Opinions on a first person POV?

[Alex]

I want to write a story with a first person point of view. Basically, I want the Main Character to tell the story of his adventure. Is that a good idea?

 

[Aegrus]

I tend to prefer third person narrators, but either works. The downside of having first person, however, is that you can't have the protagonist die at the end.

 

[Steerpike]

I tend to prefer third person narrators, but either works. The downside of having first person, however, is that you can't have the protagonist die at the end.

Not so. I read a book a while back where not only did the first person narrator die, she died about 3/4 of the way into the book. Then we got a new viewpoint character, and the rest was told in third person.

 

[Alex]

So it's accepted and perfectly normal if I so choose? Thanks for the answers.

 

[zizban]

There are many examples of excellent first person narratives in fantasy lit. The Book of the New Sun, the Vlad Taltos books, etc. I prefer writing in first person because I am more comfortable in that style.

 

[Leuco]

I've read at least two stories where the narrator telling the story dies. It's not so uncommon. My advice though, is if you're going to write in first person, make sure your narrator is someone interesting with interesting thoughts. If not, it's very easy for a reader to lose interest.

I think now would be a good time to look up some synonyms for interesting.

Anyway, good luck!

 

[ThinkerX]

You do have to keep in mind the limitations as well.

A first person POV, barring something unusual, won't know what is going on in the top secret conference across town. He or she will have to get an account later from somebody who was there, or monitor it from afar somehow.

There is also the manner of bias to take into account: say the first person POV character is mildly or strongly racist, well then, that will show up in how that person interprites what people of that despised race are telling him or her. Or the bias could be against moneylenders, soldiers, or quite a few other 'types'.

 

[Steerpike]

You do have to keep in mind the limitations as well.

A first person POV, barring something unusual, won't know what is going on in the top secret conference across town. He or she will have to get an account later from somebody who was there, or monitor it from afar somehow.

There is also the manner of bias to take into account: say the first person POV character is mildly or strongly racist, well then, that will show up in how that person interprites what people of that despised race are telling him or her. Or the bias could be against moneylenders, soldiers, or quite a few other 'types'.

Yes, the first person narrator can be completely unreliable. See Nabokov's Lolita for a brilliant example of an unreliable narrator.

If you want to get in information about something happening across town, you can always drop out of first person and write a chapter in third person with a viewpoint character who is at the event of interest.

 

[Telcontar]

Bias and unreliable narration are the best reasons to do 1st Person, in my opinion.

I'm not sure switching between 1st and 3rd should be your goto for handling events that the main guy isn't privy to. Personally I think you could just have another 1st Person viewpoint without too much trouble. I've read books before that, much like GRRM, stated their viewpoint character at the beginning of every chapter, and were written in 1st person. Worked just fine.

You may also want to attempt to simply not write out those entire chapters, but have that information filter through to the main character somehow. Clarity of narration is one of the first things abandoned in 1st Person, and as noted above that is a great part of the fun.

 

[Sheilawisz]

I always write in third person and I find the first person narrative a little annoying, but many readers like it and yes, it's perfectly normal and you can use it for your Fantasy stories =) I think that it's the second person style which really does not work very well to tell a good story

 

[Leuco]

I think that it's the second person style which really does not work very well to tell a good story

Unless you're writing a Choose Your Own Adventure book. Then it's totally rad!