Macabre Ink

Whether or not to write from the first person POV is something I’ve seen bandied about for decades. Some editors are so dead-set against it that they won’t even read a manuscript in first person. Great works have been written in the first person. Most first person writing is horrible. Since I’ve written at least one novel and a small mountain of stories in first person, some that worked, others that didn’t, I thought I’d take a stab at starting a discussion on the subject.

To me, the most important thing about first person narrative is that the prose has to have the right voice. First person immediately puts you on the tell, don’t show side of the fence if not handled well, and can lead to what reads more like a story about some things that would have made a good story. First person is very limiting. For one thing, there is no easy way to handle things outside the character’s perspective. If you can’t tell the entire tale from what that character could know, see, or at least intuit, then you should not be telling the tale in first person, no matter how cool you think you are, writing in the persona of the protagonist you wish you really were (yes, writers do that).

This is a very personal style. There are editors who have seen it handled badly so many times they won’t even read a story written in first person. They are missing out on a lot of wonderful prose, I’m afraid, but I understand their pain. Stephen King handles first person POV better than almost any author I’ve encountered. He has a natural storytelling voice that puts the reader into the action and shows every angle. He shows no angles that the POV character is not aware of. He also cheats, and is master of telling one novel or story from multiple POVs. The shifting will cause most authors to flounder, but he acts like it’s changing gears in an old sports car, smooth and easy. It’s not.

But this is about first person. Is it hard to contain your story in the mind of a single character? Of course it is, and that’s why it’s not the recommended POV, particularly for beginning writers. It’s like a form of poetry with strict meter and rhythms. You can’t deviate just to make something fit; you have to find a way to make the story work from the POV you have chosen.

A common mistake in first person POV is the insertion of flawed dialogue. Rather than having characters speak as they normally would, long information-bytes appear. People say things like, “Well, as you know, I’m an alchemist, studying the process of converting base metals to gold. It’s a very old art…blah blah blah.” The person they are speaking with, the reader will note, is their best friend, who knows and has heard more about alchemy over the course of their friendship than any sane person should have to. It’s not a conversation that would happen. Long explanations of things that are “off-screen” for the purpose of letting the reader know they are there almost never work.

The bottom line is that it must be kept real. The voice has to be one that readers will love to “hear” in their mind; the action and plot have to unravel in a fashion that is plausible when seen through the eyes of a single character. It’s a difficult challenge. When it works, it produces some of the finest prose available, but when it’s off, even a little bit, it can leave a sour taste in the mouth that never goes away.

In my own writing, two examples that worked come to mind immediatlely – and in one of those, I cheated with multiple POV. Much of my novel This is My Blood was told from the POV of Mary Magdalene, but some was also told in third person depicting the actions of Judas and some of the other characters.

The story that comes to mind was titled Wayne’s World, and was dedicated to my buddy Wayne Allen Sallee – it’s the story of a serial killer, standing outside the building where John Wayne Gacy was executed. The killer believes that, at the moment a person dies, another can step in and become ruler of that person’s personal universe. He is waiting to become Gacy.

In the long run, I don’t prefer writing in first person, but I don’t despise it. Over the period of a novel, if it’s not done very very well, it irritates me. If you are going to use it, be sure to pay attention to details and to figure out ahead of time how to work them in through the perspective of your “voice” character.

It’s a style question – a decision each author makes every time they sit down to work. Find your POV – stick to it – work through it.

Hope that helps…