By: Jane Sumerset
Submitted: 2010-01-24 03:55:11 | Word Count: 515
One question aspiring novelists and general novice writers almost always tend to ask is, “Which is better, first person or third person?” Ask that in any writing oriented internet forums and you’ll have as many variations of answers for each as there are members. In fact, I think I’ve seen it spark huge threads of debates more than four or five times now, always ending in no real resolution.
Before you indulge into different process of writing, you have to make a decision first, that is, what person should you write to in? Basically in an English grammar, there are three references to people in the writing field and are divided into three main categories. This would include the first, second and third person which you’ll use in your writing.
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When you use the first person, you need to use I, me, my, we, our and so on in your writing. Second person includes you and your. While the third person is consist of he, she, they, their and so on.
But, almost all writing tasks only use either the first person or the third person. As a writer, how will you decide on which person is suitable for your writing task?
Writing From The First Person
Composing a manuscript from the first person is usually most natural for new writers, as it is how they genuinely view the world. It also makes the text feel more genuine and personable, as it being spoken right from the main protagonist’s voice.
However, writing in the first person can be informal and casually in the eyes of your readers. It is commonly used when a writer is going to write down about his or her personal experiences. Also, the writer serves as a part of the story.
Writing From The Third Person
A first person point of view lends itself to many potential pitfalls. The most glaring of these is the fact that you can only explore both the environment and other characters through limited sets of eyes. If you want to bring other facets of the story to light, you will need to figure the discovery into the narrative, instead of being able to present it anywhere you please.
Writing from the third person is commonly used by many academic and professional writing tasks. The facts and the points of views of the writer must be taken into consideration rather than the writer itself. That is why, third person writing is rather formal compared to writing from the first person.
Besides, when you used third person in your writing, it points out the stronger and forceful points in your writings and therefore it is often more convincing.
So Which Is Better?
Personally, I think both styles of writing bring enough to the table to warrant equal consideration. In the same way, both can be effective when employed in a creative manner. If your narrative is well planned, properly written and sufficiently proofread (either by a writing software or a proofreading consultant), composing your manuscript in either one can turn out positive results.
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