Support for Indie Authors discussion

Hello,

I will start writing my new book next month. It is in the genre - murder mystery.

But I'm yet to decide between 1st person and 3rd person perspective. I am quite comfortable with the latter. However, as I went about planning the new book, I've begun to feel that 3rd person would be more suitable.

What's holding me back is that I have never written in the 1st person and that I'm scared to mess up the novel.

Any advice/suggestion will be quite helpful.

Regards,
Niteen

There are people who hate anything except third person and past tense. You have to really care and need it to deviate. That being said, YA and mysteries seem like the genres that best allow deviance. I would look up popular examples and go with the one you see more often.

Whenever I think about this choice, I flash back to my first ever review on my first book. It was 'mercy three-star' rating from another writer, basically a complete exposition of my incompetence, that included this nugget: "Tip to writer - a marginal majority of readers prefer writing from a single point of view from one character."

I don't know the source of that supposed statistic, but even if true, it also means a substantial minority does not prefer first person.

I'm a third-person guy. That's what I read in Heinlein, Pournelle, Clancy, and the like. I may do first-person in my #7 next year, we'll see. But I think you have to decide based on what makes the story most engaging, and lets the reader feel the experience as clearly as you see it in your mind.

Phillip wrote: "There are people who hate anything except third person and past tense. You have to really care and need it to deviate..."

I agree. But somehow 1st person seems natural to read. I guess the rule has been 3rd person and the trend is now 1st person.

Rock wrote: "Whenever I think about this choice, I flash back to my first ever review on my first book. It was 'mercy three-star' rating from another writer, basically a complete exposition of my incompetence, ..."

Yeah, I think I'll have to write some short stories to get used to writing in the 1st person before moving to full length novels. And all the best for #7.

I recently discovered, from being on Goodreads as it happens, that a significant number of readers loath 1st person and won't read anything written that way even if they otherwise like the sound of the book. This was a real surprise to me, I had not encountered it before.

That being said, personally I just write in whichever feels right for the story. Some stories just feel right In first person. I think it can be harder to write convincingly and naturally in first but if you pull it off, there is something intimate and true about it.

However, like you, I am more comfortable in third person, it's my default position. I have never written a whole novel in first, just short fiction. I do intend to give it a go at some point, just to see if I can.☺

What I would say is, that in your case I would seriously consider it, because it is much easier to control the flow of information in first person. The reader only knows what the narrator knows, no more and no less. In a murder mystery I would imagine that would be a valuable tool. (I say imagine, as I write mainly Fantasy, Sci-Fi and allied genres)

Hope that helps your decision making process in some way.☺

Some writers only do first person - Philippa Gregory coming to mind. I think Lee Child's are first.

I would just give it a try. You'll be developing your writing skills just trying something new.

Most of the murder mysteries are in 3rd person, usually close 3rd person. There are a few writers who do 1st person for murder mystery, but not many. You can try it, but be very careful because in first person you can't show or give anything that the person whose POV you are in wouldn't know, hear or see. It is extremely easy to head hop without realizing you are doing it or given something that person wouldn't know, hear, or see.

As someone else said, there are a lot of people whi do not like 1st person. Close 3rd is almost like first with the ability to give what the person wouldn't know.

Robin wrote: "I recently discovered, from being on Goodreads as it happens, that a significant number of readers loath 1st person and won't read anything written that way even if they otherwise like the sound of..."

Although I haven't decided between the two, I am inclined toward the 3rd person. I feel I need to write in the 1st person to get a hang of it and gain some confidence.

Eileen wrote: "Some writers only do first person - Philippa Gregory coming to mind. I think Lee Child's are first.

I would just give it a try. You'll be developing your writing skills just trying something new."

Definitely.

B.A. wrote: "Most of the murder mysteries are in 3rd person, usually close 3rd person. There are a few writers who do 1st person for murder mystery, but not many. You can try it, but be very careful because in ..."

Maybe I'll stick to 3rd person for most of the novels. I'll choose the other if I feel it would be the most appropriate and I have the confidence to write in the 1st person.

Maybe try writing a couple of chapters in both versions and see what feels better for you to write. My story... all the 10 years it has been merely an idea in my head, I saw it in first-person, but writing it in third-person felt much more natural.

First person, second, third? Who cares? It’s an authorial choice, and irrelevant to the story because only the narrator uses it, when they talk about the protagonist. There’s not the smallest difference between:

Sam went to the garage to get his car and bring it out front.
And:
I went to the garage to get my car and bring it out front.

In both cases it’s the narrator talking about Sam, except…in the second case, the narrator is pretending to have once experienced the events.

And in fact, neither of them is written in the viewpoint of the one getting the car, because it’s 100% “telling” (another name for nonfiction methodology).

In reality, does the reader care where the car was? No. Does anything plot related, character development related, or scene-setting related happen? No. In fact, in most cases, if written with the techniques of fiction writing it would be more like: “Susan? I’ll get the car and meet you out front.” With the action resuming as Susan gets in, or when they arrive at their destination.

Or, it might be: As Sam walked to the garage, he wondered if Sue was right about him being too….

That way the walk is to illustrate that time is passing as the thought takes place. First or third person do have advantages in certain genres, and you can find lots of articles on their use online. But it is, as I said in the beginning, an authorial choice unrelated to the action taking place.

Far too many hopeful writers use first in the mistaken assumption that it will make telling more immediate. But telling is telling, no matter how you dress it up. In fact, more than one writer has said that there should be a rule that newbies aren’t allowed to use first person for the first year.😆

Give 1st and 3rd a try, and one will probably feel more natural and easier to write for your story. I write some of my books in 1st, some in 3rd and some are even a mixture of 1st and 3rd. You'll know what feels right for you when you find it.


Jay wrote: "Far too many hopeful writers use first in the mistaken assumption that it will make telling more immediate. But telling is telling, no matter how you dress it up. ."


One great tip from my editor that has helped me lots as I've gone through my writing journey is to try to write without using filter words like "noticed", "realised," "felt", "thought", "wondered" etc. You can find great lists of common filter words online and rewriting sentences without using them adds more immediacy and intimacy and helps to show rather than tell. Sometimes you can't really write it any other way than with the filter word, but so often there is an alternative, and it's a fun challenge.

I let the story tell me how it wants to be told. My first two novels were in first person, as it felt natural that the events and information came to the reader in the same way it came to the main character. In my current work-in-progress, a lot of things happen when the main character isn't there to witness it, so it feels more natural in third person.

Hi L.K. I tried out your tip today when editing a story, found numerous filter words, three 'realised'! It quickened the pace leaving them out. Will watch out for these from now on. Thanks for this advice :)

Rosemary wrote: "Hi L.K. I tried out your tip today when editing a story, found numerous filter words, three 'realised'! It quickened the pace leaving them out. Will watch out for these from now on. Thanks for this..."

So glad it was helpful :)