User blog:Zathronas/Author's Advice: 1st or 3rd person?

PLEASE DO NOT POST YOU FAN FICTION ON THIS SITE. YOU CAN POST YOUR STORIES HERE
Hello and welcome to author's advice.

Now that we've been through the basic knowledge on structure, my post from now on will be to give you insight on different writing techniques. I hope to give you a better selection in your writing toolbox. This first blog on the subject will be on a very basic concept. Who will be presenting your story.

We often hear the term first person and third person in video games but what about stories? The concept is applied to story too and like video games, each has his pro's and con's.

1st person is by far the most used narration in a story. You present you stories through one of your character. We see what he see and know what he knows. You can use the fact that it is through a character with great effect like when he mistakes a situation the readers can be mistaken at the same time. This can be used to surprise the readers later on. The cons is that everything you write has to be filtered through your character's opinion and failings. Or should be... but most writer passes their vues as the character's even if it makes no sense with his personality.This makes for a poor character, especially in fan fiction where it is not even one of your creation. I've seen characters like Jaune, Ruby, Blake and other's go against their most basic personality so as the writer can show a point of vue that he wants to show. It jar's the reader right out of your story.

3rd person is far less used. It is more difficult to write because then you have to write the scene as if a grand god is looking into it or usually a narrator that isn't implicated in the story. This mean no character impression, no character point of vue. The pro's are interesting as you can give instead several point of vue of the same scene without passing from one character to another and re-write the same scene. It is much easier to give your own point of vue as the narrator is basically you. Once you get used to write this way, it can be very effective too.

You can even intergrate both but you have to establish first and third person right from the get go. A good example of this is "it's a wonderful life" you get the angel's vue and George Bailey's. Easier in a movie I admit, but feasible in a story too.

Next time on Author's Advice. The art of a mystery.