RARA-AVIS: Re: 1st and 3rd

From: Charlie.Williams@pinkroccade.co.uk
Date: 27 May 2002


JIM DOHERTY wrote:
>> i agree that both work, but it would seem to me
>> that first person would be a far greater challenge
>> to a writer. iirc, hemingway avoided first person
>> (most of the time) because of the difficulties.
>
>As a writer, I have to disagree with this. I find
>that first person is a much more natural way to write
>for me. Getting into a single character's head and
>seeing everything from his point of view just comes
>very easily.

I find the opposite to be the case, and that's not me arguing that's me saying no POV is easier/harder to write. When you're writing first person it all depends on how deep inside your narrators's head you want to go. Do you want him to tell the story? Or do you want him to plumb his inner dark depths and tear at the very fabric of his soul, etc etc? When I write third person I find I can just tell the story, because I don't necessarily have access to the character's souls. But with first I find it difficult - novel length at least - to consistently enter the narrator's psyche. I find this is similar to the acting technique if staying in character for the length of a shoot. If I could do that, fine. But I can't. I can't reasonably go to work and talk to people and read my kids bedtime stories when I'm this subtlely deranged killer going through existential hell...

Or could I?

Charlie Williams.

This communication and the information it contains: - (a) Is intended for the person(s) or organisation(s) named above and for no other person(s) or organisation(s). Access to this mail by anyone else is unauthorised. (b) Is confidential, and may be legally privileged or otherwise protected in law. Unauthorised use, circulation, copying or disclosure of any part of this communication may be unlawful. (c) May be susceptible to interference, and should not be assumed that it has come in its original form and/or from the stated sender or PinkRoccade UK accepts no responsibility for information, errors or omissions in this e-mail or use or misuse thereof or any act done or omitted to be done in connection with this communication. If you are not the intended recipient, please inform postmaster@pinkroccade.co.uk immediately and delete it and all copies from your system.

--
# To unsubscribe from the regular list, say "unsubscribe rara-avis" to
# majordomo@icomm.ca.  This will not work for the digest version.
# The web pages for the list are at http://www.miskatonic.org/rara-avis/ .



This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 27 May 2002 EDT