Comments on: Point of View: Following the Rules http://www.dailywritingtips.com/point-of-view-following-the-rules/ Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:00:10 -0600 hourly 1 By: Joe http://www.dailywritingtips.com/point-of-view-following-the-rules/comment-page-1/#comment-42624 Joe Wed, 08 Oct 2008 06:28:29 +0000 http://www.dailywritingtips.com/point-of-view-following-the-rules/#comment-42624 One of my old mentors used to get really angry whenever one of us showed him a story written in first person. He'd say it was the writing equivalent of crawling like a baby rather than walking. He'd also berate us for using such a personal style when 99% of the time we had nothing truly personal to say. He'd then make us rewrite the story with a Third person limited POV. Thing is: he was mostly right. Whereas our narrators had more or less all sounded the same in first person, they took on much more distinction in third person. The stories had richer imagery, and had even developped new plots as a result of the broadened perspective.They stopped sounding like bad diary entries. Only a rare few stories were judged (by all of us) to be better in first person, and nearly all of them had been based on real and extremely personal experiences to the writers. Those of us unable to master third person generally didn't have strong writing skills in other domains either (poor structure, exposition, descriptions etc), so I tended to side with him on this. He was a bit cruel in that he'd say first person narratives, for young writers, were works of laziness and over-indulgence in our bigger-than-life sense of selves. Some of my colleagues found him stifling, but those of us who'd manage to pass the third person test ended up developing unlike anything we'd done in other workshops. I guess some writers thrive on cuddling mentors. I don't trust'em. I needed a bastard to give me a challenge. One of my old mentors used to get really angry whenever one of us showed him a story written in first person. He’d say it was the writing equivalent of crawling like a baby rather than walking. He’d also berate us for using such a personal style when 99% of the time we had nothing truly personal to say. He’d then make us rewrite the story with a Third person limited POV.

Thing is: he was mostly right.

Whereas our narrators had more or less all sounded the same in first person, they took on much more distinction in third person. The stories had richer imagery, and had even developped new plots as a result of the broadened perspective.They stopped sounding like bad diary entries.

Only a rare few stories were judged (by all of us) to be better in first person, and nearly all of them had been based on real and extremely personal experiences to the writers.

Those of us unable to master third person generally didn’t have strong writing skills in other domains either (poor structure, exposition, descriptions etc), so I tended to side with him on this.

He was a bit cruel in that he’d say first person narratives, for young writers, were works of laziness and over-indulgence in our bigger-than-life sense of selves. Some of my colleagues found him stifling, but those of us who’d manage to pass the third person test ended up developing unlike anything we’d done in other workshops.

I guess some writers thrive on cuddling mentors. I don’t trust’em. I needed a bastard to give me a challenge.

]]> By: Jonathan http://www.dailywritingtips.com/point-of-view-following-the-rules/comment-page-1/#comment-27920 Jonathan Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:47:45 +0000 http://www.dailywritingtips.com/point-of-view-following-the-rules/#comment-27920 i'm writing my first book and im going to try to do a mix of 1st and 3rd. it will be interesting if i can pull it off. the way im going to do is, some of the chapters will be in 1st and the majority of it will be in 3rd. i may just go to 3rd person tho. hopefully with the help of my wife i'll be able to pull it off. i’m writing my first book and im going to try to do a mix of 1st and 3rd. it will be interesting if i can pull it off. the way im going to do is, some of the chapters will be in 1st and the majority of it will be in 3rd. i may just go to 3rd person tho. hopefully with the help of my wife i’ll be able to pull it off.

]]> By: Alisia http://www.dailywritingtips.com/point-of-view-following-the-rules/comment-page-1/#comment-8390 Alisia Fri, 28 Dec 2007 04:29:06 +0000 http://www.dailywritingtips.com/point-of-view-following-the-rules/#comment-8390 Thanks for the validation up front. First person is easier for me to manage, especially since I write/speak from a deeply personal and emotional place. Who know...I may graduate to using third person omniscient one day. Thanks for the validation up front. First person is easier for me to manage, especially since I write/speak from a deeply personal and emotional place.

Who know…I may graduate to using third person omniscient one day.

]]> By: Roshawn http://www.dailywritingtips.com/point-of-view-following-the-rules/comment-page-1/#comment-626 Roshawn Fri, 27 Jul 2007 22:35:15 +0000 http://www.dailywritingtips.com/point-of-view-following-the-rules/#comment-626 The book I'm writing right now uses first person. Since this is my first novel, I wanted to go with something a little easier for me. I'm no J.K. Rowling but I will be (if I follow the tips given here at this site ;) ) The book I’m writing right now uses first person. Since this is my first novel, I wanted to go with something a little easier for me.

I’m no J.K. Rowling but I will be (if I follow the tips given here at this site ;) )

]]> By: Friday roundup at erin-go-blog! http://www.dailywritingtips.com/point-of-view-following-the-rules/comment-page-1/#comment-625 Friday roundup at erin-go-blog! Fri, 27 Jul 2007 18:19:06 +0000 http://www.dailywritingtips.com/point-of-view-following-the-rules/#comment-625 [...] owe a proper review (which I will be posting at Required Reading), but for now, here’s a post I wrote on point of view at Daily Writing Tips (it references Harry [...] [...] owe a proper review (which I will be posting at Required Reading), but for now, here’s a post I wrote on point of view at Daily Writing Tips (it references Harry [...]

]]>