1st or 3rd Person - Pros & Cons!

1st vs. 3rd person? Which is better? Neither! They each have their own pros & cons, and I'm going over what they are. Though, at the end of the day, it's all a matter of personal preference, the story, and mastery of skill.

I realized in hindsight my examples between 1st past and 1st present... sound the same said out loud lol. Whoops. (walk vs. walked!)

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[anakoART]

I’ve always highly prefered 3rd person over 1st person writing, mainly because I always find it hard to believe that the main character would remember all of the details and had that beautiful language skills for the descriptions :D

[lenlordofknowledge]

I greatly prefer 3rd person since my writing style deals heavily with detailed descriptions and atmosphere-building, and I can reliably keep that style as opposed to 1st person where I’d have to have a rather specific type of character providing the voice in order to keep up the style. However, if I’m writing a story where the main character especially goes through a lot of inner turmoil and change, I like 1st person because the struggle really becomes personal that way. Still, I tend to go with 3rd over 1st.

[sarcomeresarecool]

Two PoVs, both alike in dignity, in fair authortube where we lay our scene...

[FacadeASMR]

I'm a third-person writing serial head hopper and I feel personally attacked.

[liathedoll]

I think that 1st vs 3rd is more of a personal case, depending on the writer's writing style and the overall story. Neither of the povs isn't superior in general but can in some cases be superior option.

[delilacain]

you missed a golden opportunity for "prose & cons" lol

[nootnewt]

I think first person is more realistic. Being in somebody’s head is the best way to be immersed in a story. That’s why I like YA fantasy. Adult fantasy is almost always in a dry third person narration.

[katrinaglover]

As an author working my debut novel, I always enjoy hearing your craft advice. POV is often something I struggle with so hearing some things that clarify the difference between the two is very helpful.

[cringemeister]

the weird part is I read a lot of first-person books, not even on purpose, but I naturally write in third-person so that's great.

[anarchsnark]

Can I say that a lot of fanfic writers are unfairly biased against 1st person? There are some FUN advantages to 1st (Hyperbole sounds better in 1st), speaking as someone who used to only write 3rd

[drunkunicorn]

I kind of think 1st/3rd (and past/present) pick themselves. Whenever I'm brainstorming a new project I feel like the story tells me how it wants to be written. I just go with it.

[BrianaMorganBooks]

Love your outfit here! Also, the next time someone asks me what POV they should use, I'll direct them here. :)

[HobDobson]

One "pro" to both 3rd person limited and 1st person past is that switching between the two for a scene (like using a different camera shot in filming) can go a long way toward selling that scene, moving the story along, or easing the reader into another character's POV.

[sanablue]

in my opinion it also depends on whether you focus on internal, emotional and character driven stories or rather on external, physical stories that revolve around a 'bigger' problem. If the characters struggle a lot personally and there's a lot of internal tension within or between the characters, I think it's easier to feel and relate to that in first person. but if the story is about say a big war or about politics or just if there's a lot going on around the character, I think it's better to use 3rd person because it gives more possibilities to describe what's happening and who's doing what without being limited to the knowledge or vocabulary of one person. I hope that made sense...

[WalkingCasino]

I don't comment too often; just thought I'd say I continue to love your channel, and appreciate all the great food for thought you provide us.

Thank you.

[DanicaChristin]

I'm always surprised when people say they dislike reading 1st person. I love it! I tend to like characters much more when their story is told from 1st person POV

[cifge_]

I tend to just gravitate toward first person because that's how I see my stories--always through the characters and never from an outside perspective. I used to write in third person a lot when I was little, but now it just seems weird to me. I don't have strong feelings for either perspective, first person is just how I see things.

[SysterYster]

I don't know if I'm weird or not, but I always feel disconnected in 1st person. Because it says "I, me" and I am not this person that I have to read as "me". It weirds me out. 3rd person always feels more real and personal to me. But with more than one person. :) Like, my MC for example, you are in his head a LOT. And it's written in 3rd person. People have told me how good the introspection is. I mean, this is why I think 3rd person is just as close as 1st, only you can be close to more than one. It's all about how it's written. And, the difference between 3rd person writing and a movie is that in movies we rarely get the inner side (thoughts, feelings) we only see what the do, their visible reactions to things, and what they say. In a book, you also get their bodily reactions, their thoughts, the motivations they don't speak of.

[writingwithkatelyn]

I personally like to stick to 1st person, but if I ever stray to 3rd I will usually write in 3rd person limited. I agree that neither one is better than the other. Thanks for the video!🙂

[northernbloxburg]

We’re not gonna talk about how she said “the next pro” and I got an ad that said

*”millions of children are on the brink of death”*

We see you st Jude.