I ask this to any that was a rookie like me author me I still categorize myself as, a rookie but getting better I think. That has written since or before they came here. Which would be the best way to write a story? From the first perspective like, you're telling the story or from a 3rd Person point of view. I don't know why but, it's like a keeping going to 3rd pov. Like feel comfortable and it's my comfort zone from telling it from a narrative story. I have been trying and thinking about writing one from the first person but, don't know which way to about it. I know I'll end up switching them with 1st and 3rd point of view. I don't really know what the 2nd point of view is like? Got any pointers or suggestions. If you have had the same trouble as me?
thanks.. open to any suggestions.
Honestly, for short stories, especially for short stories when you aren't juggling multiple character POVs, I think you're better off with 1st person POV. It's a bit more intimate. A bit easier to get into your characters head. A bit easier to connect to readers. Especially for sex.
Third person is good. But I typically reserve it for longer, more complex pieces.
Though, if you're truly serious about getting better, it's good to push yourself out of your comfort zone. Write different POVS. Write in different genders. Even different socioeconomic or ethnic POV.
It's the only way for your writing to read more organically.
I think it depends a lot on the story you want to tell, and how you want to tell it.
Sometimes I want to be able to have the narrator's voice tell us things about a character that a first-person narration wouldn't allow for, (even if the third-person narration is mostly focused on one character.)
Completely agree w getting out of your comfort zone, even if it results in a lot of drafts and aborted ideas that never see the light of day. Your writing will improve.
I've also found that since I've been writing (and this is my only outlet for any kind of creative writing), I find myself reading differently, paying attention to how writers I like do things in a way that I didn't used to when I was simply absorbing the story for my own enjoyment.
Try writing the opening 250 words or so in both points of view. Then, read them back aloud and decide which one is more engaging.
I prefer writing in 1st person POV. It seems more like it's actually happening to me and is a real turn on.
I do both, but it depends on the story. I like first because it's a bit like acting. You get inside the character's head and live the story through their eyes. However, I'm more likely to write from (a close) 3rd person if the protagonist is female, or someone I'd have trouble 'playing' authentically in the writing. I don't generally do the distant third or omniscient narrator perspective.
Post-avant-retro-demelodicized-electro-yodel-core is my jam.
I prefer to show the mental state of each of the participants, so I prefer the third person.
Erotica usually becomes more personal and effective if you write in 1 POV, then you can choose past or present where present is harder if you write a long story.
1st person, is easiest for me. I'm not great at grammar, punctuation etc. I find it much easier in 1st person.
For me, it depends on what I'm writing. As others have said, a complex story is much easier to write in 3rd. You can cover more on the narration and draw a larger picture.
For conveying emotion, 1st worlds best. You can really get into the head of your focal character and live the story through them. With erotica, I think 1st works better because it is hard to create that lump in your throat anticipation without being intamatly in the story.
All that said, write it in a way that feels best to you. It's your creation, and if you don't feel comfortable writing it, your reader will sense that when they read it.
I don't know why 1st time writers gravitate to first person. I'll share this advice given to me once because it still makes me laugh. If you choose to write in first person, make sure that person is interesting and has a special insight or talent for telling that specific story. Nothing is worse than having to listen to some boring ass person tell you a story. It can dull the most exciting of stories.
I agree with AvBkGrl.
I'd add this though. The two perspectives allow you to do different things and they also have limitations.
The first person gives you the scope to add a lot of detail about your emotions, thoughts and how you perceive people and situations. However, too much detail will make the story heavy going, so be wary of that.
The third person is excellent for multiple character stories. The best feature of third person, is that it allows you to be omnipotent and gives you a much freer scope to expand the story.
The second person is to be avoided unless you want a kicking!
A word should be made about tense. Never write in the present tense unless you're a genius. Always use the past tense.
D x
First person may seem easier to write, but it's also the easiest POV in which to write poorly, IMHO.
Looking at my own pieces, the only one to be truly first person POV is My Favourite Word and you'll notice that it's a Flash Erotica piece. Meaning that I literally stripped it down to the bone in order to avoid having it wander off into the woods.
I think that it's very easy to go astray when writing in the first person POV, and doubly so if you're basing your story on an actual real life event. The third person allows for far more breadth in writing, IMHO.
Want to spend some time wallowing in a Recommended Read? Pick one! Or two! Or seven!
A couple of personal thoughts from a writer that so far has done erotica exclusively in the 2nd person (which is my own weird style and I wouldn't recommend to anyone). And it's simply...I don't think it matters too much.
First person and third person both have respective advantages that others have illuminated well here, but in general, a story has a natural "fit". Short burst stories often work better from first person, simply because the draw is immediate. Third person works better for long work, where the single narrative point would limit world building.
For a first timer, I would personally recommend non-omniscient third. It combines some advantages of both aspects. You can fully devellop your character while limiting the amount of stuff you have to build.
It all depends on personal preference, I guess - but on the whole I'd say 1st person. It's a bit more forgiving on the 'show don't tell aspect' (you can get away with a bit more, since the narrator can 'tell' the story a bit more. Personally, I always start 1st person and then try and rewrite parts in 3rd person and see what works best.
I started writing in 3rd. Don't really know if it was any good. Now, I'm really not bothered, hardly even think about it. I lean more towards 1st but am comfortable with either.
I too started out writing 3rd person stories. But then I tried writing a first person account and it seemed to do okay. Now my writing includes both 3rd person POV and first person POV, past tense and present tense and I've written from a man's viewpoint as well as a from a woman's! LOL!
Maybe I need to write a story from the dog's viewpoint! LOL! It's always good to challenge yourself and step out of that comfort zone!
For a new writer, I think first person is the easiest, myself.
First of all, it's all "I" so it can be a little easier getting into that one specific character's head. The rules are easy... point of view is limited to what one person can sees, experiences, and believes. It's emotional, because the reader is reading it like they are experiencing it.
In third person, I think it's easier to "head jump" from one point of view to another without making it clear to the reader. It's also easier to commit point of view violations. There's third person limited and third person omniscient; shifting between the two can be a problem. Also, I like third person for changing point of view throughout the story, which I think is a skill that you work up to.
I've never used second person or present tense. They are both hard for me if I hope to maintain any consistency.
