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Tell me your point of view (poll) (Patreon)

Published:
2023-04-25 18:48:28
Imported:
2026-06
Tags:

Poll

Tell me your point of view (poll)

  • Third person, alternating points of view 237
  • First person, singular pov 9
  • Third person, singular point of view 21
  • First person, alternating 35
  • 2023-04-25
  • 302 votes
{'title': 'Tell me your point of view (poll)', 'choices': [{'text': 'Third person, alternating points of view', 'votes': 237}, {'text': 'First person, singular pov ', 'votes': 9}, {'text': 'Third person, singular point of view ', 'votes': 21}, {'text': 'First person, alternating ', 'votes': 35}], 'closes_at': None, 'created_at': datetime.datetime(2023, 4, 25, 18, 35, tzinfo=datetime.timezone.utc), 'description': None, 'allow_multiple': False, 'total_votes': 302}

Content

Let's settle this, once and for all. Battle royale!

... okay honestly this is just to satisfy my own curiosity...

I am a big supporter (as a reader) of third person pov, alternating. A la, Those Who Wait.

However, some of my favorite books have been written in first person, singular pov (eg, Alone by EJ Noyes). 

Third person, singular point of view is something that I prefer as a writer, at times, because it allows for a mystery. For a love ~reveal~, like in When You Least Expect It. So, I don't prefer it as a reader as I like to know everything in everyone's head, all of the time. But I do think it's helpful and has merits. 

First person alternating pov... I honestly can't think of a book that features this, off the top of my head? 

So, please, tell me your thoughts!Honestly, I would even love comments with your explained thoughts and preferences. I really wanted to be able to have a ranked poll (you can choose what you like and then your second preference) but patreon doesn't allow that (bummer)

Comments

Hana Huskovic

Third person, with alternating points, and this is due to it being easier to follow (again, my view on it). I feel it is too hard to grasp the first-person, so my wife and I like third person more. EJ Noyes is da bomb at first-person, though.

Dani

I voted third person alternating because I too love being inside of peoples heads all the time BUT having experienced what you did with WYLEI & Better Than Expected, third person singular point of view is a close second.

Jodell Clingo

I prefer the third person, alternating.. however, I agree the singular pov gives better insight to the thought process, which is why a find third person pov with minimal dialogue (internal and external) very disappointing. I want to be a fly on the wall. I want to see and hear everything.. I want the characters to reveal everything in their heads and hearts.

Hana Huskovic

And on top of that, it can be confusing - using the two main character’s names, (I feel), makes it flow better.

Carolina Barra

I was thinking a lot about this exact topic yesterday! I thought my favorite was third person alternating povs but my favorite book is When you least expect it and my second favorite is the Carslile series that I just read so I realized I actually love third person single pov. The mistery is great! I do want to have more information about the other character feelings and thoughts like when they first fell in love or what were they thinking in a specific dialogue. The best romances for me give me those informations later in a conversation between the couple. Like for example when we learn that Hannah touched herself during the hangout weekend thinking about Caroline or that she was drawing her while she was sleeping. Having those misteries in my head during the reading is great and is even better when those misteries are solved later on. Having the Better than expected book later was the best gift ever! Perfection!

M Hills

I agree!

Miranda

I like 3rd person, alternating because I like seeing what’s happening and what the characters are feeling from both main characters. It’s that feeling of “when are you going to stop being an idiot? They like you too!” as the reader, but having that ultimate moment when they finally come together be all the more powerful because you know how they both feel about the other. That being said, I think you could write in any POV and it be enjoyable.

Betsy Walker

This may seem like a cop out answer but it really depends on your characters and genre. The more complex a character, the more they benefit from 1st. You can take a character that may seem initially unlikeable or impulsive and really dig into the reasoning of their actions. I think 3rd let’s you get to know a couple better though and let’s you see a more balanced view of a character because the other POV is nearly always of someone that ends up loving them and seeing the best in them that they may not see. I think 1st singular greater emphasises the growth the individuals go through while 3rd alternating emphasises the growth a couple goes through together because of the greater juxtaposition of views. So for my preference I like 1st more for coming of age/self discovery type novels but 3rd for more focus on the romance/couple. 1st/singular also allow for more plot twists but with 3rd/alternating you can add more tension, because the buildup leading to the big fight seems clear and inexorable. For flow it doesn’t make a huge difference; a great writer can make either work well. I will also say that 1st/singular makes for some good bonus content opportunities as you can rewrite select chapters from the other main character. Those are always some of my favourite things to read

Sonia

I love 3rd person alternating mostly because I love angst and getting to hear someone’s perspective when they realize they’ve hurt the other person gives me a twisted sense of enjoyment

Christa C.

I prefer singular 1st person POV as I like to hear the characters thoughts and feelings, it feels like I'm connected them in a way and it also adds a sense of mystery when it comes to those around them since you don't know what they are truly thinking. It just feels more personal. But there are plenty of 3rd person POV books I like as well. It depends I think on the type of story being written as well. Some benefit from 3rd person while others are better told in 1st person.

Tiffany

I understand motivations more with first person singular but I lose the other MC completely. I think it depends on how dominant the character is in the story.

Clara Nhu

My habits it third person double POV. But I don't mind first person, it doesn't matter to me and is even simple for me when English is not my native language. But I do love some first person from time to time because it brings so much mystery. I am just dying for another book with the other's pov when I finish these books.

Misty

Alternative third-person POV is a close second for me. But when done right, alternating first-person POV is a game changer. For an example of this, I recommend Charon Docks at Daylight by Zoe Reed. You can find it for free on FictionPress. The author clearly knows his (Zoe goes by he/him) characters SO WELL. It’s written in THREE alternating first-person POVs, but I never felt confused about which character was narrating since again, Zoe knows the characters and each one clearly had their own, unique voice. I love getting directly into the character’s heads and understanding things from their own perspective. It allows me to disagree but empathize with them. It’s a queer, post-zombie apocalypse book. The queer relationship is between a bi woman and a lesbian—these are two of the main POVs. The third POV is a man in his 40s. The book is long and detailed and I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who wants to explore first-person POV, zombie-apocalypse, friends to enemies to lovers wlw, and humans in complex, morally gray at times, high stakes, emotional situations. Thank you for coming to my Ted talk. I love Zoe Reed. He’s got other incredible books as well. Check them out. Haley and Zoe are my fave queer authors, each fulfilling a very different need. Zoe the queer adventures/fantasy romance. Haley the queer contemporary romance.

Nel

Well, that's a tricky question, because the right answer is "it depends". For ROMANCE generally I think alternating third person works best. Because I believe it makes it easier to demonstrate the sexual tension between the characters and exemplify what the protagonists see in each other, the details that make them work as a couple. BUT all this can work in first person too, for example. So for me the only problem is when the writer doesn't have a fixed vision of what they want to convey to the reader and ends up showing too much or too little to the point where it's clear that the writer chose the wrong point of view. There is this book that I really like, "Behind the Green Curtain". Most of it is from the point of view of the protagonist Caton (the book is in third person), but there are some parts from the point of view of other characters, including Amelia (Caton's love interest). These parts where Amelia takes over the story work to highlight how hopeless the two characters' relationship can be, how much they can't end up together and that they KNOW it, but how inevitable everything always seems from both perspectives. This implies that both characters can't help but create real feelings in a relationship that should otherwise be purely physical. Which is the way it started. In the end, the character with the biggest secret is Caton, and we find out from Amelia's point of view. So, the writer had a clear object and chose the point of view based on that. Okay so, general rule for me: First person only works with a MAXIMUM of two characters narrating. More than that can get confusing VERY fast. With two characters the writer already has to be skilled enough to create distinct voices between the two narrators. Voices are already important for all characters in the book, but especially for the one telling the story. Otherwise, not even putting the character's name at the beginning of the chapter will help identify who is currently narrating. If the writer thinks that to tell the story he needs several points of view, bet on third person. And that's it. Tryst six venom, Charon Docks, First person books that i can remember from the top of my head. PS: Sorry for possible mistakes. English is not my first language ☺️

Shawna

I feel the exact same. Zoe also has a patron that he runs a similar way.

Melissa Saxon-Price

I just finished those who wait and I loved that writing style. I have so many thoughts about that book..all good ones!

Kenzi Rose

I used to have such a hard time reading in third person POV but your books Haley are phenomenal even in third person. I would love to see you write one in first person though .