Read Thread

Find proofreaders here, useful resources, and share opinions and advice on story crafting.

First-Person vs. Third-Person

10 years ago

I notice that the vast majority (at least from what I've read) of stories here are written in the first person. And yes, it makes sense, especially in an environment where YOU have to make a choice. However, for my next story, I'm considering writing it in the third person. While yes, you the reader will be the ones to make the choices in the story, the choices won't be about you and won't affect you.

I'm not completely sure how this will work out. I don't know if you, the reader, will feel less involved because you're not actually IN the story, but I think it might give me, the writer, a few more options in what's going on in the story itself.

At the same time, I'm trying to decide which way to work the various options that make more sense. For a simple example, our protagonist, Phil, needs to pick a doorway to go through. It could be worded:

Phil should go through the left door.

Or

Phil goes through the left door.

With the first option, I think that involves the reader a little more, but that also breaks the fourth wall a little more. With the second option, I think it's more that the reader is picking what actually happened instead of deciding what should happen (Did that make any sense?)

So, anyway, I'd love any feedback, comments, suggestions, or ideas on what you, the good reader, thinks about the third-person based story here at CYS (and there may be plenty of them out there, I just haven't seen very many).

Aman

First-Person vs. Third-Person

10 years ago

Yo mean second person vs third, right? First is "I do this" most cyoa are in "you do this."

Third person is fine, imo. The latter is best unless youre playing as a guardian angel or something like that.

Ogre11

First-Person vs. Third-Person

10 years ago

I guess technically as written it is second person, but the story is really first person as you are the person who is in the story and who is part of the story (aka first-person shooter).

Thanks for the comment.

Sethaniel

First-Person vs. Third-Person

10 years ago

Technically, you're wrong & Aman is correct.

First person in writing looks like "I go through the door."

Second person "you go through the door."

Third person, "he goes through the door."

You can't call second-person first-person just because video game displays only come in first and third Person views.

Anyway, to your original point- write it however. Any viewpoint can be great or terrible, depending on the writer.

I don't think a story is any less immersive depending on its viewpoint.

Aman

First-Person vs. Third-Person

10 years ago

Thanks seth.

I think the video game equivalent of a 2nd person game is the Walking Dead games, where you play as Lee. First person shooters are "I", and third persin would be most rpgs, i think.

Ogre11

First-Person vs. Third-Person

10 years ago

Fair enough. I guess it's just my imagination that makes me think first person. (Just in case that sounded snarky, it's not intended that way. I think when I read a story and read "you" I see that as me, personally, so in my mind, it's first person, but I see what you mean that it really is second person!)