Don't know whether this should be in 'Critique Circle' or here, but here goes...

I have written a novel (trying to add some length right now as it is not even 60,000 words...) I originally wrote it in Third Person POV and am editing it and trying First Person. Which POV grabs attention best? I tend to think that First Person is more immediate and places the reader into the action, but it is definitely more difficult to do.

Any of you published authors care to comment??

Thanks so much!

What kind of book is it? Mystery? Horror? Chicklit? Are you going to use first person and one point of view from the main character or do you plan on adding other characters' points of view in third person?

Personally, I find it more difficult to write in single character first person POV, because I have to be so careful about how the story gets told. It limits me to only divulging what my character knows and sees, and that's it.

I like to know what my other characters are thinking so I had in their POVs.

I write in third person.

Now, that said, if you're writing a chicklit book, then they tend to be in first person POV. That's their style. And the focus is all about the main character, so their POV works.

Here are some links about point of view.

http://www.learner.org/exhibits/literature/read/pov1.html

http://www.patriciakay.com/articles/article5.html

Hi NewWriter, my books are all about me, me, me, so I write in first person. And I read self-help and memoirs, which tend to be in first person. Vicki had a good point: it depends on the genre. Love and Light, Lynn

Finally got to registering here; thanks to the ladies so far who've welcomed me in. Below is a message I also copied and posted on the other site mentioned where I found this one. Looking forward to perhaps working with some of you on this project. Thanks again.

Thanks for all your messages so far. Below is from a personal message, my response to a reply from one of the Boomerwomenspeak.com site members. I was in decent form this morning so I thought the ideas on the subject matter might help here. Best, Jaye

Thanks so much for your response. I look forward to being able to roam freely with fewer constraints around the BWS (boomerwomenspeak.com) message boards and the one that took me to it, EADV.net.

The anthology is going to be targeted to the general market about family abuse from it's unacknowledged though often most dangerous forms. I've found out the hard way how gravely the public and professionals are uneducated about it, even with emotional and other forms of abuse in the law books; it remains unpresented to any significant effect in the courtrooms. If tragic results have not already occurred in the home, more damage is done through the court process. Those who cannot defend themselves, the children, are almost routinely put at serious risk by court order. This is in addition to the position the individual who went to the courts for help as a 'last resort' finds themselves in: usually the mother.

I'm sure you would agree someone you know has been unhappy and written about it on the subject of family discord, particularly on the nuclear level. Until something bad happens, outside family members too frequently don't know what has taken place in the private homes of their closest loved ones.

That's what the anthology is about: poems, essays, and art, in that order from 'someone you know' as a form of expression when 'love goes wrong' especially where a child is involved.

Hi again Newwriter....my mystery novel (actually it's a series) is written in third person. As Lynn and Vicki have both said, it depends on the genre (generally).

Why not bring your question and a sample of your writing to the meeting Monday night. Many writers there and they are very helpful and knowledgable as well...

Chatty Lady: Will do...

Vicki: The story is chicklit with a dash of mystery/adventure thrown in. There are other characters, and therein lies the problem. Although redoing in first person seems to add more "punch," it is very difficult to add in the other characters POVs and at least two of other characters are very central to the storyline. At least, LOL, I kept a copy of the third person re-editing I have already done in case the first person editing did not work...so all is not lost in either case.

I like the first person POV but do not like all the 'I, I, Is' that go along with it.

newwriter:
I've been procrastinating on posting and your topic jogged me into it. I'll go introduce myself on the new member section shortly.
I think first or third person is often a matter of taste. I've always been partial to first person in reading and my book that's published and the one I'm finishing up are both in first person. I don't always write in it though. When I was researching publishers to submit to I came across one that stipulated it would not consider anything in first person! Needless to say, I didn't submit to that publisher.
I think it's true also, as the others said, that genre can make a difference. Good luck with your book!
Dahti
Dream of the Circle of Women
by Dahti Blanchard
published May 2004 by Spilled Candy Books
visit: www.dahtiblanchard.com

JM, your anthology sounds very interesting. I'm being led to volunteer at CASA: Court Appointed Special Advocate. I'm a little scared, because I am not familiar with the judicial system, other than it does not always work? Restraining order? Sometimes they are a joke to the offender. Considering your subject, you might join us at the BWS Featured Author forum, where I am honored to be the featured author this month. We've been discussing "family discord" at its worst, and the ramifications. Love and Light, Lynn

lynn329,

I agree that restraining orders are more often than not a joke.

I had one against a boyfriend who turned out to be an abusive alcoholic (Thank God he never really hurt me; I found out that he had put his first wife in the hospital...) and it did not deter him at all. In fact, I moved from one state to the other (across the line), got an unlisted number and thought I was safe until the stupid Post Office gave him my forwarding address!!! I had not given that a thought...if I had I would have gotten a PO box. He showed up at my apartment but I was not home. He even left a note! It took me years to finally get rid of him once and for all.