Haley Cass
patreon
Tell me your point of view (poll)
🕑 Added 2023-04-25 18:48:28 +0000 UTCLet's settle this, once and for all. Battle royale!
... okay honestly this is just to satisfy my own curiosity...
I am a big supporter (as a reader) of third person pov, alternating. A la, Those Who Wait.
However, some of my favorite books have been written in first person, singular pov (eg, Alone by EJ Noyes).
Third person, singular point of view is something that I prefer as a writer, at times, because it allows for a mystery. For a love ~reveal~, like in When You Least Expect It. So, I don't prefer it as a reader as I like to know everything in everyone's head, all of the time. But I do think it's helpful and has merits.
First person alternating pov... I honestly can't think of a book that features this, off the top of my head?
So, please, tell me your thoughts!
Honestly, I would even love comments with your explained thoughts and preferences. I really wanted to be able to have a ranked poll (you can choose what you like and then your second preference) but patreon doesn't allow that (bummer)
Comments
Melissa Saxon-Price
I just finished those who wait and I loved that writing style. I have so many thoughts about that book..all good ones!
Nelli Costa
Well, that's a tricky question, because the right answer is "it depends". For ROMANCE generally I think alternating third person works best. Because I believe it makes it easier to demonstrate the sexual tension between the characters and exemplify what the protagonists see in each other, the details that make them work as a couple. BUT all this can work in first person too, for example. So for me the only problem is when the writer doesn't have a fixed vision of what they want to convey to the reader and ends up showing too much or too little to the point where it's clear that the writer chose the wrong point of view. There is this book that I really like, "Behind the Green Curtain". Most of it is from the point of view of the protagonist Caton (the book is in third person), but there are some parts from the point of view of other characters, including Amelia (Caton's love interest). These parts where Amelia takes over the story work to highlight how hopeless the two characters' relationship can be, how much they can't end up together and that they KNOW it, but how inevitable everything always seems from both perspectives. This implies that both characters can't help but create real feelings in a relationship that should otherwise be purely physical. Which is the way it started. In the end, the character with the biggest secret is Caton, and we find out from Amelia's point of view. So, the writer had a clear object and chose the point of view based on that. Okay so, general rule for me: First person only works with a MAXIMUM of two characters narrating. More than that can get confusing VERY fast. With two characters the writer already has to be skilled enough to create distinct voices between the two narrators. Voices are already important for all characters in the book, but especially for the one telling the story. Otherwise, not even putting the character's name at the beginning of the chapter will help identify who is currently narrating. If the writer thinks that to tell the story he needs several points of view, bet on third person. And that's it. Tryst six venom, Charon Docks, First person books that i can remember from the top of my head. PS: Sorry for possible mistakes. English is not my first language ☺️
