Is 3rd or 1st Person better? Past or Present tense?
What perspective is the right perspective for your piece?
Writing quote of the week
"Writers are at their best not when they tell people what to think, but when they provide a context within which others can think." (from How to Know a Person, by David Brooks)
Happy holidays!
It’s the time of year for playing and relaxing and I’ve been playing around with fiction again this week, writing romance.
Three chapters into my first draft, I made a creative decision.
I decided to switch the entire manuscript into present instead of past tense. I was inspired by the gorgeous novel Remarkably Bright Creatures which is told from the perspective of multiple characters—including an octopus— all in present tense.
It sounded like a good idea at the time. But it involved going back and laboriously adjusting everything. Changing every “said” to “says”. Every -ed to an -s.
I don’t know if I made the right call. (And hopefully the editor won’t ask for it all to be switched back into past tense.)
The point of view you choose for your story and the tense you write it in can change it completely.
Some stories fall flat until they’re switched into the urgency of present tense.
Others come alive when you give them a third person past-tense perspective, where you can step back and allow the setting to shine brighter.
Switch it up
Have you ever tried writing a short piece one way and then switching it into another?
You could give second person a go if you’re feeling really wild.
Second person is tricky but can also be incredibly impactful, like this one called Bordertown Synopsis by algae. Here’s how it starts:
When the sun goes down, small critters come out to play, feasting on your skin. You either stay at home watching young cousins play video games or go out to your culture’s grand traditional way of a birthday party, swaying to cumbias, corridos, and banda. The streets are always covered in a fine layer of dust and the vehicles behind you are stuck trying to see past your clouds of chaos.
Close and personal
If you’re thinking about writing your story in first person, Annie Mydla, managing editor of Winning Writers, has written a fantastic article on the pitfalls to avoid:
“Writing in first person is like the hard mode of "showing, not telling" due to the dominance of the character's point of view. Yes, it is the privilege of the first-person perspective that more telling feels okay compared to third person, but sometimes authors can take it too far. With unlimited access to the character's thoughts, authors are sometimes tempted to really make sure readers understand what's going on.”
—Annie Mydla, Is Your First-Person Narrator Hurting Your Story, Winning Writers
What’s your preferred perspective to write in?
My Christmas writing gift for you:
Remember my Introduction to Personal Essays is 75% off at the moment. That makes it just $34.75. You can check it out here.
It was great to hear those of you who’ve started the course are enjoying it. I love getting those emails!
Literally same! I’m currently working on the third draft of a speculative dystopian (i think) novel. I started the first draft in first person but then read a bunch of advice saying 3rd is better while 1st is too hard or doesn’t usually do as well. So i went back and changed it to 3rd past tense.
But it just didn’t feel right so i wrote the second draft in first person, like my instincts originally told me to, and it works so much better.
I personally prefer 3rd person perspective in fiction, especially in romantic fiction. The first-person narrative in romantic fiction is not my cup of tea. I feel it takes away the liberty of daydreaming.