Comments on: My First Novel Question: Multiple First Person Narrators

By: Iffix Y Santaph

Iffix Y Santaph — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 20:25:28 +0000

I just completed my own space odyssey adventure bouncing from multiple first persons.
My first experience as a writer was with first-person, when I was very young. I made a transition to third person as my writing style developed. As such, I began writing this story in third-person, and after several months, found my writing going nowhere. Then I stepped back into first person, which was quite an easy transition, and used multiple-first-person view to add depth to the story.
Most every chapter is written by a different character with a new voice. Some are very straight-laced. Some are comical. And it was very enjoyable to see how each interacted, to see into their minds. Especially as each was so uniquely different. And they’ve all become very real in my mind.
I definitely stress that it is very critical to develop different voices for your characters, and keep them straight. If one character speaks like a pirate, he shouldn’t speak well-pronounced English in the next chapter in which he is featured, something I’ve found myself doing on more than one occasion. It’s easy to lose yourself; compare passages by the character to be his writing is consistent.
I used the premise that these characters were actually telling each other the story with instant messaging devices, which seemed to fit well with this type of story.
I found this style to be more challenging, toward the end of the novel, as one of my major characters needed to write a scene, being the only one able to see what he saw, but would wind up dead (supposedly) by the end of the scene. A bit of ingenuity, and I pulled it out of my hat. I think it turned out well. I’m hoping Tor agrees.
My project has only just begun. I plan to write many more volumes. And it is very exciting to see others who are using this style as well.

By: molly

molly — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 22:00:36 +0000

I am in the process of writing a novel I have started and stopped working on over the last 20 years or so. I finally find I have the time and decided to begin re-writing it and plan to use the foreign to me technique of first person.
I took a paragraph and in third it’s not as descriptive as in first, so that pleased me. In third person it was a mere description of what occurred, but in first I was able to add more from the character.
I have always used third person, so this is not only new and different, I have noticed it more in the books I have previously read now I have been made aware of it.
molly

By: Anthony

Anthony — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 18:21:10 +0000

One of the absolute best examples of a brilliant first person is The Contortionist’s Handbook by Clive Clevenger. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen it done better.

By: Adam

Adam — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 16:35:47 +0000

Hi,

I am doing a short story and while I have no wish to give away my highly marketable plot (lol) I have a question with regard POV.

In the story my main protagonist is able to see through others eyes and hear their thoughts. It will ease into multiple narrators, but one in third and one in first. This means that although it’s a different POV, its a constant connection. I want it to be sort of in the background until some thing specific happens.

Is it ok to do this change of POV such:

(this is just an example!)

Bill lifted the coffee pot and poured himself a healthy cup.

..did he look? I thought he did. Maybe if I pretend to be interested in this lampshade…yes, he looked again..No, it’s too much, I’ll have to go or I’ll start blushing and..

Bill shook his head in annoyance.
Why couldn’t she just ask him out? God, she was becoming annoying.
He sat down and ate his sandwich.

Does that read right or is there a better way of doing it? Using italics makes it obvious but it should probably be obvious without them.

Any help would be great.

Adam

By: Carol Berg

Carol Berg — Sun, 13 May 2007 14:05:38 +0000

what I found especially interesting was when the two characters finally met and how portions of one major scene were told from each perspective.

Yes, I think this technique can add a marvelous richness to a story. Of course it can be done from multiple third-person POVs as well, but I think it is particularly effective from multiple firsts.

Carol

By: Charles

Charles — Sun, 13 May 2007 00:54:16 +0000

I was going to say that 1st person narrative is not my favorite…but then again, when I look through my collection of books I’m amazed at how many of my favorites are written in 1st person. I can’t write that way myself, but I guess I enjoy it more than I realized.

As for multiple 1st person narratives within a single novel, the 1st time I encountered this was Andre Norton’s “The Crystal Gryphon”. The story is told in 1st person, rotating between Kerovan and Joisan. (This is also the 1st time I’ve seen having chapters named after the viewpoint character, something George R.R. Martin makes excellent use of in his Song of Ice and Fire series).

I actually enjoyed Norton’s use of the multiple 1st person narrative. And what I found especially interesting was when the two characters finally met and how portions of one major scene were told from each perspective.

By: Carol Berg

Carol Berg — Thu, 03 May 2007 18:09:23 +0000

glenda larke wrote:

It therefore has totally astounded me how many people have told me that they wonâ€™t read first person novels, that they wonâ€™t even try.

As I said, that surprised the heck out of me, too.

Carol

By: glenda larke

glenda larke — Tue, 01 May 2007 15:48:53 +0000

I have written both first and third person novels, and books where I have alternated between several first person accounts, and between first and third.

First person is much more difficult to plot and to execute well. That doesn’t mean that it can’t be done brilliantly - and there are many writers who do just that.

It therefore has totally astounded me how many people have told me that they won’t read first person novels, that they won’t even try. Before I was published, I must admit that it never occurred to me that there were folk out there who were so adamant on this issue, given how many wonderful first person books there are - in all genres, and from classics to modern literature. First person narratives are so varied, I felt it was a bit like saying “I won’t read books with red covers.” Or, “I won’t read books set in England.”

By: Carol Berg

Carol Berg — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 14:26:22 +0000

Well, of course, a first person narrator must be self-aware, but not self-absorbed. As with any POV character, the writer must think carefully about what the narrator observes about him or herself. The latter is what can drive readers crazy. The key is to have the narrator’s thoughts evolve naturally from the action of the story and his or her reactions from the emotions roused by that action. I think it’s important that the personality who filters everything we see must be somewhat likeable or interesting - a person the reader is going to enjoy being around for the length of the story. Someone who feels the need to constantly describe her own physical appearance–especially in such admiring terms as “delicately arched” is going to get tiresome whether in life or in literature.

Carol

By: Selene

Selene — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 06:44:10 +0000

Betsy:

This is a tricky thing to defeat even in third.

True, but it sticks out like a sour thumb in first.

However, in first it can be a fun device if you can make it obvous they have misconceptions about themselves.

Well, you could of course have a very self-aware character, and that might be fun to play with. I’d say all first person POVs (or all intimate POVs) should be biased to the character, and it would be more odd if the character is objectively right all the time than if he isn’t. What I tend to see a lot of is more unintentional (and therein lies the problem most likely). So we get prose along the lines of:

I flicked my long hair over one shoulder, feeling the sweat trickle down my neck and along the delicate arch of my back.

Granted, this wouldn’t sound great even in third person, but at least you have the leeway to pull back a bit or “zoom out” the POV, which really doesn’t work well in first. If I kept reading sentences like that, I would assume the character is very concerned about her own looks, as she notes to herself that her hair is long, that her back is arched delicately etc. More often than not, that isn’t the impression the author wants to give.

Selene