Comments on: Writing in the First Person

By: Glenda Larke

Glenda Larke — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:27:37 +0000

Anonymous: In fact, I have a very good excuse. If I spent my time polishing up my blog posts – which I make pretty much every day, including weekends – I wouldn't have time to polish up my professional writing.

You don't pay money to read this site; I'm not cheating you if what I write here is a below publication standard. Don't act as if I am. I assume you came here for help on writing in the first person. Accept what you find with good grace.

And now perhaps you would like to give your excuse for hiding behind the word "Anonymous"?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 09:14:32 +0000

Grammar check your web-page. There is no excuse to have poor grammar on an author's site.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 20:14:00 +0000

I’ll send you my copy, if you promise to bring it next time we meet in Australia …

By: Glenda Larke

Glenda Larke — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 20:01:00 +0000

I’ve never even heard of it!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 19:30:00 +0000

Somneone else has read Till We Have Faces! His best work and one of the very bestfantasies, I think!

By: hrugaar

hrugaar — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 16:25:00 +0000

To your list of first person must-reads add Megan Whalen Turner’s The Thief (hilarious) and C.S. Lewis’ Till We Have Faces (not strictcly fantasy, I suppose, but wonderfully wise in his observations of human folly and self-deception).

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 03:41:00 +0000

I think the resistance is very dependent on genre. In crime, 1st person is often the pov of choice, and as an avid crime reader I have no problem with it.

However, when it comes to other genres, eg romance and sf/fantasy, I really dislike 1st person. I consider it a testament to your writing that I've read and enjoyed your 1st person pov fantasy work, because generally I put it straight down again.

And I honestly don't think you can call a reader wrong for doing it. There is no such thing as 'wrong' when it comes to reader taste, or opinion. What works for me works for me. I'm not saying other people shouldn't write or enjoy reading 1st person pov. I'm just saying that, for me, it's usually a turn off.

As to *why* the issue is genre-related, I couldn't say. I think it's just one of those things.

By: eyeris

eyeris — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 22:20:00 +0000

Oh, and if I recall correctly, so was your Isles of Glory trilogy, which, despite being in the first perspective, also saw things from the POVs of different chracters. That’s what made me enjoy them that much more, to tell the truth – reading about the character from a 1st person, then seeing how other characters perceive that same character from THEIR POV. if that makes any sense. 😀

By: eyeris

eyeris — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 22:17:00 +0000

I’m one of those people who don’t really enjoy reading books written from a 1st person POV. I like to remain detached from the character, and not have to read about “I did this” I did that” all the time. But that’s just me. 🙂

I DO however, like it when books are written from the POV of different chracters instead of just focusing on one main character. For example, Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire is written such that every single chapter is wrriten from the POV of different individual characters, whether they are the good or evil characters. And it makes for a pretty cool ‘all-round’ perspective…

By: Simon Haynes

Simon Haynes — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 07:52:00 +0000

I’ve had a couple of short stories published in 1st person, and I do enjoy writing it. I like to hop around in a novel though, writing several plot threads from different viewpoint characters and then entwining them. A tight 3rd person POV is ideal for that.