March, In like a Lion, Out like a Lion

March came in like a lion and looks like it’ll go out like a lion. I’m sooooo ready for spring. Oh, it is Spring!  Snow expected on Wednesday, March 25 – that’s northern Utah for you. I’m looking forward to warm days, blue skies, warm spring rains, flowers blooming, and trees budding. Aren’t you? 

Not only did the lion-whether stay around off and on, but the coronavirus decided to alter our way of life.

Then on top of that, the earthquake hit. I do think this is a wake-up call for those of us in the Salt Lake Valley. We should be prepared for the big one, which they say we’re overdue

I hope and pray you and your family are well and protecting those you love.

I have a dilemma. My work in progress is a women’s fiction about four non-related sisters. I almost feel like it should be in first person. But, I’ve always written in third person. I like reading books in third person better than first. So I had to do a little research.

Point of View (POV): First Person  

Many writers that write in first person pov believe it’s easier, warmer and more intimate. Understanding first person viewpoint is simple because your novel is from a single character throughout the novel.  The story sticks to a single viewpoint.

First POV is a natural voice because you use it in your everyday life, using the “I” of the first person.

To write in first person pov, you simply visualize yourself as your character and tell the story.

Remember, the narrator and the viewpoint character is the same person. Not always. Sometimes a first person narrator can be wiser than a first person viewpoint character, looking back on an event. This viewpoint character is the narrator’s younger self, or a naive self. Meaning the young viewpoint character has yet to be changed by the future event.

Reading a first person novel, it’s like the narrator is right there in the room, telling us the story first-hand. Language in the first person pov is less formal, as if the character is telling us a story and not reading it to us.

Remember, when writing in first person pov, the character has to be present in all major scenes. Also, first person pov has more restrictions. For example, if a detective discovers who the murderer is, he has to tell the reader. The information cannot be withheld from the reader. Because the main character is telling the story.

Point of View (POV): Third Person

Third person viewpoint is more immediate and the writer has more freedom. Also, third person pov is more objective.  Oh, did I mention, first person viewpoint is more subjective?

Subjective: based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions

Objective:  not influenced by personal feelings or opinions in considering and representing facts

By being objective, third person viewpoint character and narrator are two different people. For example, he narrator can say things that the viewpoint character wouldn’t admit.

In third person pov, you have the option to use several viewpoints (not at the same time, of course). If you can even choose to use only one pov character, you can move the camera behind the character’s eyes or you can change the pov character to another, or point the camera at something the character(s) are unaware of (the camera is stuck behind a first person pov eyes).

The point of view of a third person is immediate. The author speaks to you in the here and now. Present Tense. Written in the past tense. The narrator in a third person novel is somebody else, like a camera, recording as things happen. The third person novel is rooted in the here and now. Even when a person reads a third person historical novel, it has the feel of the here and now. As if, you’ve been sucked back in time.

When writing a novel in third person pov, you have more freedom. Your scenes can be in different character's point of view. Because the narrator and the point of view character are two separates in a third person pov, therefore, the writer has more freedom. Also when the action is over, the camera can pull back, and/or zoom in through different pair of eyes.

Okay, now I need to ask myself:

Do I want to tell this story through one pair of eyes as first person? Do I want the camera to be stuck behind the hero’s eyes continuously?

OR

Do I want multiple pov characters? Do I want the camera to have the freedom to go outside?

Hmm, maybe I should just go with my gut feelings. Which is??

What do you think about first person and third person points of view? Do you like to read one better than the other? My WIP is a women’s fiction. Do you think that genre is better in first person point of view? I’d love your comments.

Stay Safe, Judy