A Perspective on Perspective

When we read novels, they are usually in first or third person. Today, we’re talking about what those terms mean and how to choose the perspective of your novel. 

First Person: A term for writing as the character themself. You would use terms like “I” and “my” when telling a story. This is often more personal sounding and feeling-based. The reader will place themselves in the narrator’s perspective and will see the story’s world through the narrator’s eyes. I have noticed this is more common in lower-aged novels like Young Adult, Middle Grade, and chapter books, but is not always the case. Writing in the first person allows the reader to empathize more with the narrator and is often easier to write. 

Third Person: a term for writing about the characters from an outside perspective.  You would use terms like their name “he/she/they” instead of “I/me.” There are a few different kinds of third-person writing: limited, objective and omniscient. 

Limited is used similarly to first person in that it follows one character which is why it is most popular. You still get their thoughts and feelings but it is told from an outsider perspective. 

Objective is like an outsider looking in where you get the narration but not the individual thoughts and feelings of the characters. You rely on dialogue and body language for cues. 

Omniscient is one of the harder ones to pull off because it shares the thoughts and feelings of all characters. 

Third person is more ideal for stories that follow multiple characters and is a slightly harder writing technique. 

Second person perspective is not used often as it speaks directly to the reader. Similar to these blog posts where we use “You” and “One” instead of “I/me” and “she/he/they”. For that reason, it is not often used in fictional novels but may be used more in informational texts like textbooks, blogs, and self-help books. 

Between first and third, it really is a matter of author preference and writing technique. You can pull off either one no matter how many characters your story follows or writing skill level. Try writing in what you are most comfortable in and change it if you feel it would work better in a different perspective. 

For years, I only wrote in first person but starting last year I’ve been really enjoying writing in third person and now flows much more naturally for me. See what works for you and don’t be afraid of trying out different perspectives to see what is best for your novel.