I am going to tell you a story. Have I
got your attention? He might tell it to you the story better than me, but I was
involved, so I will tell you. After I have told my story, perhaps you will tell
it better. You might be good at telling stories yourself. However, this story
is mine and therefore I should tell it.
Writing in the first person is a narrative technique
employed by many writers for a variety of reasons. As you saw in my opening, by
using the first person I developed a sense of immediacy and connection. Were I
to tell you my story, it would have been just you and I, my thoughts going
straight into you. Had I got someone else to tell it, and used a third person
narrator, there would have been an immediate distance between the author and
the audience. I brought my audience, by using the first person, up close and
personal. My emotions will be conveyed to you and don’t pass through a filter.
As a first person narrator reveals their thoughts and emotions to the reader, confidence
and a bond is created. It is the norm for people to write diaries in the first
person for this reason. When an author writes in the first person, they are
confiding to the reader, revealing their innermost secrets, just like a diary.
By speaking in the first person, I have an advantage
over everyone else who may be in my story. By using the personal pronoun I, the
reader automatically believes me more than anyone else in the novel, especially
at the beginning. The question of believability is a tactic played with by many
authors who use first person. Is the narrator reliable or unreliable? The
question is much harder to answer when in the first person.
There is a common conception, or misconception that
the first person is an easier form to write in. Whilst this may or not be true,
I think what people mean to say is that it is more natural, especially for
novice writers. If someone wants to tell a story that is personal to them, at
home, in a café, in a bar, they will naturally choose the first person. When it
comes to writing a story down, it then becomes natural to go for the first
person. However, the argument that it is easier could come down to the limited
nature, or potential limited nature of character view within some first person
narrated novels. An author can focus entirely on one character in the first
person. Everything is funnelled through their mind. This is a fault of many
novels, when it is clear the author has an interesting character, but that’s
all it is. There is nothing outside the main character.
If the narrator is believable, and sometimes even if
he is not, there is a clear perspective on the story in the first person. It
can be much easier for an audience to digest a first person novel, and the
audience understands early on who their “hero” should be. It is more often than
not the narrator himself.
Recently, first person narrated novels where the hero
is not the narrator have been turned into major Hollywood
blockbusters. The Great Gatsby and On the Road both employ first person
narrators but they are framed. The author sees the heroes through the eyes of
the first person narrator. The narrator is in awe of the heroes because they
are wild, free and alluring, unlike their more grounded, straight counterparts.
This is a tremendously effective technique for creating a sense of mystery, as
you, along with the narrator, learn the wonders of the character in the story.
In both novels Kerouac and Fitzgerald start by setting the scene and then
slowly the main “exciting” character comes more into focus.
A reason why Fitzgerald and Kerouac rejected the third
person to tell their story is that the intimacy and connection developed by
using the first person helps to develop the narrator quickly. Everything comes
straight from his mind and the reader is quick to learn about him or her. The
voice of the book is the voice of the character which accelerates the feelings
of intimacy. By seeing into the narrators mind, they can make many more
personal judgements on the people and world of the novel. In a third person
novel, even personal judgements, unless used as direct speech, can sound very
objective and have less emotional weight. To all you writers out there, try
using both and notice the distinct effect it brings your prose.
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| Cristelle Comby |
Cristelle Comby
was born and raised in the French-speaking area of Switzerland
Thanks to her
insatiable thirst for American and British action films and television dramas,
her English is fluent.
She attributes to
her origins her ever-peaceful nature and her undying love for chocolate. She
has a passion for art, which also includes an interest in drawing and acting.
Ruby Heart is her
second new-adult novel, and she’s hard at work on the next titles in the Neve
& Egan series. Get it on Amazon here: Ruby Heart (The Neve & Egan cases) (Volume 2)
Website: http://cristelle-comby.com
Cristelle will be awarding a signed paperback of Ruby Heart plus a signed copy of book 1, Russian Dolls, to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. (US ONLY) So I encourage you to follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
