Thread: Psychology 101

What are your thoughts about the appeal to readers of writing in the first person?

• Is a reader likely to 'identify' more closely with the narrator in such a case?

• If Yes, is that 'identification' a help in selling the book once it's published and on the shelves?

(And if the character is male, where does that leave female readers?)

When reading in the first person, I do not put myself into the narrator's body. I imagine myself sitting down with a drink with the narrator and listening as he or she tells a story of their own experience. The storyteller can therefore be a man or women with equal effect. Is your story being told in present or past tense? I have not read many stories in the first person, present tense. It would not bother me to be put metaphorically into a woman's body. I would see it as a chance to experience something through someone else's eyes, someone whose previous life experience was very different than mine. C.M.

Sorry, I just automatically thought 'past tense'. To me, present tense for any narrator is nearly as bad as second person. And that's saying something.

Amazing. Ask a question with some depth to it and the replies are notable by their absence.

The question is way too broad. There's nothing deep about it. As is almost always the case, it depends entirely on the story and how it's written.

Yup. Not an indepth question at all. Just one of those infuriatingly relative to the story and reader questions that doesn't have any set answer.

Write your story how you want, stick it up for feedback, and see what happens. If it is one of your own you're talking about that is.

I suppose it's always possible that an inability to think in the abstract is just a Canadian/Scottish shortcoming

I have just listened to Anathem, a blockbuster SF bible by Neal Stevenson followed by Mexico Set, the middle book of Len Deighton's famous spy trilogy. Both are delightful and successful and written from the first person POV. And of course there's always Huckleberry Finn. None of these is very abstract though. But I can't think when good fiction ever is.

I tend to agree. This IS pointless.

Originally Posted by ppsage

I have just listened to Anathem, a blockbuster SF bible by Neal Stevenson followed by Mexico Set, the middle book of Len Deighton's famous spy trilogy. Both are delightful and successful and written from the first person POV. And of course there's always Huckleberry Finn. None of these is very abstract though. But I can't think when good fiction ever is.

I tend to agree. This IS pointless.

That wasn't what I meant by "abstract." What I meant was that the two previous posters may have lacked the ability to think about something in which they are not directly involved. I may be wrong but think that's an acceptable use of the phrase "thinking in the abstract."

There's nothing "abstract" about any of this. It's equally possible to create characters with whom people can relate or identify in either first person or third person. One isn't necessarily any better than the other, and choosing one isn't some magic bullet that will make your book fly off the shelf. Do you see more books written in first on the best seller list?

It depends on the story. It depends on the writing. It depends.

Originally Posted by The Backward OX

What are your thoughts about the appeal to readers of writing in the first person?

• Is a reader likely to 'identify' more closely with the narrator in such a case?

The reader identifies with the character because there is something there to identify with (the motives, decisions, personality, etc. are easy to empathize or, if you must, empathise with). It has a lot less to do with whether they're reading from the character's first-person POV or whether they're being told about them in third person. First person does make whatever is coming feel less certain, though, as though there is no guarantee that your character makes it through. I tend to like that unpredictable feel to a story.

• If Yes, is that 'identification' a help in selling the book once it's published and on the shelves?

• Scratch the 'if Yes' bit because I don't accept the premise that writing in the first person does the job of helping the reader to identify with the character. However, anything that you can do to help your reader to identify with the character would most likely help to sell books. I'm not sure, I left my crystal ball in the pocket of my other robe.

(And if the character is male, where does that leave female readers?)

Reading avidly if it's well written. I used to buy each Dick Francis book as it was published (for those not familiar he wrote mysteries that centered around steeplechasing) and those are written from the first person POV of a male character. Never bothered me in any way as a woman, I was wrapped up in the story. In a way it wasn't so different from when my favorite uncle would come home from his globetrotting and tell stories of what he'd done (worked on Alaskan fishing boats, deep-sea diving, mountain climbing, etc.) what was important was the story and the skill with telling the story.

Sorry Ox, it really does matter how it's written. You can't take one factor by itself and turn it into a magic formula.

Originally Posted by Foxee

First person does make whatever is coming feel less certain, though, as though there is no guarantee that your character makes it through.

How can it be less certain, how can there be no guarantee? Someone has to finish the story. If it's written in first person, it can only be the first person character who does so. Where's the uncertainty in that? Am I missing something?

My answer to your first question is no, it depends on the quality of the writing. Hope this helps.

No sure why you want me to think about this in abstract terms, Ox. If it's not related to your own writing, this thread is just procrastination on your part and like I said, it's all relative to the individual reader so any answer I give will be just that, my own personal opinion and no good to man nor beast. Makes me want to kick you somewhere you cant see anymore and tell you to get on with your work.

If it is about your own writing, see my previous post.

So you've never wanted to speculate about why people do stuff?