posted
The discussion about POV in a recent thread reminded me of a question I wanted to ask you guys.
The story im working on begins with a very personal tragedy when the person is young. First person fits it very well.
However, after that the person grows up a bit, and it feels to me that 3rd person limited would fit it more. Do you think a POV change wouldn't work.
It seems like it would work in my mind, but im looking for more opinions. I will probably try it out and send someone a copy when its done, if they are willing.
posted
I need more details. The first part, first person, would be from whose POV? The adult version of the child looking back on his childhood? The child? Would it be like a journal entry? Then the third person later would be from the same character's POV...just as an adult?
My gut is, if you want to do this, you have to frame the first person. That would be like in a diary or something. You could also do something like the thing where we start out in third person, the guy meets a bunch of people and starts telling them hist story...and the next three chapters are actually him telling the guys his story.
posted
I have to agree with Christine. I just finished reading a story (Turing Test in the last Asimov) that began with just correspondance, and then abruptly switched to third person. I found it jarring, but would not have if they had framed it at the beginning.
Posts: 2022 | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
I agree with Christine and Mary. The change from first person to third person will be very jarring unless you clue the reader in from the beginning. Making the first-person narrative something contained within the third-person POV can work, whether it's documentary (i.e., old journal) or spoken (i.e., relating it to a friend or psychiatrist).
Posts: 1517 | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
If you ask most writers today, it's a bad idea.
If you ask one of the modernists (think William Faulkner or Sherwood Anderson), that's a fantastic idea.
I don't think there's a specific right or wrong here. Write it, and if you think it works, keep it. If it doesn't change it. A lot of really great books would never have been written if the authors followed the advice of whomever was making the rules of literature at the time. (Again, think Sherwood Anderson, specifically "Winesburg, Ohio").
I say go for it, keeping in mind that you might have to change it if it sucks.
posted
Sorry, I forgot to clarify one major point. I can't really explain without giving away the plot of the opening, so here goes.
My main guy, Dustin, is 13 years old or so. He and his father have a rather distant relationship, becuase he suspects that Dustin is illegitimate. So his father spends most of his time off-planet.
The whole point of the opening is that something terrible happened to Dustin, but he was so traumatized by the event that he doesn't remember it, and his mother refuses to tell the truth. So he is trying to recover his memory, by talking to a recording device with AI. So the story beings with him recalling what he rememberes. After a bit of that he would get to where he dosen't remember what happens. This would be where I step out of third person. Some thing happens in the next day or so that triggers his lost memories. He then records his memory of what happens to his recorder.
My first question is, a) did that make any sense and b) would it make sense to switch back to 1st when he is recording?
Another line of speculation regarding the rest of the story...would the recording device open up more of journal entry type thing at the begining of each chapter? Any thoughts on this? I was thinking that as the story progresses his recorder begins to have dialouge with Dustin, by learning through Dustin. Perhaps Dustin nutures this by telling him about minor events in the day, the little things that people do, to try to help him and his recorder understand people?
Thanks for letting me put my thoughts down on paper. (Midnight sessions of Cowboy Bebop can be so inspiring for sci-fi...) Any input welcomed. Thanks in advance.
And forgive me for any spelling errors i might have made. Its 12:30 in the morning and i really need to sleep now. <grin>
posted
Okay, so the account is 3PLO which includes first person recollections actually expressed by the character?
Absolutely no problem. Nobody will find it even slightly jarring.
It's just like having a bit of dialogue.
quote:Justin pulled over, letting the engine idle as we both looked out over the field. 3PLO
"I was right over there when it happened." dialogue in first person He pointed to a patch where the corn was just a little less green...perhaps a bit shorter. 3PLO again
Or, as you suggest, like a journal entry.
Posts: 8322 | Registered: Aug 1999
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posted
I think if you go with the journal entry thing on the recorder...give specific dates or whatnot...( ie...this is " insert name here" and this is my journal entry for " day here" or time of day with day added ) just like the Star Trek logs....does that help or not....
Just throwing that out there for you to think about
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