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First Person ALWAYS better for small casts?

So I typically hear advice saying that a first person view usually let's us know the characters better than a third person view. Third person is usually relegated to working best on stories of either large casts or grand scale. Are there any advantages to using third person when writing a personal tale (as in nothing as large as war or saving the world) with a small cast?

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Steerpike

Felis amatus
Moderator
It's a stylistic choice. There are plenty of third person books with small casts. As the author, you should write the POV that you like best and that you feel is getting your work across the way you want.
 

Ireth

Myth Weaver
IMO, a deep third person POV can be just as effective as first person. My main WIP has a smallish cast (though it does have three POV characters out of necessity), and it works just fine for me. The story is quite personal; the POV characters are an insular family. One has been kidnapped by the villain, and the other two team up to find her, while she does all she can to get herself out of trouble.
 

Mythopoet

Auror
Neither is superior to the other for anything. It all depends on the needs of the story and skills and style of the author. Anyone who says differently is selling something.
 

JeiC

Acolyte
I've seen plenty of small casts use 3rd person effectively. I have a larger cast and prefer 1st person. It all in how you prefer to write.
 

Devor

Fiery Keeper of the Hat
Moderator
I don't think it matters with the size of the cast. When you use 1st person, you have a little more potential to get to know the main character a little better and to deepen that character's filter of how you see the world. Most of the time it doesn't make much of a difference, and you could just switch the words. But for instance, if you were doing an unreliable narrator, I would "buy it" more with a 1st person POV. I would feel like that character lied to me instead of an author pulling a gimmick with missing information. First person POV can get you that kind of depth if you use it.

If you don't use it, I personally think it's better to write in 3rd Person Limited, but that's just me.
 

Demesnedenoir

Myth Weaver
Nothing can always be right in a subjective world. For instance, if you want me to read a book, it will not be in first person. I simply don't go there. I try, really I do, and I swear someday I will read Hunger Games, at least a little bit, maybe... well, okay, I might make it through a chapter someday.

So from my perspective, although FP has certain minor advantages in some limited circumstances, and is trendy particularly in YA, I see no real advantage to writing in it unless you want to or are targeting the market(s) where FP is desirable.
 

Russ

Istar
In general terms FP lets the reader get a little closer to the MC than does close third.

However, close third with just one more POV offers a great deal more flexibility in plotting and moving the plot forward.

It is a matter of pros and cons of each and what you are trying to do with your work. Many people will tell you that FP is harder to execute well on a technical basis and first person close is a easier or more flexible tool to work with.

I would not agree that FP should always be used in a small cast work. Not at all.
 

WooHooMan

Auror
I'm very much against the idea that writing becomes more "personal" or whatever when it is in third person. It all depends on how the writer uses their perspective. Or just how good they are at writing period.
In fact, in my experience, the only time first-person unquestionably works better is when the narrator is supposed to have some kind of clear bias that the reader needs to be able to understand and experience the story through (such as, the narrator is insane or ill-informed).

I swear I've read multiple Jack London stories that were in third-person stories and featured only one or two characters? That should be prove enough that third-person effectiveness isn't dependent on having a larger cast.

Of course, I might be biased since I haven't written anything extensive in first-person in, like, 10 years.
 
It either works or it doesn't. Did more people than not like the book? Was the criticism consistent on what was the weakest part? Was it the choice of POV? There's your answer.

You don't have to be bound by rules. Just pay attention to what has been successful to give you a bit of guidance.
 

Legendary Sidekick

The HAM'ster
Moderator
First vs third is a stylistic choice as SP said. But I'll add to that based on a recent experience--as in days ago.

I wrote a short story, 8K words, 1st person present. It rocked... but I felt the need to do a rewrite. I thought I'd give 3rd past a try. 2K words into it, I compared opening scenes. My 3rd person intro sucked rocks.

Why?

In 3rd person, the narrator is me. I'm boring, I'm detailed, I don't know when to shut up. My dialogues were actually better in the rewrite, and my MC had me in tears laughing. That usually means I'll amuse some of my readers at least a little. The narrator never made me laugh. I wanted him to get the hell out of the way of my story.

In 1st person, the narrator is the MC--or other POV character for short scenes that are important to the story, but are not experienced by the MC. (Notice how the POV shift is purposeful.) The narrator is my most interesting character, but that's not the main reason why 1st person is better in my hands. She NEVER info dumps. She NEVER spends an entire paragraph describing her best friend's hair color, ethic background, bra size, etc.--what I mean is, she doesn't describe her at all. Why should she? It's her best friend. When you see your best friend, do you think about the color of his/her hair? It's the same as yesterday in most cases.

See how I waste so many sentences on one point? My character tends not to. She thinks through the action, and the story flows through her eyes. She only describes what neither she nor the reader has ever seen before, and the time it takes to read her thought aloud is often the speed of the action.

So... 1st person is my strength (not everybody's) because of personality/voice, brevity/pacing, and purpose.

3rd person is my weakness because of lack of personality, inconsistent pacing, and I actually caught myself switching POV characters for no reason.

If I want to improve my versatility, I should write 3rd person and overcome my weaknesses. If I want to sell books, I should write in the way that is most interesting. So, 1st for me. You decide which is best for you.
 

skip.knox

toujours gai, archie
Moderator
So, the First (and Last) Law of Reduction states, in part, that absolutes are never correct. So the answer to the question is easy.

No.

Next question?
 

ushKee

Scribe
my main problem with this is it is really difficult writing a deep 3rd person point of view (like in Harry Potter) and not make it look messy or confusing. 1st person is the best to know the inside thoughts of the character, have the character tell jokes, and generally get to know their personality best. However, 3rd person has a certain intangible feel to it, that makes it perhaps more mysterious.
 
So, the First (and Last) Law of Reduction states, in part, that absolutes are never correct. So the answer to the question is easy.

No.

Next question?
Tell me, O wise One, what is the meaning of this dreadful existence? [emoji6]

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I prefer third person since I enjoy the presence of more complex backgrounds, which tend to be more difficult to relay because of the limitations of first person. But if your story is more focused on characters, or if it is important for the MC's opinions and biases to be prevalent in the narrative, first person could perform perfectly. I won't say that either is better then the other; I don't think such a position is easily defensible. But I do think that fantasy benefits more from third person than from first. Of course, your story is unique in its needs, and there are exceptions to every rule. But to answer your question: no, is my answer. Regarding small casts, R.A Salvatore's Drizzt series is written in third, and although I cannot claim that the writing is exemplary or worthy of imitating, Drizzt remains one of the characters that I understand on a deep level.

In short, there is no surefire rule. It all boils down to execution, as does everything with writing.
 
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