Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Why I Plead The First

All---

Writer, blogger, and long-time follower Belle B asked in response to my last post why I choose to always write in the first person, and if I don't sometimes find that restrictive.  I'll take that in two parts:

1) Nevets, why do you always write in the first person?

For the longest time, I wrote for ensembles of characters and from a universal third person and treated first person as something to only be done occasionally.  As I developed and began exploring writing, I began to write an intimate third person.  That led to a few flirtations with first person, but I was usually not satisfied with the results.  In college, I experimented some (heh).  I did a lot of freewriting and experimental fiction.  Much of the time I used first person for that.

Then I was educated by folks who explained to me that editors and agents hate the first person and I should only use it if it's the absolute only way to tell a story.

So I abandoned it.

My writing continued to grow and mature in some ways, but I always felt as if it was missing something organic and natural.   What I finally realized is that my style really works best from a first person POV.   Some of the things that characterize my style are...

1) It's usually voice-heavy.
2) I typically mix in elements of freewriting and stream-of-consciousness.
3) My focus is strongly internal.
4) Every story is intended to, ultimately, give the reader an encounter experience.

For me, those things and others were best met by the first person.  Ryan David Jahn's Acts of Violence (USA: Good Neighbors) does a lot of the same kind of thing through an intimate third person, but I don't relate well enough to other people to pull that off.  The only way I can relate to characters intimately is really to take a method approach, and translating that to a third person gives my writing a forced and unnatural feel.

2) Nevets, do you ever feel restricted or limited by the your use of the first person POV?


Yes, but not in a bad way.  A lot like a mischievous kid, I like boundaries because they give me something to kick against and protest.  The first person definitely does that. It forces me to act out in a disciplined way, which I think makes it better in the end.

Too, I like a challenge, because I'm a problem-solver by nature.  When I converted Sublimation to first-person, I had to transform certain events and stories so that they were told by observation of their effect rather than direct observation.  That had its frustrations, but it was also tremendous fun.

On the other hand, if I were using a a third person narrative I would also feel more limited.  My first person lets me cheat my prose and get away with some helter skelter stuff that would not work very well in third.   So  the restrictions that I do feel are met by a lot of freedoms.

3) Nevets, can you summarize all that blathering into a take-away summary?


I use the first person because at this point in my writing it's entirely integral to my style.  Without it, I could not express the things I want to in the same evocative way that I do in first.  The first person POV comes with limitations, but those limitations provide interesting challenges that force me to write better, and are balanced by fantastic liberties.

.Nevets.

13 comments:

  1. Question 3 was phrased nicely and aptly placed.

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  2. Curses to the person who told you to abandon first person. Good writing is good writing, so if you're good at writing first person, then good for you! (That's four "goods" in that sentence. Ug.) I myself cannot write in first person, at least not for very long, precisely because of the limitations you talk about.

    When well done, nothing draws me into a story faster than first person POV. It's so wonderfully intimate.

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  3. I love the first person. You know exactly where you are. I was reading a novel the other day from one POV, and suddenly we jumped inside the head of another character. It really jarred. You can't do that with first person!

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  4. The timing on this is ironic for me...I read this only after lamenting that my current wreck...I mean, work in progress demanded I switch to first person- which I have never really liked to read or write with very few exceptions...

    Fascinating post, as always.

    ~bru

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  5. Great post. I'm just embarking on writing my next novel in the first person. It's an adventure because I don't get how it works just yet, and I'm discovering its limitations and strengths as I go along. Usually its multi viewpoint third person. Good to know there is someone out there who is a big fan of the first person and who I can quiz if things get sticky!

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  6. First person has a lot of pitfalls for the novice, because of the inherent restrictions. If you understand those restrictions, though, and work with them rather than against them, first person has immense power.

    It's right to say it should be used with caution, but then so should everything - even cheese-graters.

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  7. I'm a first person POVer myself. I think it's how you get used to writing an develop your craft that locks you in. Yes? But I suppose I could try a different view... hmmm... :o)

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  8. @Scott - haha Thanks?

    @Jennifer - Yeah, everyone's gotta find the side of the cost-benefit analysis that works out for their style and their topics. And you might be surprised how often "don't write in first person" shows up on writing tips lists that circulate the blogosphere. In my case, it was a college prof.

    @Frances - Yeah, sometimes the limitations protect you from yourself! :)

    @Bru - It's always an interesting challenge when a project forces you to extend into a writing technique that you normally would not touch. Good luck with yours!

    @Deborah - Happy to answer any questions! :) The exchange of ideas and experiences between people an ocean apart still blows my mind. Love the connections the internet has made possible!

    @Tim - Yes, I do think it can be hard for beginning writers because they don't realize the pitfalls yet, and I presume that's where the advice has its origin. But, as you said... cheese-graters. wince!!!!

    @Leigh - Yay for another 1ster. :) Yeah, it is definitely good to try out other techniques and POV's. Even if you junk the experimental stories, the practice can help you understand more about your usual method.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I enjoyed reading your answers! I'd wondered about why you wrote in the 1st before.

    I've tried writing in both 3rd and 1st person before; 1st does have benefits, but I prefer 3rd, most of the time. I try not to close any doors at the start when I write.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Write what works best for you, yep. And your first person is might fine, in my opinion. I love the last question. :)

    Please excuse my late and rather brief and uninteresting comments as of late. It's that whole plate thing...

    ReplyDelete
  11. @G'Eagle - Glad to answer the mystery! :) It's good to be flexible.

    @Michelle - Your lateness is fine, especially when you tell me I'm doing a good job. hahahahaha

    ReplyDelete
  12. I've never tried to write first person pov. I can only imagine the challenges. But, as I sit here thinking about it, I wonder if I'm going to have to edit and create two versions of my nano story...it would be totally haunting in first person....

    ReplyDelete
  13. @TWC - It's good to be flexible, and it's good to try different things sometimes until you see what clicks. Give it a shot and see what you think!

    ReplyDelete

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