Point of View - Writers Forum

elizabeth_472 · 12-26-2005, 04:53 PM

I know this might sound really stupid, but is it okay if most of your story takes place in first person, in which the main character tells the story and then at a different location with different characters the story takes place in third person? At the end of my story, both of the sets of characters meet and it is back in first person. The main character then gives their opinons and such about the happenings. Should I change it all to third person or what? Help!

journyman161 · 12-26-2005, 05:02 PM

I would think it is OK. Does the 1st person character know about the 3rd person stuff or is it happening 'off-stage' to him, so to speak? If it's not involving the 1st person one, how does he/she find out about it? Is ti something someone tells him/her or s/he reads perhaps?

I think if both are written well & you don't strand the reader when you make the switch it should eb fine. Once you have your reader gripped in your narrative you can do lots to them & they will stay with you if the story is written well & holds their interest

elizabeth_472 · 12-26-2005, 09:22 PM

They are in different places, so no, the first character does not know about the other. They have met before, although. The first character goes looking for the other and they meet.

Hodge · 12-26-2005, 09:24 PM

Make sure to mark the change somehow. Either use italics for one of th POV's or use an asterisk break (which, apparently, we originally intended to mark POV shifts).

kellykat60409 · 12-26-2005, 09:24 PM

I would say do it, then read it, that is when you will see if it flows right

Verago · 12-26-2005, 11:29 PM

[ThreadHijack] I'm actually doing this same sort of thing in my novel. I was wondering the same thing, but I saw this thread. It's working for me, so far. [/ThreadHijack]

kellykat60409 · 12-26-2005, 11:34 PM

i have noticed that in my writing it will look right to me, but as soon as i print it out and look at it i can find the mistakes. It's something about the computer screen where my eyes don't catch certain things.

Another thing that you could do since you said that at first they aren't together, you can have first person and then when they meet up do the third person.

I would also do when you are switching to the other character you should start a new chapter to not get the reader confused. kelly

elizabeth_472 · 12-27-2005, 09:30 AM

Okay, thanks everyone. I have been using the *****, but I might use chapters, since I haven't divided it into chapters yet. When they meet, however, I don't want it to be in 3rd person because I want it to be in 1st person whenever the main character is present.

Adrienne · 12-27-2005, 06:25 PM

I have to say, although I've seen it done, I don't think it's ever good to switch from first to third in the same work. It just feels inconsistent.

Talia_Brie · 12-27-2005, 08:04 PM

I disagree Adienne. I think challenging these kind of conventions is sometimes a very good idea, and a very effective tool.

If it's done well, this could be very good, but it also has the potential to be ham-fisted, so be careful. Consistency is going to be the key. Make sure you mark all the changes in POV the same way.

And, make sure the 1st person sections have a narrative voice that is distinctive from the 3rd person sections. They have different narrators, so they will need to sound different.

gohn67 · 12-27-2005, 08:16 PM

In the book "The House of Sand and Fog" it uses three POVs. Two in first person and one in third person. The way it was split up was by chapter. So I don't see any problem with using mulitple POVs like that, just as long as you do it in a way that is not jarring or confusing.

If you kept going back and forth every half a page that would really annoy me, especially if it is from 1st to 3rd.

elizabeth_472 · 12-27-2005, 08:18 PM

Well, in 3rd person I would be the narrator and in 1st person it would be my main character, but I am like my main character. So I'm not sure if they would be that different.

Okay, thanks for the advice everyone.

Klein · 12-28-2005, 06:50 AM

I know this might sound really stupid, but is it okay if most of your story takes place in first person, in which the main character tells the story and then at a different location with different characters the story takes place in third person? At the end of my story, both of the sets of characters meet and it is back in first person. The main character then gives their opinons and such about the happenings.

It might work, depending on how you do it. If you want to change from the first person narrative to the thirst person one, which is about what you at that time in the story don't know, you have to make the transition smoothly, as is, in my view, possible. You can, for instance, do it in this way:

Meanwhile, something happened [here goes perhaps the adverbial phrase denoting the place where it happened], which I knew [ or found out] only when [perhaps after everything was over].

StrangeQuark · 12-28-2005, 07:31 AM

If you're going to shift POV from a character-narrator (1st person limited) to a non-character-narrator (3rd person omniscient,) then --as others have stated-- be sure to mark the transition for the reader. Trading chapters (odd, 1st person, even 3rd person?) may be a solid structure that's less-likely to disorient readers once it's established.

I say go for it. I've seen it done-- both poorly and well-- and have no reason to believe that you wouldn't be able to make it work.

Adrienne · 12-28-2005, 07:33 AM

Basically, that is the ONLY way to do it, if the book is set up in different sections. As far as a different narrator, with first person, there is only one. With third, there can be multiples, as the perspective may change to different characters.

I like first person, it can be freeing but it's also a double edged sword, as you're restricted as far as getting inside the other character's heads. However, this can be done through the narrators perspective and through dialogue. I prefer third, because you can still have a 'main' narrator, albeit through a softer more distant voice, and you can shift to the other characters as your scenes/chapters change.

But I still think there needs to be a real good reason to be using both in one work, and this should be done only if you're a hundred percent sure it will benefit the story.