It's Friday so time to take a look at an aspect of writing. I'm sitting here getting help from Ned, my Siamese cat helping me today.
There are two ways to tell a story on the page. The third person point of view and first person point of view. Can a second person view point be written. Maybe, it would be extremely heard, but not impossible. It is hard enough that I've never seen it and I do a lot of reading.
On to POV (point of view) for the story as opposed to POV charter which is a subject for another day. Which is better. That would depend on the story you are trying to write.
Today's focus will be on first person POV. A good writer, such as Robin Hobb, makes it look effortless. That is what a good writer does, makes it look easy. If you would like a good example of 1st person writing please look at Robin Hobb, or Particia Briggs as both have incredible books in first person
First person, in my opinion, is much more intimate than the third person format. It is also far harder to work with than third person. Everything that is written in a first person story has to go through the view point charter who is telling the story. Can there be multiple viewpoints in a first person? Yes, it is possible. I'm reading a Robin Hobb book right now where she is doing it.
What makes first person hard? Nothing can be revealed in the story unless the POV charter knows about it. There can be no cheating on this or you will loose the reader in a heartbeat. Why? Because in first person the you have told the reader that is how you are going to tell them the story. Any important information that needs to be conveyed to the reader has to go through the filter of the POV charter. Yes, in order for the information to reach the reader it has to go through the filter of the POV charter. If they see everything through rose colored glasses, then that it how it needs to be presented to the reader.
The location can't change either unless the POV charter changes location. Having to put everything through the viewpoint charter can be difficult.
How do you handle this difficulty. With skill and finesse of course. As the writer you have to know what is happing in your world. So, you know there is an earthquake and a land mass somewhere sinks into the ocean. Until our viewpoint charter learns of the quake, we don't know about the quake. Maybe the viewpoint leans about it as they try to land an airplane on the landmass that was.
Something like this was done in Star Wars when Han Solo runs into what seems to be an asteroid storm but turns out to be a planet killed by the death star. The director, George Lucas, could have shown us the planet blow up without breaking the contract he'd made with the movie goer, but that is because it is a third person narration. The way he did handle it would be the same way a first person viewpoint would be because we find out about the planet blowing up at the same time Han does.
If you are interested in writing in first person, read books or short stories written in first person. Then try it, but be hard on yourself because your audience will. The harder you are on yourself the better the story will be.
Good luck and happy writing.
