Q&A: How do I get accustomed to writing this way?
Question by Natasha: How do I get accustomed to writing this way?
I’ve always written in first person. Always. I have an idea for a new story and it needs to be in third person for it to really work. How do I get used to writing like this? How do I figure out how to do it in the first place? I never really liked writing in third person, but I like reading it more than first person. So I need to know how I can best write this story in third person.
If you have any tips, advice, or just anything you want to say, please help! It’s much appreciated!
Best answer:
Answer by Co
Well, if you really are more partial to writing in first person then trying doing some sample scenes, dialogue, etc that are in first person. You may find that on paper it sounds better in first person. If not, writing the same scenes but take care to substitute “I” with “he, she, they, them” etc. It’s a lot easier than it sounds.
Forcing yourself to do it in third person will really limit your creativity and you’ll feel strained and frustrated. Unless your absolutely convinced it won’t work, just stick to what you know and are comfortable with.
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Comments
Here’s an easy way. Write it in first person, and than when you’re done with either a chapter, or the whole book than open up the “Find and Replace” tool, which I think is in the edit window. Then replace all the “I’s” with the name of the character. The tool will do it for you in one fell swoop. Afterward, all you have to do is edit so that the name of the character isn’t said so much. Easy peasy.
Its not always easy to try a new writing style. Here’s some tips to get you started in the third person:
1) Try writing a couple of descriptive paragraphs about your characters to “get into their heads.†What do they look and speak like. Do they have accents? Where do they live and in what time period? What are their hobbies? Do they have any family?
Its easy to write in the first person, because you already have all of this knowledge about yourself at your disposal. Once you learn more about your characters’ motivation and personality, it’ll become easier to write from their perspective. You could even try drawing a picture of them, to go with your descriptions!
2) Remember that there are three types of third person writing: Omniscient (Thoughts of all the characters are known), Limited (Thoughts of only one character are known), and Objective (The reader does not know any thoughts of any characters).
Try writing in third person limited, because its the most similar to the first person. In other words, all of the thoughts of your main character, for example, will be known, but none of the others in the story. For example, “John thought that he should tell Mary that he had a crush on her, even though he wasn’t sure Mary felt the same way.â€
3) Choose a selection from a story you have already written in the first person, and then rewrite it in third. Notice how the tone, mood and description changes with the change in point of view, and apply these changes to your new story.
4) If the story you are writing is autobiographical (about yourself), think about how a friend or family member would describe the situation back to you, looking at it from the outside. Likewise, think about how you would write a story about a friend or family member. Writing about someone you know may be easier in the third person than developing an entirely new character, because you are already familiar with their background and motivation.
5) Even though writing in the third person seems hard now, just remember that you use it every day! Every time you speak about someone else, you’re telling a story in the third person – you just may not realize that you’re doing it. Try writing down a conversation you overheard, and you’ll automatically be in the third person without even trying. While you’re writing, pretend you are the wall. If the wall had ears, what would it have heard?
Hopefully these tips will help, but just remember, everything takes practice! Keep at it, and soon, writing in the third person will be second nature to you. Best of luck and happy writing!
-Kate-
I’ve always been a “first person writer.” And I recently attempted a novel in third person. I was about halfway through when I realized how much I hated writing in 3rd. I’ve revamped my outline, reworked a few scenes, and am in the middle of making it a first person POV. My main character was just really flat because I couldn’t step inside of him like I had others.
If you’re really set on 3rd, just practice. Read books in 3rd and see how different writers handle different situations. And if you need to, write your scenes in first person then edit it to third (that takes a lot of work though).
It’s funny that you prefer to write in 1st but read 3rd. I prefer 1st all the way around lol, but that doesn’t stop me from reading a 3rd person POV novel.