 Action/Adventure: July 16, 2014 Issue [#6431] |
  Action/Adventure
This week: The First Person Edited by: Storm Machine  
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First-person narrators is the way I know how to write a book with the greatest power and chance of artistic success. ~Anne Rice
Because I write fiction, I don't write autobiography, and to me they are very different things. The first-person narrative is a very intimate thing, but you are not addressing other people as 'I' - you are inhabiting that 'I.' ~Kate Atkinson
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A lot of great books have been done in first person viewpoint. There are many reasons for this. Sometimes it is in vogue. Readers like to get into the character's head - everything is seen through the character's eyes, heard through the character's ears, and colored with the character's thoughts.
It can take a great deal out of the author to immerse the self into the character at such depth. Sometimes the author intrudes on the character during this narrative and needs to be edited out. Author intrusion would be anything that the character might not see, hear, or think that is transmitted to the reader from first person.
The other trouble with first person, especially if you don't try to switch the point of view character, is that the "I" person has to be everywhere the action happens. The character and readers both are going to be bored if your character is captured and is cut off from all news of the outside world. Sometimes that can be used to build tension in characters, the not-knowing whether something happened outside, but used too long or too often and the ploy becomes stale.
Along with that, readers often feel when they pick up a book and it is in first person narrative, that they know the character isn't going to die. This character is going to be able to overcome everything thrown at her because she's telling it with her own voice. I've heard that certainty of living dispels an amount of tension in some readers.
When it's done well, first person narrative draws the readers in and wraps them in the story. And when you know your character must be captured or must succumb to the challenges in front of him - you need alternatives. A writer may add more viewpoints, and they often label chapters with whomever carries the point of view. The added viewpoints do not necessarily need to also be in first person. Beware the trap of having more than one viewpoint that confuses the reader about which person is narrating.
Looking for examples?
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Storm Front (and all other Dresden Files stories) by Jim Butcher
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Divergent by Veronica Roth, though Allegiant is an example where I had to page back to see who owned the narrative several times in the book.
I went to a writer's workshop where the headlining author proclaimed 90% of all amateurs wrote in first person and 90% of all published books were third person. I doubted her then, and I think we're seeing more first person published through both the Big Five and indie publishing. Choose the best viewpoint for your story and do it well.
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1st person
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3rd person
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monty31802
Agreed I enjoy reading the bad guy was not so bad that he didn't come around to saving a number of people. Good News Letter
Thank you.
BIG BAD WOLF is Merry 
One movie that I watched a few weeks back, where the Villain "technically" wins was "The Villain", a 1979 film staring Kirk Douglas as the titular villain, Cactus Jack, Arnold Schwarzenegger as the hero Handsome Stranger, and Ann-Margret as lovely Charming Jones. Not to ruin things too much, but Jack tries to rob the pair at least a dozen times, only to fail miserably. At the end however, when Jack makes his intentions known, Charming decides to go with him, because she wanted a man to do something with her, and Handsome was doing nothing with her, if you get what I mean.  Needless to say, Cactus Jack soon became Jumping Jack after Charming kissed him. 
Nice. Always good to bring examples as we watch and read.
Angels in my Ear 
Come bid on packages in your chosen genre an find reviews and packages from people who know their stuff. We give a brief bio on donors so you know who they are and what they have to offer.
I hope your auction went well.
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