Which is Better: First Person or Third Person POV?

[Nathrad Sheare]

I figure that the point of view from which a story is told should depend on the story itself. A writer should ask himself a few big questions during review: What are my intentions as I tell this story? While I'm reading, am I connected to my characters and events easily and deeply? Does my choice of POV appropriately convey the ideas I want to be conveyed? Do I need to change it to better feel the words?

Honestly, it's not an easy decision. I've grappled with it each and every time I've begun a story or spun out a couple of pages. I have to find the one that seems right, just right for the story. As a reader, I'm a fan of third person omniscient POV, but, sometimes, a first person story can be equally effective, especially if you want to really build suspense for a reader or make her laugh. Sometimes one happens upon that little miracle that makes the first choice just perfect, but I haven't yet.

[kientaoviet]

If I have to choose, I'd say third person

[Nathrad Sheare]

Why third particularly?

[Aithne]

Depends on the story and the writer and the character. My personal favourites are first person and third person limited however - I think it allows me to show more of the character's personality.

[Nathrad Sheare]

A good point, Aithne. I think those particular points of view allow for some freedom of expression.

[Aithne]

A good point, Aithne. I think those particular points of view allow for some freedom of expression.

Thanks. Third limited is better for lengthier, stylistic description though (unless the character is an artistic type or prone to relating their environment religiously).

POV can make a story realistic, or kill it. :/

[Nathrad Sheare]

Kill it. No kidding. As writers, we're such extremists, aren't we? Still, I guess that no truly balanced person in their right mind would spend hours trying to put words together to form new worlds, new people, and new ideas. Maybe I'm just not one of those who understands the conventional meaning of living life? Ha, ha!

[Aithne]

We observe far more than "ordinary" people. For me, at least, if I don't put that knowledge on paper in a story format, I become miserable which gets worse because I'm not writing. Horrid circle I'd rather avoid by happily tapping out stories

[lleon]

I think third person is easier to write in and if I were a new author I would not go with first person until you learn how to do it without forgetting which person you are writing in. The advantage to writing is first person is the immediate connection to the character. If it is done right it can be effective.

[Nathrad Sheare]

I liked Robert Louis Stevenson's view of writing, that it was like breathing for him. I feel the same way about it. I love to write and I feel as if writing is a part of who I am. Maybe it's just because I've been doing it for so long.

[Doc Foster]

I don't think there's one rule about POV - it depends on the story, how you want to tell it and what you want the reader to get out of it. When I find myself changing points of view back and forth I usually take it as a signal that I haven't completely thought through the story, particularly about the effect I want it to have on the reader.

If you start with first person and experience some discomfort, it may be because it brings you too close to the story - and it also presumes that you lived to tell the tale. If it involves being attacked by a crocodile, for example, the voice you use might be dictated by whether the story calls for you to survive. If you want to tell the reader what's going on in another person's head, first person won't allow you to speak with authority, since we can't know for sure what someone else is thinking.

Third person, on the other hand, can expand the things you're able to say; but it can sometimes rob the story of intimacy. Of course, you can avoid that by including good dialog, or making actions speak louder than words. In Chekhov's story, "The Lady With The Dog", for example, two lovers are having a serious discussion about their relationship - both are cheating on their spouses. The woman is terribly guilt-ridden and says so; the man just listens, but Chekhov conveys his lack of concern for her by having him eat a piece of watermelon as she talks.

[Nathrad Sheare]

Any POV can work if a writer can work it! I've seen in very recently written short stories and classic ones things that I thought would never work done beautifully.

[rei_sawakami]

I really think it all depends on the style of writing you're going for. If you want a more intimate connection with the character, first person is great, but it's also rather restricting because the reader won't know any of the thoughts of the other characters. Third person grants you that freedom, but at the same time, it's a little distant.

[Dream Catcher]

Readers like to emphasise with the character, so I'd say 1st.

[rines]

I agree that both have their merits. Really I would say it's a matter of how much detail you find necessary to tell your story. If you feel that one character's point of view or a few like in Wuthering Heights is enough to get the idea you want to share across then that works.

If more details and observation from the outside of one perspective is necessary then third person works more. It all comes down to how much detail you think you're story needs to be told in a coherent way that you're satisfied with.