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"Excuses" for first person narrative?

Amanita

Maester
I know, the title may sound stupid but I hope you'll understand what I mean anyway.
Do you think a story told in first person needs some sort of "excuse" why it's told in first person. By excuse I mean something like the story being the character's diary, the character telling the story to someone else, letters to someone or anything along those lines? Does it have to be written in a way that would be sensible for someone to use talking about their own life? Or wouldn't you mind someone simply telling the readers what's happening to him or her?
 

shangrila

Inkling
The point of first person narrative is to show the story from the character's point of view, so naturally there's always going to be some feeling that the reader is seeing a journal/diary/thoughts. You don't have to specifically say "this is blah's diary", but it'll probably come up in the reader's mind anyway so most people just go with it.

As for writing it, you would have to keep it consistent. As you're inevitably seeing through another's eyes, you'll be seeing their view of the word. Their descriptions of people, places and events would all be influenced by who they are. If you were to break that to, say, describe something, it would potentially take the reader out of the story and make them realise they're reading a book, not exploring some far off land.

Personally, I'd be fine with someone telling me what's happening to them. Reading the Black Company books was a little weird at first, but eventually the first person really makes you feel like you're more than just reading a book. Hell, sometimes it felt like I was talking with the character himself.
 

Steerpike

Felis amatus
Moderator
No, it doesn't need an excuse. There are many, many novels told in first person these days, and the vast majority of them never present a justification as to why it is so. It simply isn't necessary. And you can use a lot of artistic license with the story as well - I read a book a while back where the first-person narrator of the story dies. The story is not set up as a diary or recollection of any sort, and the first-person narrator continues to narrate up until the moment of her death.

It is largely a stylistic choice. You can do pretty much anything in first person that you can do in third person, and vice versa, so just go with your conception of how the story should be told.
 

Shockley

Maester
If you're just looking for ways to incorporate first person, check out Dracula. Letters, postcards, diary entries, etc. all come together to form a fairly brilliant narrative.
 

Ireth

Myth Weaver
If you're just looking for ways to incorporate first person, check out Dracula. Letters, postcards, diary entries, etc. all come together to form a fairly brilliant narrative.

Frankenstein is another great classic example. A story within a story within a series of letters.
 

Penpilot

Staff
Article Team
No there doesn't need to be an excuse. It's all about what best works for your story and what you want. First person is the most intimate POV. The reader is always inside the character's head and the see the world exactly through the character's eyes. Third person puts the reader a step back from those feelings so, generally speaking, they don't feel them as strongly. That's the trade off.

Also first person, again generally speaking, is good when you only have one POV character. Third person is good for when you have lots of POV characters. But these aren't absolutes. If you write it well anything can work.
 

Queshire

Auror
yeah, it doesn't need an excuse, your average reader's willing suspension of disbelief is big enough to accept a first person POV without needing a reason for it.

That said, having an excuse for it such as a diary, gives the story a sort of self contained feel that can be very neat, but you have to consider what that would do for the story, I mean, somebody's not going to be jotting down what they're feeling in their diary as they're being chomped on by a crocodile or anyhing.
 

Amanita

Maester
Thank you so far.
I haven't started a story in first person POV yet, but I'm considering it for a story that's been in my head for quite a while now. That's why I'm trying to get a bit of information beforehand. I'm glad to see that most of you wouldn't object to first person stories without an "excuse." As Queshire has pointed out, this would make many aspects I want to have in the story quite hard to accomplish.
 

Steerpike

Felis amatus
Moderator
Amanita, it only makes it a problem if you adopt the idea that it is a journal or diary. If you just present it in a straight-forward first person POV, without making it part of some diary, journal, or other writing that you are setting forth as having been written by the MC, then you won't have these difficulties. You can go ahead and write just as you would with third person, except that you're in first person.
 

bbeams32

Scribe
No, you don't need an "excuse" for a first-person delivery. It is just a method of telling a story. I actually did use an excuse for first-person in my recent book, but only because it will be tying into the story later, not because it was necessary. Look at a successful first-person series such as The Dresden Files, written without any "excuse" for the narrative.
 

Devor

Fiery Keeper of the Hat
Moderator
By excuse I mean something like the story being the character's diary, the character telling the story to someone else, letters to someone or anything along those lines?

The only reason I think you would need an excuse is if you're jumping from one POV character to another, and both characters are presented in 1st Person. I think that would be weird if there's not a diary being passed around.

Just one person? No, in fact I think a strict diary format would get weird and unnecessary after a while. An "excuse" can be a nice touch, though. But it if you use one, it should be a subtle thing that only comes up on occasion.

I've set out to write my story to preempt the rumors that will follow...

...but now as I finish this, I realize the rumors will not be unwarranted. They died because I was brash, because I led them to an adventure they were unprepared for...

Whatever excuse there is can be used to show character development, that's the only reason I say it can sometimes be a nice touch.
 

Queshire

Auror
actually.... the dresden files are supposed to be his case files...

EDIT: Though, I don't believe that actually comes up in the books, so it might as well just be normal, un-excused first person.
 
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