person, i see what you did there, and i appreciate.
Thank you so much between all the articles i've read and videos i've watched and advices people i know have given to me about writing in first person, this video was definitely the most helpful and the most motivating!
I highly respect first person for the strengths and weaknesses it can bring to the table. I enjoy how limiting it is, making us puzzle out the reasons for other characters' behaviors instead of just being fed them. It produces more of a mysterious setting--especially if you make the POV character unreliable. The subjectivity of first person lends to unique opportunities for characterization through word choice and how descriptions are approached. But, like any other tool in the writer's toolbox, first person has its particular use. I think I bought a book once that sounded intriguing, but as soon as I started reading it and realized it was in first person I set it aside to never be touched again. Maybe if I get back into reading one day I'll be able to give it another shot now that I have a generally less biased approach to most things. I have issues with the concept of "favorites", but the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher comes to mind due to the audiobooks being played at home recently. I enjoy the quirky voice of Harry Dresden, the delightful and often funny descriptions and similes provided. Unfortunately, this voice seems to be the only one Butcher can really conjure per my experiences. Novellas from other characters sound just the same. It has been years, though, and I never did follow any of his other series. I wholeheartedly believe people can change. The atrocity I published in my teens was written in first person, present tense. That decision was so long ago that I don't remember my reasoning. I can guess that this terrible idea came from wanting to make something that stood out, due to not having encountered that POV and tense combination before. I also probably figured my characters were just so amazing that I had to let the reader in on their thoughts. My skin crawls just thinking about it... "War for the Sun" is written in third person, limited. I use it very much like first person, though, just with third person pronouns. I endeavor to keep it as tight to the POV character as possible, including thoughts, imperfections in perception, and colored descriptions. I like having secrets that I can slowly feed to the reader. Also, I have at least one character that knows way too much of what's going on and who would just be a giant talking head. Death to the mystery there.
I like first-person, and my favorite author, Michael Scott Earle, always write in the first person. It is tough to write in different voices, but I believe with good help, it will get better.
You're just a great and amazing person! Thank you so much, I was struggling with this, and I had no idea it was really so easy once you take another look at it. Keep these videos coming^^
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! I seriously needed this. And in the last five videos I'd gone through for first person narrative, yours is easily the BEST! I'm totally awestruck by your deep knowledge about writing. Have you published any of your works?
I am writing my fourth novel. In first person because I want to make the story more character driven rather than plot driven. I want it to be more introspective.
This was a Must Watch - since my current WIP is first person. I have to say, though, that my pet peeve regarding first person narration is a writer who insists on switching, without warning or cause, from present tense to past, describing a scene or series of actions while ping-ponging from one to the other and back again. Talk about whiplash! But, while I have never attempted first person before, it was the only possible choice for this particular story. Thank you for the insights!
Your tip on eliminating filter words just saved my LIFE!! My big Uni project CAN be in first person ! The story starts with the world turning on its head for my main character, so I want to audience to be "up close and personal" with them as it happens. Also, 1st person is (imo) the easiest POV with which to avoid personal pronouns, something I think it important with this character.
@@brabra2725 @Bra bra not if you ended it with something like “Or so I’d like to think,” or “I say to myself in an attempt to raise what little confidence I had left”
At one stage, I could read 1st person without issues. Then, when I submitted our (co-author and I) works to a critique group, someone said we should study deep POV. We removed all the filter words and added detail just like you suggest around the 7-minute mark. Our 1st person became present tense with the 3rd person parts all in the past tense. We have feedback on Goodreads and in person, telling us the switch is done very well and even helps to separate the events of our MC and the other characters. Now I can't read 1st person, even Brandon Sanderson's Skyward series Leading up to finishing our first book, I learned a lot from you @Diane Callahan - Thank you
The love I have for this video gave me so much more insight, I am an Author and I have never wrote in first person. My next novel will be in first but I have 5…. It is going to be fun plugging all these characters into a novel and I can’t wait. Thank you for all your advice!!! Following !
I am writing my first 1st person novel. All my previous novels have been 3rd person. The experience is interesting. I like the introspection that 1st person allows as I am interested in showing my protagonist’s growth in a world where previous assumptions don’t apply.
This video is off the chain, as they say. Amongst many things, it describes how writing in the first person present tense can pull the reader out of the story---that is true.
I find myself struggling to gather my thoughts on 1st person narration... Not that I never use it, or use it exclusively... I mix and match, but why... I couldn't tell you. I have a character-driven writing and plotting style, so I guess you'd expect me to spend a lot of time considering my style of narration... I guess I like to challenge myself sometimes - writing a story from the pov of a character that has basically nothing in common with me (except for his poetic monologues maybe) Other times I want characters to shine and to examine their world views - that's probably what I do most often... comparing characters as they talk. My best example would be my twin characters, Lucas and Markus. I think it's an exciting exercise to have characters that are so damn similar - looking exactly the same, and having grown up side by side in the same environment - to still narrate differently. When you mentioned the little exercise, I whipped up a little thing, featuring the two as they describe their living room... Lucas: The couch feels too big and too cold without Mari by my side. A glance to the kitchen tells me he's gonna be back soon. I almost envy him for the heat of the stove and the damp warmth emanating from the soup he's cooking. I slide my bare feet behind a cushion and lean back, listening to the soft clangs of the metal ladle hitting the metal pot, and then the clangs of metal spoons hitting china plates... Markus: To this day it feels silly to have the bed right next to the couch. The backrest of it acts like a wall, trapping the two-man-bed in the tight space between the living room wall, the heater beneath the window and the couch. It'd feel equally stupid to sleep on the couch though, despite owning a perfectly good bed. Maybe we simply shouldn't have put the bed and the couch so close together... but where else would we have placed it? Imagine putting the bed next to the eating table... or next to the desk. Some awesome dreams we'd have here, dreaming about paperwork and deadlines... Somehow "description" turned into "a scene"..... but these two cannot narrate without seeking each other... Not sure if that's a good or a bad thing...
Loved the video! 💖 Gave me an idea for a thing First person + switching vastly contrasting perspectives = pretty interesting writing practice Maybe set up a straightforward plot and a few characters, then play it out with everyone's point of view Also giving the characters some kind of individual connections to each other can make things *spicy* Like A is B's ex; C was D's childhood therapist Tried it; it was pretty fun :] 👍 Writing lies + secrets were probs my favorite parts
I once wrote a proposal in the 3rd person. The first person to read it seconded it, they found it singularly intriguing. It was telling that the proposal showed how to tell whether a show was fit for TV or not. Some voiced their concerns passively, whist others were more active.
The novella 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' (1886) uses different styles. It ends with 1st person narrative. You'll learn a lot from Robert louis Stevenson.
Very interesting insights on writing in First-Person. Great video! Personally I like this POV for a variety of reasons. It can be applicaple to many situations. Usually I tend to use a third-person perspective, with the focus on the main character, but for one story I chose the first person, because I felt it would be better to show a characters struggle better. I felt it was best suited to show how she felt: Her denials, her magical empowerment, her self-reflections, her entire experiences. I want to write a story, where the reader can feel like "re-living" her life or at least have a clear vision of it. I want to catch how good magical powers feel, how they are used, how she feels about certain thingsd happening or how dangerous, confusing and tiring the actual fights are. From a technical perspective it is also intersting, because the first person is best suited for stories which rely on limited knowledge, like not knowing the motivations of other characters or noticing things until it's too late. It can also be a convenient tool: Don't know how to continue the dialogue of another character? No problem! The pov character may just dooze off and not pay attention. A random character appears? A monster? Out of nowhere? Of course it does! The POV character failed to notice them hiding in the shadows. POV limitations can indeed be strength in the hands of a competent writer (which would not be me, but I digress). You've mentioned the "curious incident" book in the video, which was one I enjoyed. Anothe example is called "Das Kunstseidene Mädchen" (I only know the german title), which is written from the perspective of a woman in early 20th century Germany. Notably the book has a very simple, abrupt language, which greatly shows the simplemindedness of the protagonist as well as her lack of formal education. Another story I liked was a character study fanfic I read on the ace attorney forum that was from Pearl Fey's perspective and focused on her personal struggles and dealing with a trauma of hers. Similiarly through TV Tropes I found about a re-telling of the Story of GTA: San Andreas from CJ's perspective, which adds a lot of depth to what he experiences and is written very convincingly as if he was telling the story from his own words. All of these influenced my perspective on this POV one way or another and made me fall in love with stories that use this perspective. These are the ones that really suck me into a story.
Faulkner tells stories in first person sometimes 3rd removed. A person telling a Story to a listener that he heard from another. This technique can revive first person to multiple viewpoints. Faulkner makes them ALL great story tellers. You are NOT limited to one voice/ perspective! Love it, fnord!
If you want the reader AND the FIRST-PERSON narrator to be genuinely surprised by a story event (to the extent that before-hand the first person narrator would state things as fact that he later realizes are not even true) you would have to be writing in first person PRESENT-TENSE. Otherwise the things he believes/states as true that are he later realized to be untrue, the writing would be dishonest since, if told from future-tense, the narrator would be telling from after the events of the story and know things he once believed were true turned out not to be.
I use the first person in my story because it's the main character's story. It is his way and it is often very lonely. In fact, that's exactly why it ends tragically in the middle. Without wanting to, everything will get worse before he can still achieve his goal in the second half. It is a very painful path my hero is going. But in the final fight I noticed that I have to use the third person. Is that unusual or a problem? The fight is pure but necessary power escalation and if I would write it from his perspective, then there would only be a blunt description of attacks. Instead, I describe the actions of the two and the effects of the attacks. I even switch to other people who watch the fight from a distance and have a short conversation because the attacks have meanwhile reached the level of Dragonball. Simply because I have no idea how I can make this fight interesting in any other way. It's just pure power escalation, where both throw the elements at each other's head and could thereby destroy an entire city.
I have written in first person before. It can appear candid with the narrator's biases and prejudices cloaked with a 'true' eyewitness account of things. It can also be interesting having the narrator sound either selfrightous or clumsily justify his/her atrocity in some attempts to gloss over his/her sins. The Black Cat by Edgar Alan Poe was my 1st true inspiration in the first-person narration.
My current project uses a peripheral narrator. It's set in a fantasy world in its steampunk era, so the limited perspective helps me to explain the world. I'm also fascinated with the idea of unreliable witnesses and I'm planning to introduce two other points of view, albeit with very clear demarcation between the narrators. The main challenge for me is that the primary narrator is female, so I'm developing an "E. Nesbit" voice for her. I know most people will tell me this is a bad idea, which is one of my greatest motivations to keep writing :)
I just want to know what to do after a character talks EX: “I’m not sure what the answer is,” I say, “Try b, that’s what I put.” : That’s an example but what about: “I love you too.” I say my eyes sparking with love. I have no idea I suck ass at writing
Billy shakes his head again. "How about number 7?" I shrug, "I'm not sure. Try b, that's what I put." He moans, "I'm never gonna pass this dumb class!" I know exactly how he feels. My eyes fill with tears of love. I say, "I love you too." He takes my hand in his. I feel his warmth [How could you see your own eyes sparking?]
Excellent content here. I’m definitely going to dive back into my first person present novel with a better idea of how to efficiently write in this tense.
First person seems to be the default approach of detective fiction. Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Milhone submits “respectfully” her story to the reader as she would to a client.’Footnote- William Faulkner wrote several detective stories that won a prize. Writing is a craft and the writer can with the reader’s consent go as deep into the human condition as s/he can entice the reader to follow.
I'm currently writing a book in first person, switching between multiple different perspectives and times. For one perspective, the character is going through nearly six years of plot and for another, the character is going through a week.
Plot lines have to be stronger in first person, because there are fewer of them. Much of the compelling quality of a page-turner may come from the harmony, dissonance, and intertwining of its plot lines. Without these elements, it may be hard to hold a reader. The peripheral narrator can sometimes interweave plot lines by observing different players in an unfolding situation. _The Great Gatsby_ works this way. A peripheral narrator can also watch messages come in, representing happenings outside immediate observation, and be processed by the central figure. Come Watson! We’re going to… . A central narrator has more of a problem. I found, for example, that _War of the Worlds_ dragged unmercifully, even though it was a novella… about outer space… written in the nineteenth frickin’ century! Welles's narrator tries, clumsily, to expand his perspective by relating stories told by his brother, but it doesn’t help. In short, it’s harder to hold a reader’s interest in the first person. If this POV has a reputation as an amateurish style, maybe it’s because the obstacles it presents make otherwise adequate writers appear amateurish. Conversely, the author who can engage the reader, in the first person, through a lengthy novel is a master. Kudos to Melville!
i did write first 5 chapters of my novel in first person and the 6. in third. I think i will switch to third. You are right. Plot is a problem in first person, you need a lot more things to happen to a single character. And i find showing not telling a lot harder in first person. It feels force that a character thinks about his/her feeling in anything but basic forms. In one scan my character got both of his arms broken by a monster and is dragged across the jungle floor. What is more normal to you: 1 My teeth clench in anticipation of pain whenever the monster lifts its leg to drag me another step closer to its layer. Every root, rock, fallen branch or a ditch in this putrid soil is yet another source of agony for my limp extremities. The will to live is leaving me replaced by the wish for the sweet release of death which surely awaits me. 2 AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! It hurts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!AAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fuuuuuuckkkkkkkkkk!!!!!AAAAAAAA!!!!Stooopp!!!!
First person seems easier on the one hand until you confuse yourself thinking why am I saying things like "I went to the store. I didn't go to the store my character Lisa went to the store." The drawback as mentioned is the 1st person has to be in every scene. Of course he or she can hide under the bed and eavesdrop in other ways, but some stuff it's better if the character was not there or not aware - using your example - if someone is trying to poison them, etc. Latest book to read in first person is the cozy mystery by Sue Heffer.
I am struggling with the ( I ) sentences. It’s easy to escape them when describing a scene or a thought. But actions feel like being stuck between a rock and a hard place. To use I or to find myself using a passive voice. Any advice?
Oftentimes, it's more about varying the sentence structure (syntax) than it is about avoiding "I" entirely as a starting place. Instead of using the construction "I opened the door and strode inside," you might write, "Opening the door, I strode inside." You could also try this trick: whenever you have a sentence starting with "I," try to start the next sentence with a different word: the, a/an, my, his, her, they, we, it. You can follow that word with a strong verb, rather than "was." Madeline Miller uses a variety of sentence structures in her first-person POV novel "Circe": "I was the only one left. The smell of ichor drenched the air, thick as honey. The rivulets of molten blood were still tracing down his legs. My pulse struck in my veins. Did he know I was there? I took a careful step towards him. His chest rose and fell with a soft rasping sound."
@@QuotidianWriter Wow. Thanks a lot. I actually started doing that, but I was unsure whether it was enough or not. Thank you for the reply, and advice.
I believe in my experience that seeking to write in first and third person at best place the reader in the shoes of the character thus living their life and experience as it unfolds especially at the climax..
So far I've only written sci-fi and fantasy, but I find first person better suited for my writing, because I'm exploring the world through the eyes of explorers, adventurers or introverts forced to see what's outside, and I found first person a great way to convey what they perceive, the biases, the prejudice, the wonder, the familiarity, and that way, I'm juxtaposing a fantasy "normal" vs "abnormal" vs human normal. I'm also trying first person present for a suspense/bit of horror novel, I think it'll work better once the action kicks in, and because again, I'm comparing a character's inner world vs. the outside, both physically and mentally.
As long as the story and writing transport me, I don't care if the narrator and the author in first person are quite similar. Murakami is a good example.
I ran across this accidentally. But it’s perfect for my current project - a short story narrated by a daughter about her mother’s lifelong fears. Daughter also overcomes some of her own fears. It seems appropriate to mix tenses. First line: “There’s a box in the back of my closet I’m afraid to open. It’s been 8 years since I last saw it....” (Her mother had sent it away from her own house out of fear.)
I would love to write in first person because it's my own story and I want to EXPRESS my feelings giving the readers solution too. And I can't do it in third person. I want a personal connection with my readers to feel me and my story
I sometime don't like the first-person as it ends up to the secondary character to be the protagonist, not the "I". It is mostly to censure the secondary characters life, like parental abuse. But it can be a deep dive in their perceptive and though as you says. Just it is badly used. Example is instead of internal though, we have exterior details as substitute the absence part. It's like there is nothing in the character. The other is the head hoping. It's when we change the character's head by keeping the first person POV. Thus, all the choosen characters has a similar voice or style. 6:22 6:43 The "I" is like egoism or self-centered. So, better change the phrase structure. 7:50 Sound like the infamous fan-fiction "My Immortal". 14:05 Another reason I don't like first-person POV.
First, thank you for your videos. It has helped me figure out what style I of writing I want to use in my story, and how other techniques can possibly work. I ironically many of the novels are a blend of 3rd POV limited and 1st POV present tense. Currently, I am writing a book and struggle with the style I want, but so far the first few chapters have written are 1st POV present tense. My overall goals are allowing my characters to shine through with their personality and quirks while telling the story. My question is how to world build through a 1st POV with our info dumping? How do I tell/share the memories through 1st POV? Again, Thank you for your videos and examples. Keep rocking!
Thank you so much for your kind words and for your thoughts! It seems like a lot of authors tackle world-building in first person by having the protagonist or another character serve as an outsider experiencing these elements of the world for the first time. In "The Hunger Games," Katniss describes the tracker jacker wasps in terms of how they were used in past wars, but a lot of other parts about the Games are explained to her by Haymitch or those who have more experience than Katniss. Similarly, Bella is an outsider to vampire customs in "Twilight," and Clary is an outsider to the Shadowhunters in "City of Bones." Even if the character is familiar with the things and places around them, they might muse about how things could be different; maybe they're frustrated that an item doesn't work the way it's designed to, or they stop to appreciate their favorite hidden place. Memories in first person are pretty similar to third. They often involve paragraphs of internal thought with the narrator speaking to the audience. I recently read "Sadie" by Courtney Summers and "Emergency Contact" by Mary H.K. Choi, and both featured heavy use of memories in first person. I hope that helps a little. Keep writing! :)
I like third person, because you write on different angles and blend the same scene on different angle with each individual point of view. But, First person has limitations, a thriller or investigation stories suits.
Hi there, viewers! You can read an adapted text version of this video on Medium: medium.com/@quotidianwriter/the-complete-guide-to-writing-fiction-in-first-person-d1aedc104cab
Thank you including darker novels for the first person not much writers channel include dark fictional novels thank you keep educating dear. I made a long paragraph about 0:52 about lolita how it's nothing new in the dark trope/genre I never read it but I do watch. and try to read more, I do watch dark anime, and darker cartoons and I like darker themes besides murder and mental illness. There's nothing wrong and a lot of people think there's there is. As a new writer, I am writing isekai series and I always want to write darker themes but I never had the courage to write darker things this is a great video ma'am. Thanks for being open with first-person not many writing channels are like that. My previous comment glitched in half so I delete it to keep up the great work ma'am.
Hi there, I forget if I watched this video already but I just realized I should start asking online for people's opinion: if I have a story/anthology with a lot of different characters and I feel comfortable with first-person, do you personally I think the reader would prefer this perspective for its exploration of different characters' voices, OR do you think some readers may feel discombobulated without a slightly detached "her/he" observer perspective?
Been watching your videos. Great tips. I have a question for you and everyone here: would an orphan be more effective telling his or her story as an abandoned child in first person? It’s past tense.
Amazing! You wont believe it! I went through your video on first person, and to my surprise I saw a photo of myself and a friend sitting on the rocks having a discussion.
This photo was taken in the early 90's on the coast of South Africa.
What I love about first person is its perfect for showing the main character's internal struggles and conflicts.
Yes
@@1alicia9 no
@@--36-- -_-
@@--36--yesn’t
@@Niggcolonist
Almost all of my style is writing in the first person. A lot of my stories are based upon the perspective a very unique characters and how the world looks from their eyes. It forces me to do a tremendous amount of research on a particular person whether it be somebody who is blind, rich, or extremely extroverted. As I write I take on the personality of the character and try to show the reader something they've never seen before. Little subtle details about a world that they may otherwise not ever understand or know of themselves. It brings a much more authentic character that isn't over stylized or some sort of cliche.
not sure if you have done this but ai find it fun and very interesting if you write in first person like the story is happening to you. You will learn a lot about yourslef. Be careful though sometiems it can drive you a bit mad and sometimes you may enjoy that ;)
I like writing in first person, personally because I like reading it better. I like being able to be in a persons shoes instead of being some disembodied observer watching a “He” or a “She”
Spaceorca I feel like a stalker watching the main character lmao
Hi I'm from 3 years into the future. You need to include ' or a "They" or a "Them" ' in your comment from my timeline
@@vman6422 I'm from 5 years in the future. You also need to include 'toaster' or 'attack helicopter'.
@@SleepParty30 I'm from 10 years into the future. nobody finds that joke funny.
First person, past tense is how my characters tell me the story.
I am currently writing in the first person but with two point of views. Alternating the voices of two characters makes it feel less claustrophobic. The best part of the first person is showing the conflict between what a person says and thinks about themselves and what they actually do. It's fun to see how someone interprets events when the reader has another interpretation.
Thank you so so much for your videos. They have been so helpful. You are so talented!
I loved The Binding which has two different first person narrators. It showed how we can so easily misunderstand each other.
First person is great for detective fiction. That way the reader learns things at the same time as the detective narrator.
I've often thought about writing a murder mystery in first person where the viewpoint character is a detective working on the murder of his best friend. It ends with him filing the case in "Cold Cases" and walking away, pleased with himself.
I've realized my story's narrator style is "Campfire story". While its too long for an actual campfire story, it sounds like the character has come back to tell a story to a new generation.
that sounds like show don't tell and depending on the style it usually will seem liek it's rambling on a lot if it's a long book
Depends on how it's done, but it sounds fun to me. Reminds me a little bit of the book the Inquisitor's Tale. You might look into it.
“Whatever you do, keep writing.” Lovely narrative...
Books in this video for my 'to read' list:
1. Lolita; Vladimir Nabokov,
2. The Stranger; Albert Camus,
3. Gone Girl; Gillian Flynn,
4. The curious incident of the dog in the night-time,
5. Room; Emma Donoghue,
6. The Martian; Andy Weir,
Film mentioned: Rasho-mon,
7. Fight Club; Chuck Palahniuk,
8. The Catcher in The Rye; J.D. Salinger,
9. A Clockwork Orange; Anthony Burgess,
10. House of Leaves; Mark Z. Danielewski,
11. Flowers For Algernon; Daniel Keyes,
12. Not sure what this one was.
13. The Color Purple; Alice Walker,
14. World War Z; Max Brooks,
15. Life of Pi; Yann Martel,
16. As I Lay Dying; William Faulkner,
17. Jen Eyre; Charlotte Brontë,
18. To Kill a Mockingbird; Harper Lee,
19. The Book Thief; Marcus Zusak,
20. The Name of The Wind; Patrick Rothfuss,
21. The Canterburry Tales,
22. The Great Gatsby,
23. Sherlock Holms,
24. Diary of a Wimpy Kid; Jeff Kinney,
25. The Hunger Games; Suzanne Collins,
26. Divergent,
27 The Time Traveler's Wife,
28. Dark Matter; Blake Crouch,
29. Twilight; Stephenie Meyer,
30. Percy Jackson; Rick Riordan,
31. Matched; Allie Condy,
32. The Fault in Our Stars; John Green,
33. The Perks of Being a Wallflower,
34. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn/ Tom Sawyer; Mark Twain,
35. Dracula; Bram Stoker,
Long list, fewww!
That's quite the reading list! I'm impressed that you wrote them all down. _Jane Eyre_ is the title of the novel by Charlotte Brontë. :)
@@QuotidianWriter Thank you, you're a blessing and a guide. And for the record I'm planning to write down all the books in all your videos.
You're a wonderful person. Wish I had the money to treat you to a coffee :)
I write in first person because that feels natural to me as if I am telling a story in front of an audience. One of the advantages of first person is that you can move the story along as quickly or slowly as you want. For example if the main character is bored he can unilateraly decide to end a scene. "I hated the petty people my date loved to talk to so I told her that it was time to go."
I am in love with the story Jane Eyre. I love how she says things in such detail. Everything from people, things and places. When she talks about expressions she tells it to the reader almost like she reads their mind just from a glance or a slight smirk.
Good choice! Have you read _Rebecca_ by Daphne du Maurier? It's often compared to _Jane Eyre_ in terms of writing style and overall atmosphere.
Quotidian Writer well now I am going to read it it already sounds interesting to me
@@TRSmith-vp9cq Then, watch the movie. It's my favorite Hitchcock movie. Joan Fontaine and Sir Laurence Olivier are amazing. The novel also has the best first line that ever was written.
My favorite 1st person story is Outlander.
I'm ✍writing a fiction story and chose 1st person because I want the reader to experience what the protagonist is experiencing.
Combination of present tense and first person p.o.v. is the most enjoyable read for me.
Personally, I like reading third person more than first person. Just cause it is detached doesn’t mean you are not living in the moment. When I started writing, third person was my go too, but that soon changed. My third person narration was too similar to other books I had read. I was unknowingly copying the voice of other authors. I switched to first person to escape from the familiarity. I hope that that first person really was the right choice.
Just bench watching your videos daily had turned me to an extraordinary writer, though started writing recently, because the urge came, I didn't want to suppress it. Thanks a lot Diane. You mean a lot to me. from Nigeria.
I write in first person because of my journal records my life events,and i believe writing in first person will enrich my journal
Thank you so much for this! I don't write in the first person, it seems so difficult, but with this advice i will going to give it a try :) looking forward to your other tutorials, so very motivating :)
I'm so glad! Starting a new writing endeavor is always exciting. ;)
I love this Chanel. It really has helped me.
Being eternally grateful is not a sufficient compliment for the rapid rate as well as volume of knowledge and experience I've gained from the lessons found in this channel. Thank you for enhancing my love of creative writing. Looking forward to more inspiring information/lessons! Writing is the center of my life!
I was thinking of keeping my story in a close 3rd POV of 3 characters, but this actually reminded me of the rewards and challenges 1st POV presents. I might experiment and ultimately switch, because the idea of having three distinct voices and personalities going about the same conflict just sounds so interesting and fun. Thanks for the video!
This video was so well organized and articulated!!! Thank you for sharing!!
Thank you. My debut novel is 1st person, you touched on everything. Sometimes I get scared to be in my main character's shoe and want to tap out because I feel soo entangled with her emotions!!
PS: Dear to Dream will soon be out on KDP.
I so grateful for all the content you upload. Thanks for taking the time to put these videos together.
I am putting together an idea, so this video hit the spot: clear, professional, honest, and the examples where delivered with stunning effect. My compliments Ms. or Mrs. Callahan.
Very helpful and informative, thank you! For me deciding between first and third person is becoming a matter of how intuitive it is to do so. I'm finding third person to be too artificial or unintuitive so I'm gonna try first person now and see how that goes!
I started out preferring 3rd person and not liking 1st person, but then a writing curriculum forced me to write a novel in 1st person (One Year Adventure Novel) and I did it and realized it was a lot of fun.
Now I'm trying to figure out which one to use, because I love both for different reasons. I can do a good job of either one, though both are a challenge initially before editing. In first person, one of my characters will ramble on and on and never describe what's happening unless I force it and then it feels a little strange sometimes, whereas another of my characters will get straight to the point and is probably easier to write action in first person.
I think I just need to practice more too and see.
I literally wrote a comment using first person for the first time just trying to lay out my thoughts and I think I have a decent start at it, but I mostly write in third person omniscent to where I can describe anything without limit.
First person is very intriguing to me and I think I can find super complex ways to write with this new idea of it!!
How is your writing coming along? I see it's been 8 months since this comment, but maybe we could exchange more feedback or have a learned conversation about writing if you are interested!!
@@Doubleaa500 I haven't been steadily writing, but did write a good amount a few months back! I got some experience writing from a guy perspective in first person and that was a lot of fun. Easier than I thought it would be--or at least it's starting out that way. That story got paused because I didn't have the whole thing planned out yet. How about you?
@@EmilynWood That sounds pretty good so far!! How long have you been writing? I'm currently taking a fiction writing class and trying to grow my longer form writing skills, but at the moment I'm trying these different pov's! I am writing every day pretty much! I usually write very short vivid scenes that have a poetic tone and deeper meaning to them so I'm trying to expand on the details and dialogue so I can build an entire world of a story rather than just a single point in the picture!!
What kind of writing do you like to write the most?
@@Doubleaa500 I've been making up stories for about twenty years--started really writing stories about thirteen years ago. Went to college for writing and that taught me a lot about how to write concise--the program was more for technical writing than for fiction writing but they had a couple classes on creative writing as well that I snagged when I got the chance.
I like fantasy writing with some literary elements. Dostoyevsky and Charles Dickens and Charlotte Bronte meets Narnia/Lord of the Rings/Inkheart I suppose is what I like, or those are some of my top inspirations. How about you?
@@EmilynWood That's awesome!!
I have been writing seriously for 10 years or so, but I have grown so much in the past year and a half!
I am working on reading more and trying to like reading lol. My favorite things to write are more abstract concepts and short vivid scenes. I write across all genres though and do a lot of scifi fantasy, poetry, poetic prose, basically anything. In my fiction class, I find myself writing very similar to Edgar Allen Poe and Ray Bradbury as we have been studying a couple of thier short stories. I work on concepts and techniques as well to learn how to teach very complex and creative ways to write and get inspiration!!
This channel is brilliant. Even the videos are really well produced. Thanks for making me think!
Besides the insightful advice, your visual editing is top notch.
Where are u? It has been long since u posted a new video. Your content is helpful to writers and I truly enjoy ur videos. Thank u for making these. Have a great day.
if the guillotine pic insert when the limitations were mentioned and the use of the word execute at around 5:30 wasn't intentional, i now revel in the joy of an accidental pun. if it was intentional, hello person, i see what you did there, and i appreciate.
Whoaaa!! Good one :)
And here I am conflicted still what pov to use. Thanks for all the tips!
Thank you so much between all the articles i've read and videos i've watched and advices people i know have given to me about writing in first person, this video was definitely the most helpful and the most motivating!
I highly respect first person for the strengths and weaknesses it can bring to the table. I enjoy how limiting it is, making us puzzle out the reasons for other characters' behaviors instead of just being fed them. It produces more of a mysterious setting--especially if you make the POV character unreliable. The subjectivity of first person lends to unique opportunities for characterization through word choice and how descriptions are approached. But, like any other tool in the writer's toolbox, first person has its particular use. I think I bought a book once that sounded intriguing, but as soon as I started reading it and realized it was in first person I set it aside to never be touched again. Maybe if I get back into reading one day I'll be able to give it another shot now that I have a generally less biased approach to most things.
I have issues with the concept of "favorites", but the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher comes to mind due to the audiobooks being played at home recently. I enjoy the quirky voice of Harry Dresden, the delightful and often funny descriptions and similes provided. Unfortunately, this voice seems to be the only one Butcher can really conjure per my experiences. Novellas from other characters sound just the same. It has been years, though, and I never did follow any of his other series. I wholeheartedly believe people can change.
The atrocity I published in my teens was written in first person, present tense. That decision was so long ago that I don't remember my reasoning. I can guess that this terrible idea came from wanting to make something that stood out, due to not having encountered that POV and tense combination before. I also probably figured my characters were just so amazing that I had to let the reader in on their thoughts. My skin crawls just thinking about it...
"War for the Sun" is written in third person, limited. I use it very much like first person, though, just with third person pronouns. I endeavor to keep it as tight to the POV character as possible, including thoughts, imperfections in perception, and colored descriptions. I like having secrets that I can slowly feed to the reader. Also, I have at least one character that knows way too much of what's going on and who would just be a giant talking head. Death to the mystery there.
I like first-person, and my favorite author, Michael Scott Earle, always write in the first person. It is tough to write in different voices, but I believe with good help, it will get better.
You're just a great and amazing person! Thank you so much, I was struggling with this, and I had no idea it was really so easy once you take another look at it. Keep these videos coming^^
I don't know why people only seem interested in talking about there own work but this was a really great video, you're very intelligent, thank you
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! I seriously needed this. And in the last five videos I'd gone through for first person narrative, yours is easily the BEST! I'm totally awestruck by your deep knowledge about writing. Have you published any of your works?
So did you published book ? Medhavi.
I really, really appreciated your approach and the thoroughness of your exposition. Thanks SO much
deciding whether to write my YA in first or second person. This video helps a lot!
in second person? Like a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure book?
I am writing my fourth novel. In first person because I want to make the story more character driven rather than plot driven. I want it to be more introspective.
This was a Must Watch - since my current WIP is first person. I have to say, though, that my pet peeve regarding first person narration is a writer who insists on switching, without warning or cause, from present tense to past, describing a scene or series of actions while ping-ponging from one to the other and back again. Talk about whiplash! But, while I have never attempted first person before, it was the only possible choice for this particular story. Thank you for the insights!
I love the video, I am learning a lot from your videos. Thank you for sharing your inspiring words, "Whatever you do, keep writing".
I find difficult to write in first person but after watching this video I think I will give it a try. Thank you for such a beautiful video.
Your tip on eliminating filter words just saved my LIFE!! My big Uni project CAN be in first person ! The story starts with the world turning on its head for my main character, so I want to audience to be "up close and personal" with them as it happens. Also, 1st person is (imo) the easiest POV with which to avoid personal pronouns, something I think it important with this character.
7:50
I gazed into the silver screen of my life, inching closer, leaning to one side as I drew a smarmy grin, "Gawd damn I'm gorgeous."
Lol!
it would only work for a very narcissistic character
@@brabra2725 @Bra bra not if you ended it with something like “Or so I’d like to think,” or “I say to myself in an attempt to raise what little confidence I had left”
At one stage, I could read 1st person without issues. Then, when I submitted our (co-author and I) works to a critique group, someone said we should study deep POV. We removed all the filter words and added detail just like you suggest around the 7-minute mark. Our 1st person became present tense with the 3rd person parts all in the past tense.
We have feedback on Goodreads and in person, telling us the switch is done very well and even helps to separate the events of our MC and the other characters.
Now I can't read 1st person, even Brandon Sanderson's Skyward series
Leading up to finishing our first book, I learned a lot from you @Diane Callahan - Thank you
That was very well done. I will watch more of your videos. A mind refreshing showing with positive displays for the topic. I am enlightened.
"We Need To Talk About Kevin"
Absolutely needed to be done as a retrospective and mainly First Person book to deliver the gut punch that is the novel.
the best video on first person writting
The love I have for this video gave me so much more insight, I am an Author and I have never wrote in first person. My next novel will be in first but I have 5…. It is going to be fun plugging all these characters into a novel and I can’t wait. Thank you for all your advice!!! Following !
Thx for the advice it really helped me because in my class its kinda hard im in fourth grade
Please do a video on how to write good chapters and another one on keeping your reader hooked.
Thanks😀
xxxx
I’m actually writing a semi autobiography so I need to write first person pov. Thanks so much for this, I learned a lot!
I am writing my first 1st person novel. All my previous novels have been 3rd person. The experience is interesting. I like the introspection that 1st person allows as I am interested in showing my protagonist’s growth in a world where previous assumptions don’t apply.
This video is off the chain, as they say. Amongst many things, it describes how writing in the first person present tense can pull the reader out of the story---that is true.
I find myself struggling to gather my thoughts on 1st person narration... Not that I never use it, or use it exclusively... I mix and match, but why... I couldn't tell you.
I have a character-driven writing and plotting style, so I guess you'd expect me to spend a lot of time considering my style of narration...
I guess I like to challenge myself sometimes - writing a story from the pov of a character that has basically nothing in common with me (except for his poetic monologues maybe)
Other times I want characters to shine and to examine their world views - that's probably what I do most often... comparing characters as they talk.
My best example would be my twin characters, Lucas and Markus.
I think it's an exciting exercise to have characters that are so damn similar - looking exactly the same, and having grown up side by side in the same environment - to still narrate differently.
When you mentioned the little exercise, I whipped up a little thing, featuring the two as they describe their living room...
Lucas: The couch feels too big and too cold without Mari by my side. A glance to the kitchen tells me he's gonna be back soon. I almost envy him for the heat of the stove and the damp warmth emanating from the soup he's cooking. I slide my bare feet behind a cushion and lean back, listening to the soft clangs of the metal ladle hitting the metal pot, and then the clangs of metal spoons hitting china plates...
Markus: To this day it feels silly to have the bed right next to the couch. The backrest of it acts like a wall, trapping the two-man-bed in the tight space between the living room wall, the heater beneath the window and the couch.
It'd feel equally stupid to sleep on the couch though, despite owning a perfectly good bed.
Maybe we simply shouldn't have put the bed and the couch so close together... but where else would we have placed it? Imagine putting the bed next to the eating table... or next to the desk. Some awesome dreams we'd have here, dreaming about paperwork and deadlines...
Somehow "description" turned into "a scene"..... but these two cannot narrate without seeking each other... Not sure if that's a good or a bad thing...
Very thorough video, fantastically helpful. Thank you!
Best channel ever about writing
and I've checked A LOT of them
Loved the video! 💖
Gave me an idea for a thing
First person + switching vastly contrasting perspectives = pretty interesting writing practice
Maybe set up a straightforward plot and a few characters, then play it out with everyone's point of view
Also giving the characters some kind of individual connections to each other can make things *spicy*
Like A is B's ex; C was D's childhood therapist
Tried it; it was pretty fun :] 👍
Writing lies + secrets were probs my favorite parts
I once wrote a proposal in the 3rd person. The first person to read it seconded it, they found it singularly intriguing.
It was telling that the proposal showed how to tell whether a show was fit for TV or not.
Some voiced their concerns passively, whist others were more active.
The novella 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' (1886) uses different styles. It ends with 1st person narrative. You'll learn a lot from Robert louis Stevenson.
Very interesting insights on writing in First-Person. Great video!
Personally I like this POV for a variety of reasons. It can be applicaple to many situations. Usually I tend to use a third-person perspective, with the focus on the main character, but for one story I chose the first person, because I felt it would be better to show a characters struggle better. I felt it was best suited to show how she felt: Her denials, her magical empowerment, her self-reflections, her entire experiences. I want to write a story, where the reader can feel like "re-living" her life or at least have a clear vision of it. I want to catch how good magical powers feel, how they are used, how she feels about certain thingsd happening or how dangerous, confusing and tiring the actual fights are.
From a technical perspective it is also intersting, because the first person is best suited for stories which rely on limited knowledge, like not knowing the motivations of other characters or noticing things until it's too late. It can also be a convenient tool: Don't know how to continue the dialogue of another character? No problem! The pov character may just dooze off and not pay attention. A random character appears? A monster? Out of nowhere? Of course it does! The POV character failed to notice them hiding in the shadows. POV limitations can indeed be strength in the hands of a competent writer (which would not be me, but I digress).
You've mentioned the "curious incident" book in the video, which was one I enjoyed. Anothe example is called "Das Kunstseidene Mädchen" (I only know the german title), which is written from the perspective of a woman in early 20th century Germany. Notably the book has a very simple, abrupt language, which greatly shows the simplemindedness of the protagonist as well as her lack of formal education. Another story I liked was a character study fanfic I read on the ace attorney forum that was from Pearl Fey's perspective and focused on her personal struggles and dealing with a trauma of hers. Similiarly through TV Tropes I found about a re-telling of the Story of GTA: San Andreas from CJ's perspective, which adds a lot of depth to what he experiences and is written very convincingly as if he was telling the story from his own words. All of these influenced my perspective on this POV one way or another and made me fall in love with stories that use this perspective. These are the ones that really suck me into a story.
This was a very good video and has opened my mind to the idea of writing in first person.
Great channel. Very clear, well presented advice
Faulkner tells stories in first person sometimes 3rd removed. A person telling a Story to a listener that he heard from another. This technique can revive first person to multiple viewpoints. Faulkner makes them ALL great story tellers. You are NOT limited to one
voice/ perspective!
Love it,
fnord!
I really love your videos.....And your angelic voice just make me watch it again and again .my writings has been improved a lot
Thank you very much
If you want the reader AND the FIRST-PERSON narrator to be genuinely surprised by a story event (to the extent that before-hand the first person narrator would state things as fact that he later realizes are not even true) you would have to be writing in first person PRESENT-TENSE. Otherwise the things he believes/states as true that are he later realized to be untrue, the writing would be dishonest since, if told from future-tense, the narrator would be telling from after the events of the story and know things he once believed were true turned out not to be.
I ADORE 1st person! It is what is familiar, challenging, and euphoric😁.
I use the first person in my story because it's the main character's story. It is his way and it is often very lonely. In fact, that's exactly why it ends tragically in the middle. Without wanting to, everything will get worse before he can still achieve his goal in the second half. It is a very painful path my hero is going.
But in the final fight I noticed that I have to use the third person. Is that unusual or a problem? The fight is pure but necessary power escalation and if I would write it from his perspective, then there would only be a blunt description of attacks. Instead, I describe the actions of the two and the effects of the attacks.
I even switch to other people who watch the fight from a distance and have a short conversation because the attacks have meanwhile reached the level of Dragonball. Simply because I have no idea how I can make this fight interesting in any other way. It's just pure power escalation, where both throw the elements at each other's head and could thereby destroy an entire city.
honestly that can be very confusing.. the safest bet is to choose one POV and stick to it, but if you pull it off it can enhance your story
I have written in first person before. It can appear candid with the narrator's biases and prejudices cloaked with a 'true' eyewitness account of things. It can also be interesting having the narrator sound either selfrightous or clumsily justify his/her atrocity in some attempts to gloss over his/her sins. The Black Cat by Edgar Alan Poe was my 1st true inspiration in the first-person narration.
Thank you for such an informative video. Expecting more of your videos.
This woman is a godsend.
Really detailed and thorough explanation...
My current project uses a peripheral narrator. It's set in a fantasy world in its steampunk era, so the limited perspective helps me to explain the world. I'm also fascinated with the idea of unreliable witnesses and I'm planning to introduce two other points of view, albeit with very clear demarcation between the narrators. The main challenge for me is that the primary narrator is female, so I'm developing an "E. Nesbit" voice for her. I know most people will tell me this is a bad idea, which is one of my greatest motivations to keep writing :)
I just want to know what to do after a character talks EX: “I’m not sure what the answer is,” I say, “Try b, that’s what I put.” : That’s an example but what about: “I love you too.” I say my eyes sparking with love.
I have no idea I suck ass at writing
Billy shakes his head again. "How about number 7?"
I shrug, "I'm not sure. Try b, that's what I put."
He moans, "I'm never gonna pass this dumb class!"
I know exactly how he feels.
My eyes fill with tears of love. I say, "I love you too." He takes my hand in his. I feel his warmth
[How could you see your own eyes sparking?]
Excellent content here. I’m definitely going to dive back into my first person present novel with a better idea of how to efficiently write in this tense.
I've written in the first-person perspective for my fantasy because there are moments that I cannot express the way I want to in third-person.
For first person, Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files, Kim Harrison’s Hollows Novels and Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson novels are great.
My favorite book in first person was Fight Club.
Felt like I was at the helm of Mr Toads wild ride.
I stuck around for a while. Liked.
First person seems to be the default approach of detective fiction. Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Milhone submits “respectfully” her story to the reader as she would to a client.’Footnote- William Faulkner wrote several detective stories that won a prize. Writing is a craft and the writer can with the reader’s consent go as deep into the human condition as s/he can entice the reader to follow.
I'm currently writing a book in first person, switching between multiple different perspectives and times. For one perspective, the character is going through nearly six years of plot and for another, the character is going through a week.
Outstanding work. Thank you for this.
These are seriously great videos. Thank you.
Great summary - learned a lot - thanks!
Plot lines have to be stronger in first person, because there are fewer of them. Much of the compelling quality of a page-turner may come from the harmony, dissonance, and intertwining of its plot lines. Without these elements, it may be hard to hold a reader.
The peripheral narrator can sometimes interweave plot lines by observing different players in an unfolding situation. _The Great Gatsby_ works this way. A peripheral narrator can also watch messages come in, representing happenings outside immediate observation, and be processed by the central figure. Come Watson! We’re going to… .
A central narrator has more of a problem. I found, for example, that _War of the Worlds_ dragged unmercifully, even though it was a novella… about outer space… written in the nineteenth frickin’ century! Welles's narrator tries, clumsily, to expand his perspective by relating stories told by his brother, but it doesn’t help.
In short, it’s harder to hold a reader’s interest in the first person. If this POV has a reputation as an amateurish style, maybe it’s because the obstacles it presents make otherwise adequate writers appear amateurish. Conversely, the author who can engage the reader, in the first person, through a lengthy novel is a master.
Kudos to Melville!
i did write first 5 chapters of my novel in first person and the 6. in third. I think i will switch to third. You are right. Plot is a problem in first person, you need a lot more things to happen to a single character. And i find showing not telling a lot harder in first person. It feels force that a character thinks about his/her feeling in anything but basic forms. In one scan my character got both of his arms broken by a monster and is dragged across the jungle floor. What is more normal to you:
1 My teeth clench in anticipation of pain whenever the monster lifts its leg to drag me another step closer to its layer. Every root, rock, fallen branch or a ditch in this putrid soil is yet another source of agony for my limp extremities. The will to live is leaving me replaced by the wish for the sweet release of death which surely awaits me.
2 AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! It hurts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!AAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fuuuuuuckkkkkkkkkk!!!!!AAAAAAAA!!!!Stooopp!!!!
First person seems easier on the one hand until you confuse yourself thinking why am I saying things like "I went to the store. I didn't go to the store my character Lisa went to the store." The drawback as mentioned is the 1st person has to be in every scene. Of course he or she can hide under the bed and eavesdrop in other ways, but some stuff it's better if the character was not there or not aware - using your example - if someone is trying to poison them, etc. Latest book to read in first person is the cozy mystery by Sue Heffer.
This is fantastically helpful.
I am struggling with the ( I ) sentences.
It’s easy to escape them when describing a scene or a thought. But actions feel like being stuck between a rock and a hard place. To use I or to find myself using a passive voice.
Any advice?
Oftentimes, it's more about varying the sentence structure (syntax) than it is about avoiding "I" entirely as a starting place. Instead of using the construction "I opened the door and strode inside," you might write, "Opening the door, I strode inside."
You could also try this trick: whenever you have a sentence starting with "I," try to start the next sentence with a different word: the, a/an, my, his, her, they, we, it. You can follow that word with a strong verb, rather than "was." Madeline Miller uses a variety of sentence structures in her first-person POV novel "Circe":
"I was the only one left. The smell of ichor drenched the air, thick as honey. The rivulets of molten blood were still tracing down his legs. My pulse struck in my veins. Did he know I was there? I took a careful step towards him. His chest rose and fell with a soft rasping sound."
@@QuotidianWriter Wow. Thanks a lot. I actually started doing that, but I was unsure whether it was enough or not. Thank you for the reply, and advice.
I believe in my experience that seeking to write in first and third person at best place the reader in the shoes of the character thus living their life and experience as it unfolds especially at the climax..
So far I've only written sci-fi and fantasy, but I find first person better suited for my writing, because I'm exploring the world through the eyes of explorers, adventurers or introverts forced to see what's outside, and I found first person a great way to convey what they perceive, the biases, the prejudice, the wonder, the familiarity, and that way, I'm juxtaposing a fantasy "normal" vs "abnormal" vs human normal.
I'm also trying first person present for a suspense/bit of horror novel, I think it'll work better once the action kicks in, and because again, I'm comparing a character's inner world vs. the outside, both physically and mentally.
As long as the story and writing transport me, I don't care if the narrator and the author in first person are quite similar. Murakami is a good example.
This is really good, it helped a lot.
I ran across this accidentally. But it’s perfect for my current project - a short story narrated by a daughter about her mother’s lifelong fears. Daughter also overcomes some of her own fears.
It seems appropriate to mix tenses.
First line: “There’s a box in the back of my closet I’m afraid to open. It’s been 8 years since I last saw it....” (Her mother had sent it away from her own house out of fear.)
I would love to write in first person because it's my own story and I want to EXPRESS my feelings giving the readers solution too. And I can't do it in third person. I want a personal connection with my readers to feel me and my story
I sometime don't like the first-person as it ends up to the secondary character to be the protagonist, not the "I".
It is mostly to censure the secondary characters life, like parental abuse.
But it can be a deep dive in their perceptive and though as you says. Just it is badly used.
Example is instead of internal though, we have exterior details as substitute the absence part. It's like there is nothing in the character.
The other is the head hoping. It's when we change the character's head by keeping the first person POV. Thus, all the choosen characters has a similar voice or style. 6:22
6:43 The "I" is like egoism or self-centered. So, better change the phrase structure.
7:50 Sound like the infamous fan-fiction "My Immortal".
14:05 Another reason I don't like first-person POV.
First, thank you for your videos. It has helped me figure out what style I of writing I want to use in my story, and how other techniques can possibly work. I ironically many of the novels are a blend of 3rd POV limited and 1st POV present tense. Currently, I am writing a book and struggle with the style I want, but so far the first few chapters have written are 1st POV present tense.
My overall goals are allowing my characters to shine through with their personality and quirks while telling the story.
My question is how to world build through a 1st POV with our info dumping?
How do I tell/share the memories through 1st POV?
Again, Thank you for your videos and examples.
Keep rocking!
Thank you so much for your kind words and for your thoughts! It seems like a lot of authors tackle world-building in first person by having the protagonist or another character serve as an outsider experiencing these elements of the world for the first time. In "The Hunger Games," Katniss describes the tracker jacker wasps in terms of how they were used in past wars, but a lot of other parts about the Games are explained to her by Haymitch or those who have more experience than Katniss. Similarly, Bella is an outsider to vampire customs in "Twilight," and Clary is an outsider to the Shadowhunters in "City of Bones." Even if the character is familiar with the things and places around them, they might muse about how things could be different; maybe they're frustrated that an item doesn't work the way it's designed to, or they stop to appreciate their favorite hidden place.
Memories in first person are pretty similar to third. They often involve paragraphs of internal thought with the narrator speaking to the audience. I recently read "Sadie" by Courtney Summers and "Emergency Contact" by Mary H.K. Choi, and both featured heavy use of memories in first person. I hope that helps a little. Keep writing! :)
I like third person, because you write on different angles and blend the same scene on different angle with each individual point of view. But, First person has limitations, a thriller or investigation stories suits.