First Person Versus Third Person POV

The entire Third Person versus First Person debate can present any beginning novel writers with what may seem like insurmountable problems.

An author could write two versions of his or her novel - First in third person POV, and then in first person- and either would be acceptable, though they would be unique stories. The irony of fiction writing is that you can always change your mind. John Irving, the American novelist (I'm not a fan of him or his novels, but this is the case in point) wrote his early drafts of Until I Find You in the first person. Not until a much later draft did he shift the thousand-page novel to third-person point of view,  pare it down to eight hundred and twenty-one pages, and release it. Changing the POV in a novel that large is a lot of work.

If you have read any comprehensive information looking for advantages of the first person over the third person, you’ve probably more or less concluded about which viewpoint is right for your own novel. If you’re a movie buff like me, writing a novel is like having a camera you point for the reader and display your story. The reason for this summary is to help you make up your mind about how you want to direct your novel.

What Is The Best Viewpoint? 

You are far from wrong if you believe I’m writing this, to convince any writer straddling the line between the two POV’s, to jump to one side or the other. I like both, though I write from the third person side, I’m experimenting with a Science Fiction mystery in first person POV.

Taking into consideration all pros and cons, they seem to come out overwhelmingly in favor of using third-person point of view for most novels.

I generally consider that a first-person POV is an easier viewpoint to handle, but, as the old song goes, ‘It ain’t necessarily so’. Once you’ve master the theory behind each viewpoint, there’s nothing really difficult about either of them.

First-person is noticeably more intimate than the third person. Sue Grafton handles Kinsey Millhone  character masterfully using the first person POV Likewise, John D. MacDonald steered Travis McGee through his troubled waters in the first person. (I like the fact that both authors stuck to themes for their titles. Sue uses the alphabet for her titles: A is for Alibi,  B is for Burglar, etc. John D.. McDonald (1916-1986) used colors in his Travis McGee titles: Nightmare in Pink, The Empty Copper Sea, One Fearful Yellow Eye. I know I've pointed these out before.)

It is possible to replicate first-person intimacy while writing in third person. Third-person is more imminent than first-person - even using past tense, a well written third person POV doesn't destroy the illusion of the story taking place in the here and now. This shouldn't be a deterrent if you’re dead-set on writing your novel in first person. Third-person isn't as confining as first person can be. Using third-person point of view gives you the greatest freedom as a storyteller, in the sense that you can move your "viewpoint camera" around a lot more than in a first-person POV story. In first-person, your fix the camera behind the viewpoint character's eyes throughout your entire story. Third person and it is more objective, also, giving any writer the ability to present a more rounded portrait of their central character.