Writing I of the beholder, In a Second, Or Three's Company?

[Lady Asphyxia]

[size=1]Well, I was sitting here, wondering which writing style you prefer; First person, Second Person, or Third Person.

For those of you who are confused, first person is from the eyes of the narrator. [i]"I watched as he picked up the vase and hurled it at his mother."[/i]. To me, while it's my most used, I find that it's rather limited; the reader only knows what the character sees.

Second person is from 'your' viewpoint, and is usually written in present tense. [i]"You watch as he picks up the vase and hurls it at his mother."[/i] I find this to be almost sloppy, and I haven't yet used it to write any of my pieces, although I'd love to read a well-written piece!

Third person can be third person limited, or third person omniscient. Basically, in third person limited, the story follows a main person, but occasionally shows other's feelings. Third person omniscient doesn't follow anyone specific. [i]"Janie watched as Matt picked up the vase and hurled it at his mother."[/i]

Of the three, I think I prefer first person, because I can explore the character better.

So what is your favorite person, and why? What are your thoughts on the other options in the Point of View decisions?[/size]

[The Harlequin]

[font=gothic][color=indigo]If I'm writing a story, I tend to use third person, because it's less...well...character oriented. I like being a narrator, because as I'm sure anyone who's read anything I've written, I tend to take a rather wry view on my own characters and like to express it with various ironic comments. First person doesn't really allow that in many cases, because it has to come from the character. You can talk about so much the character in question is blind to in third person, which is especially helpful when you're attempting to develop multiple characters at once.

If I'm writing about myself, or relating an experience, I prefer second person in the form of "One" rather than "you". EG: [i]One is somewhat amused to note that your rather idiosyncratic lack of logic fails to decrease as you allegedly continue to think upon a topic.[/i] Of course, that could just be me being strange.

Failing that, I simply remain as impersonal as possible. It's easy to dance around naming any kind of identifier if you practice a bit.[/font][/color]

[Raquel]

I personally agree with Harlequin. I use third person in roleplaying, and do favor that the most. However, on the rare occasions that I do write storys, I use first person. Sometimes. I find that you can become more detailed in the actions/emotions of the character when writing in third person. I tend to look from the outside in on everything, not just writing.

[Heaven's Cloud]

[color=indigo]I guess it all depends on what I am trying to do with the story, how I want to explore characters, and how I want to reveal certain elements to the reader. Lately I have had the tendency to write in the first person, mainly because I have been attempting more character intense works and I find it simpler to write from my point of view utilizing my outlook on life.

If I am writing in an overall descriptive manner, especially when it comes to symbolism and scenery, I tend to use third person. I?d like to become masterful enough at both the first and third person point of views so that I can intertwine the two in an artistic manner, but I haven?t reached that point (I may never reach that point, lol). I have never been a fan of writing in the second person; I guess I always figured that I am not talented enough to get away with it. [/color]

[LastSheikah]

I like third-person the best, and therefore, that's how all of my stories are written. Once I tried writing in first-person, and I nearly fell asleep while reading back through the story. (Seriously! It wasn't even dark outside!)
Second-person...I've never even attempted to write a story in third-person. I'm a little afraid of how it might go...

[Mei]

[color=green]Rarely do I write full stories in the first place, but when I feel the need to, it's usually in first-person. I like to be able to fit in with the protagonist I create, and be able to tell the story as it goes along, in present tense.

Whenever writing for someone else, or if I'm trying to fit just a little more into the story, I'll write in third-person. I tend to be able to fit more characters into a story if I write in third-person as well, so if I'm trying to base it off of people I know, or just trying to get more side-stories included, it will be in third.

Hardly ever do I write in second, considering I never have much of a reason to, nor have I ever liked second much. If I'm were trying to write some type of present-tense horror adventure, I may choose second, but that's barely my style.[/color]