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1st vs. 3rd Person Point of ViewIt is funny how this whole 1st vs. 3rd Person Point of View debate can give novel writing beginners such problems... I mean, the chances are that you could write two versions of a novel - one in 3rd person, the other in 1st person - and both would turn out fine, just differently. And the beauty of novel writing is that you can always change your mind. The great American novelist John Irving - I'm a fan, in case you were wondering! - initially wrote Until I Find You in the 1st person, not changing it to 3rd person point of view until a much later draft. And Until I Find You is over 1,000 pages long If you have already read the articles on First Person Point of View and Third Person Point of View, you have probably almost come to a decision on which viewpoint is right for your own novel. The purpose of this article is to help you make up your mind once and for all. So Which Viewpoint Is Best?If you have come to the conclusion that I am trying to persuade any fence-sitters out there to jump down on the third person side, you are not far wrong. "A beginning writer may feel that a first person point of view comes most naturally, but all things considered, a more workable choice might be a close third person with the viewpoint in the head and behind the eyes of the character. This technique has the close-camera advantage of first person, but the action is happening before the viewpoint character's, and the reader's, eyes, and so is not being narrated after the fact." Taking all of the arguments into consideration, they stack up in favour of using 3rd person point of view - almost overwhelmingly so...
You can read this article in full, and loads more besides, in my 500-page eBook. Follow this link to discover more about the Ultimate Guide to Novel Writing.
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