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y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is0262t | is07eh4 | 1,665,567,355 | 1,665,571,589 | 6 | 18 | If you make a big enough deal of the transition, I think it'll be interesting. | I’ve read a couple of books where it was done right. Strugatsky brothers used this technique a few times, including Roadside Picnic. First part is POV from Rudy, then in second part/chapter it switches to the third and for me it wasn’t distracting. I also read a book which was set in different timelines, and it switched from 1st person to 3rd, and even to 2nd (I hate 2nd but it worked there) and each part of it had another character as the protagonist, it felt like 3 different books with the same plot bound together and it worked very well for that genre (some kind of psychological thriller/mystery). But I honestly do not think that if someone will tell the story it would sound like a book. Also the size of the part. I don’t believe that 200 pages would be told in one setting… If it is necessary I would do what Strugatsky did. Just set in literally different timeline instead of making the character literally sit and tell. I believe this switch is commonly used in post modern literature. | 0 | 4,234 | 3 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is07eh4 | is03fqw | 1,665,571,589 | 1,665,568,452 | 18 | 2 | I’ve read a couple of books where it was done right. Strugatsky brothers used this technique a few times, including Roadside Picnic. First part is POV from Rudy, then in second part/chapter it switches to the third and for me it wasn’t distracting. I also read a book which was set in different timelines, and it switched from 1st person to 3rd, and even to 2nd (I hate 2nd but it worked there) and each part of it had another character as the protagonist, it felt like 3 different books with the same plot bound together and it worked very well for that genre (some kind of psychological thriller/mystery). But I honestly do not think that if someone will tell the story it would sound like a book. Also the size of the part. I don’t believe that 200 pages would be told in one setting… If it is necessary I would do what Strugatsky did. Just set in literally different timeline instead of making the character literally sit and tell. I believe this switch is commonly used in post modern literature. | Yea that’s somthing that does happen Iv read a few novels that does that There is literally a halo novel that the last chapter is that you find out it’s a charactor telling a story about his life | 1 | 3,137 | 9 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is00ix9 | is01kkr | 1,665,565,886 | 1,665,566,822 | 10 | 12 | So, this is one of those, "the first half of the book never actually happened, it was just somebody dreaming/talking/imagining stuff, and now onto the real story" things? Anytime you find yourself deliberately doing gimmicky things to try and surprise or trick the reader, I think you're taking a huge risk. Sure, there are some examples of where authors have pulled off something like that, but the vast majority of times it comes across as a cheap gimmick that annoys the reader. IMO, this is really hard to do well and yes, will confuse or even anger many readers. Changing POVs is fine of course, as is changing protagonists (if done well). It's the "ha ha, you thought this was all happening but it wasn't" schtick that's the problem. | To be honest, I don't know how I would find it because I don't have your text in front of me. Sounds a bit weird to me. But it's sometimes the weird things that are very fascinating to me. So I would suggest you try it and then let a friend or someone read it and receive it :) | 0 | 936 | 1.2 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is00ix9 | is0r10c | 1,665,565,886 | 1,665,582,497 | 10 | 11 | So, this is one of those, "the first half of the book never actually happened, it was just somebody dreaming/talking/imagining stuff, and now onto the real story" things? Anytime you find yourself deliberately doing gimmicky things to try and surprise or trick the reader, I think you're taking a huge risk. Sure, there are some examples of where authors have pulled off something like that, but the vast majority of times it comes across as a cheap gimmick that annoys the reader. IMO, this is really hard to do well and yes, will confuse or even anger many readers. Changing POVs is fine of course, as is changing protagonists (if done well). It's the "ha ha, you thought this was all happening but it wasn't" schtick that's the problem. | You may want to read wuthering heights, it’s similar in that there is a POV character that isn’t a part of the story, later the story is told to him by another character. It starts in first person and moves to third person. In the end it’s your story and you can do whatever you want and experiment however you like. The magic of writing is in the editing anyway, you can write it and decide what works and what doesn’t later. | 0 | 16,611 | 1.1 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is0262t | is0r10c | 1,665,567,355 | 1,665,582,497 | 6 | 11 | If you make a big enough deal of the transition, I think it'll be interesting. | You may want to read wuthering heights, it’s similar in that there is a POV character that isn’t a part of the story, later the story is told to him by another character. It starts in first person and moves to third person. In the end it’s your story and you can do whatever you want and experiment however you like. The magic of writing is in the editing anyway, you can write it and decide what works and what doesn’t later. | 0 | 15,142 | 1.833333 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is0ic4d | is0r10c | 1,665,578,318 | 1,665,582,497 | 6 | 11 | It is not dumb. You just have to be careful not to make it confusing. The thing about writing rules is that they are meant to be broken if (i) it serves a purpose (ii) be sure to commit to it. Take a small and not-so-similar example: Fleabag, for the entirety of the show Fleabag breaks the fourth wall and talks to the audience and no one in the world of the series can hear it. Until we get to the hot priest, who hears her breaking the fourth wall. The previously established rules are definitely being broken, and no-one seems to care. The comedy effect is that the writers first committed to no-one else listening for almost two seasons, and then they make ONE character (and the most important, besides Fleabag) break it to signify their relationship. I'm also pretty sure that before Game of Thrones, most people would tell GRRM that having too many protagonists/POVs hurts the plot, rather than enhance it. Purpose: explore a big world with a gigantic plot, commitment: he never backs down in cutting the protagonists down to one, but whenever someone becomes a POV, they don't simply disappear back, there is usually a reason. Now, for something closer to what you're proposing: The Emperor's New Groove. First it is a narration of past events by Kuzco until he gets to the mid-point of the movie, alone and dejected in the forest. THEN, all of a sudden Kuzco (the character) complains to Kuzco the narrator to stop being sorry about himself, and from that point on there is no narration anymore. And that worked perfectly because it serves a purpose (comedy and showing how Kuzco viewed himself, a very important tool for the viewer to know how narcissistic he is) and they commit to it by simply NOT having the narration anymore. So yeah, think about it. If you feel the purpose and the commitment are right, do it. The best writers are those that understand the rules so well they know when to break them. | You may want to read wuthering heights, it’s similar in that there is a POV character that isn’t a part of the story, later the story is told to him by another character. It starts in first person and moves to third person. In the end it’s your story and you can do whatever you want and experiment however you like. The magic of writing is in the editing anyway, you can write it and decide what works and what doesn’t later. | 0 | 4,179 | 1.833333 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is0r10c | is0fxoo | 1,665,582,497 | 1,665,577,027 | 11 | 4 | You may want to read wuthering heights, it’s similar in that there is a POV character that isn’t a part of the story, later the story is told to him by another character. It starts in first person and moves to third person. In the end it’s your story and you can do whatever you want and experiment however you like. The magic of writing is in the editing anyway, you can write it and decide what works and what doesn’t later. | Sounds completely reasonable to me. I like the idea. | 1 | 5,470 | 2.75 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is0r10c | is0h38i | 1,665,582,497 | 1,665,577,661 | 11 | 3 | You may want to read wuthering heights, it’s similar in that there is a POV character that isn’t a part of the story, later the story is told to him by another character. It starts in first person and moves to third person. In the end it’s your story and you can do whatever you want and experiment however you like. The magic of writing is in the editing anyway, you can write it and decide what works and what doesn’t later. | As a reader myself, instead of being bothered by changing povs, I am more annoyed by the change of protagonist. Like I don't need that? | 1 | 4,836 | 3.666667 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is03fqw | is0r10c | 1,665,568,452 | 1,665,582,497 | 2 | 11 | Yea that’s somthing that does happen Iv read a few novels that does that There is literally a halo novel that the last chapter is that you find out it’s a charactor telling a story about his life | You may want to read wuthering heights, it’s similar in that there is a POV character that isn’t a part of the story, later the story is told to him by another character. It starts in first person and moves to third person. In the end it’s your story and you can do whatever you want and experiment however you like. The magic of writing is in the editing anyway, you can write it and decide what works and what doesn’t later. | 0 | 14,045 | 5.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is0no9q | is0r10c | 1,665,580,954 | 1,665,582,497 | 2 | 11 | No not at all | You may want to read wuthering heights, it’s similar in that there is a POV character that isn’t a part of the story, later the story is told to him by another character. It starts in first person and moves to third person. In the end it’s your story and you can do whatever you want and experiment however you like. The magic of writing is in the editing anyway, you can write it and decide what works and what doesn’t later. | 0 | 1,543 | 5.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is08xqk | is0r10c | 1,665,572,677 | 1,665,582,497 | 0 | 11 | Normally I would say it’s perfectly fine to POV switch when it suits the story (I can see what you’re trying to do here, and why) but your particular situation causes a different problem. Most readers DESPISE when the author suddenly decides to switch protagonists mid-story. It’s like you’ve pulled the rug out from under the reader, and not in a good way. They spent all that time and emotional energy getting invested in that one character, and now you’re switching to another one? For what? What was the point of the first one, then? Does the real story actually start here? Why should we care about this new character? Why should we trust the author not to do this again? Why should we get invested all over again? And then your reader puts the book down because you’ve broken their trust and angered them. You would have to do this very well for someone to not be angry about this move, like making sure the reader has built a relationship with this new protagonist within the story of the first protagonist, and making sure the POV is absolutely justified and serves the story for the better, and not as some sort of gimmick. | You may want to read wuthering heights, it’s similar in that there is a POV character that isn’t a part of the story, later the story is told to him by another character. It starts in first person and moves to third person. In the end it’s your story and you can do whatever you want and experiment however you like. The magic of writing is in the editing anyway, you can write it and decide what works and what doesn’t later. | 0 | 9,820 | 11,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is0r10c | is09xyk | 1,665,582,497 | 1,665,573,359 | 11 | 0 | You may want to read wuthering heights, it’s similar in that there is a POV character that isn’t a part of the story, later the story is told to him by another character. It starts in first person and moves to third person. In the end it’s your story and you can do whatever you want and experiment however you like. The magic of writing is in the editing anyway, you can write it and decide what works and what doesn’t later. | Yep. | 1 | 9,138 | 11,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is0r10c | is0arid | 1,665,582,497 | 1,665,573,892 | 11 | 0 | You may want to read wuthering heights, it’s similar in that there is a POV character that isn’t a part of the story, later the story is told to him by another character. It starts in first person and moves to third person. In the end it’s your story and you can do whatever you want and experiment however you like. The magic of writing is in the editing anyway, you can write it and decide what works and what doesn’t later. | I just finished Paul Tremblay’s Cabin at the End of the World where he uses this device (both switching between 1st and 3rd person and tense), often mid page or paragraph. I’d say it works here because his writes from multiple POVs. I actually didn’t really notice it changing until it was pointed out. | 1 | 8,605 | 11,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is0ic4d | is0fxoo | 1,665,578,318 | 1,665,577,027 | 6 | 4 | It is not dumb. You just have to be careful not to make it confusing. The thing about writing rules is that they are meant to be broken if (i) it serves a purpose (ii) be sure to commit to it. Take a small and not-so-similar example: Fleabag, for the entirety of the show Fleabag breaks the fourth wall and talks to the audience and no one in the world of the series can hear it. Until we get to the hot priest, who hears her breaking the fourth wall. The previously established rules are definitely being broken, and no-one seems to care. The comedy effect is that the writers first committed to no-one else listening for almost two seasons, and then they make ONE character (and the most important, besides Fleabag) break it to signify their relationship. I'm also pretty sure that before Game of Thrones, most people would tell GRRM that having too many protagonists/POVs hurts the plot, rather than enhance it. Purpose: explore a big world with a gigantic plot, commitment: he never backs down in cutting the protagonists down to one, but whenever someone becomes a POV, they don't simply disappear back, there is usually a reason. Now, for something closer to what you're proposing: The Emperor's New Groove. First it is a narration of past events by Kuzco until he gets to the mid-point of the movie, alone and dejected in the forest. THEN, all of a sudden Kuzco (the character) complains to Kuzco the narrator to stop being sorry about himself, and from that point on there is no narration anymore. And that worked perfectly because it serves a purpose (comedy and showing how Kuzco viewed himself, a very important tool for the viewer to know how narcissistic he is) and they commit to it by simply NOT having the narration anymore. So yeah, think about it. If you feel the purpose and the commitment are right, do it. The best writers are those that understand the rules so well they know when to break them. | Sounds completely reasonable to me. I like the idea. | 1 | 1,291 | 1.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is0ic4d | is0h38i | 1,665,578,318 | 1,665,577,661 | 6 | 3 | It is not dumb. You just have to be careful not to make it confusing. The thing about writing rules is that they are meant to be broken if (i) it serves a purpose (ii) be sure to commit to it. Take a small and not-so-similar example: Fleabag, for the entirety of the show Fleabag breaks the fourth wall and talks to the audience and no one in the world of the series can hear it. Until we get to the hot priest, who hears her breaking the fourth wall. The previously established rules are definitely being broken, and no-one seems to care. The comedy effect is that the writers first committed to no-one else listening for almost two seasons, and then they make ONE character (and the most important, besides Fleabag) break it to signify their relationship. I'm also pretty sure that before Game of Thrones, most people would tell GRRM that having too many protagonists/POVs hurts the plot, rather than enhance it. Purpose: explore a big world with a gigantic plot, commitment: he never backs down in cutting the protagonists down to one, but whenever someone becomes a POV, they don't simply disappear back, there is usually a reason. Now, for something closer to what you're proposing: The Emperor's New Groove. First it is a narration of past events by Kuzco until he gets to the mid-point of the movie, alone and dejected in the forest. THEN, all of a sudden Kuzco (the character) complains to Kuzco the narrator to stop being sorry about himself, and from that point on there is no narration anymore. And that worked perfectly because it serves a purpose (comedy and showing how Kuzco viewed himself, a very important tool for the viewer to know how narcissistic he is) and they commit to it by simply NOT having the narration anymore. So yeah, think about it. If you feel the purpose and the commitment are right, do it. The best writers are those that understand the rules so well they know when to break them. | As a reader myself, instead of being bothered by changing povs, I am more annoyed by the change of protagonist. Like I don't need that? | 1 | 657 | 2 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is03fqw | is0ic4d | 1,665,568,452 | 1,665,578,318 | 2 | 6 | Yea that’s somthing that does happen Iv read a few novels that does that There is literally a halo novel that the last chapter is that you find out it’s a charactor telling a story about his life | It is not dumb. You just have to be careful not to make it confusing. The thing about writing rules is that they are meant to be broken if (i) it serves a purpose (ii) be sure to commit to it. Take a small and not-so-similar example: Fleabag, for the entirety of the show Fleabag breaks the fourth wall and talks to the audience and no one in the world of the series can hear it. Until we get to the hot priest, who hears her breaking the fourth wall. The previously established rules are definitely being broken, and no-one seems to care. The comedy effect is that the writers first committed to no-one else listening for almost two seasons, and then they make ONE character (and the most important, besides Fleabag) break it to signify their relationship. I'm also pretty sure that before Game of Thrones, most people would tell GRRM that having too many protagonists/POVs hurts the plot, rather than enhance it. Purpose: explore a big world with a gigantic plot, commitment: he never backs down in cutting the protagonists down to one, but whenever someone becomes a POV, they don't simply disappear back, there is usually a reason. Now, for something closer to what you're proposing: The Emperor's New Groove. First it is a narration of past events by Kuzco until he gets to the mid-point of the movie, alone and dejected in the forest. THEN, all of a sudden Kuzco (the character) complains to Kuzco the narrator to stop being sorry about himself, and from that point on there is no narration anymore. And that worked perfectly because it serves a purpose (comedy and showing how Kuzco viewed himself, a very important tool for the viewer to know how narcissistic he is) and they commit to it by simply NOT having the narration anymore. So yeah, think about it. If you feel the purpose and the commitment are right, do it. The best writers are those that understand the rules so well they know when to break them. | 0 | 9,866 | 3 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is08xqk | is0ic4d | 1,665,572,677 | 1,665,578,318 | 0 | 6 | Normally I would say it’s perfectly fine to POV switch when it suits the story (I can see what you’re trying to do here, and why) but your particular situation causes a different problem. Most readers DESPISE when the author suddenly decides to switch protagonists mid-story. It’s like you’ve pulled the rug out from under the reader, and not in a good way. They spent all that time and emotional energy getting invested in that one character, and now you’re switching to another one? For what? What was the point of the first one, then? Does the real story actually start here? Why should we care about this new character? Why should we trust the author not to do this again? Why should we get invested all over again? And then your reader puts the book down because you’ve broken their trust and angered them. You would have to do this very well for someone to not be angry about this move, like making sure the reader has built a relationship with this new protagonist within the story of the first protagonist, and making sure the POV is absolutely justified and serves the story for the better, and not as some sort of gimmick. | It is not dumb. You just have to be careful not to make it confusing. The thing about writing rules is that they are meant to be broken if (i) it serves a purpose (ii) be sure to commit to it. Take a small and not-so-similar example: Fleabag, for the entirety of the show Fleabag breaks the fourth wall and talks to the audience and no one in the world of the series can hear it. Until we get to the hot priest, who hears her breaking the fourth wall. The previously established rules are definitely being broken, and no-one seems to care. The comedy effect is that the writers first committed to no-one else listening for almost two seasons, and then they make ONE character (and the most important, besides Fleabag) break it to signify their relationship. I'm also pretty sure that before Game of Thrones, most people would tell GRRM that having too many protagonists/POVs hurts the plot, rather than enhance it. Purpose: explore a big world with a gigantic plot, commitment: he never backs down in cutting the protagonists down to one, but whenever someone becomes a POV, they don't simply disappear back, there is usually a reason. Now, for something closer to what you're proposing: The Emperor's New Groove. First it is a narration of past events by Kuzco until he gets to the mid-point of the movie, alone and dejected in the forest. THEN, all of a sudden Kuzco (the character) complains to Kuzco the narrator to stop being sorry about himself, and from that point on there is no narration anymore. And that worked perfectly because it serves a purpose (comedy and showing how Kuzco viewed himself, a very important tool for the viewer to know how narcissistic he is) and they commit to it by simply NOT having the narration anymore. So yeah, think about it. If you feel the purpose and the commitment are right, do it. The best writers are those that understand the rules so well they know when to break them. | 0 | 5,641 | 6,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is0ic4d | is09xyk | 1,665,578,318 | 1,665,573,359 | 6 | 0 | It is not dumb. You just have to be careful not to make it confusing. The thing about writing rules is that they are meant to be broken if (i) it serves a purpose (ii) be sure to commit to it. Take a small and not-so-similar example: Fleabag, for the entirety of the show Fleabag breaks the fourth wall and talks to the audience and no one in the world of the series can hear it. Until we get to the hot priest, who hears her breaking the fourth wall. The previously established rules are definitely being broken, and no-one seems to care. The comedy effect is that the writers first committed to no-one else listening for almost two seasons, and then they make ONE character (and the most important, besides Fleabag) break it to signify their relationship. I'm also pretty sure that before Game of Thrones, most people would tell GRRM that having too many protagonists/POVs hurts the plot, rather than enhance it. Purpose: explore a big world with a gigantic plot, commitment: he never backs down in cutting the protagonists down to one, but whenever someone becomes a POV, they don't simply disappear back, there is usually a reason. Now, for something closer to what you're proposing: The Emperor's New Groove. First it is a narration of past events by Kuzco until he gets to the mid-point of the movie, alone and dejected in the forest. THEN, all of a sudden Kuzco (the character) complains to Kuzco the narrator to stop being sorry about himself, and from that point on there is no narration anymore. And that worked perfectly because it serves a purpose (comedy and showing how Kuzco viewed himself, a very important tool for the viewer to know how narcissistic he is) and they commit to it by simply NOT having the narration anymore. So yeah, think about it. If you feel the purpose and the commitment are right, do it. The best writers are those that understand the rules so well they know when to break them. | Yep. | 1 | 4,959 | 6,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is0ic4d | is0arid | 1,665,578,318 | 1,665,573,892 | 6 | 0 | It is not dumb. You just have to be careful not to make it confusing. The thing about writing rules is that they are meant to be broken if (i) it serves a purpose (ii) be sure to commit to it. Take a small and not-so-similar example: Fleabag, for the entirety of the show Fleabag breaks the fourth wall and talks to the audience and no one in the world of the series can hear it. Until we get to the hot priest, who hears her breaking the fourth wall. The previously established rules are definitely being broken, and no-one seems to care. The comedy effect is that the writers first committed to no-one else listening for almost two seasons, and then they make ONE character (and the most important, besides Fleabag) break it to signify their relationship. I'm also pretty sure that before Game of Thrones, most people would tell GRRM that having too many protagonists/POVs hurts the plot, rather than enhance it. Purpose: explore a big world with a gigantic plot, commitment: he never backs down in cutting the protagonists down to one, but whenever someone becomes a POV, they don't simply disappear back, there is usually a reason. Now, for something closer to what you're proposing: The Emperor's New Groove. First it is a narration of past events by Kuzco until he gets to the mid-point of the movie, alone and dejected in the forest. THEN, all of a sudden Kuzco (the character) complains to Kuzco the narrator to stop being sorry about himself, and from that point on there is no narration anymore. And that worked perfectly because it serves a purpose (comedy and showing how Kuzco viewed himself, a very important tool for the viewer to know how narcissistic he is) and they commit to it by simply NOT having the narration anymore. So yeah, think about it. If you feel the purpose and the commitment are right, do it. The best writers are those that understand the rules so well they know when to break them. | I just finished Paul Tremblay’s Cabin at the End of the World where he uses this device (both switching between 1st and 3rd person and tense), often mid page or paragraph. I’d say it works here because his writes from multiple POVs. I actually didn’t really notice it changing until it was pointed out. | 1 | 4,426 | 6,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is03fqw | is0fxoo | 1,665,568,452 | 1,665,577,027 | 2 | 4 | Yea that’s somthing that does happen Iv read a few novels that does that There is literally a halo novel that the last chapter is that you find out it’s a charactor telling a story about his life | Sounds completely reasonable to me. I like the idea. | 0 | 8,575 | 2 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is08xqk | is0fxoo | 1,665,572,677 | 1,665,577,027 | 0 | 4 | Normally I would say it’s perfectly fine to POV switch when it suits the story (I can see what you’re trying to do here, and why) but your particular situation causes a different problem. Most readers DESPISE when the author suddenly decides to switch protagonists mid-story. It’s like you’ve pulled the rug out from under the reader, and not in a good way. They spent all that time and emotional energy getting invested in that one character, and now you’re switching to another one? For what? What was the point of the first one, then? Does the real story actually start here? Why should we care about this new character? Why should we trust the author not to do this again? Why should we get invested all over again? And then your reader puts the book down because you’ve broken their trust and angered them. You would have to do this very well for someone to not be angry about this move, like making sure the reader has built a relationship with this new protagonist within the story of the first protagonist, and making sure the POV is absolutely justified and serves the story for the better, and not as some sort of gimmick. | Sounds completely reasonable to me. I like the idea. | 0 | 4,350 | 4,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is0fxoo | is09xyk | 1,665,577,027 | 1,665,573,359 | 4 | 0 | Sounds completely reasonable to me. I like the idea. | Yep. | 1 | 3,668 | 4,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is0arid | is0fxoo | 1,665,573,892 | 1,665,577,027 | 0 | 4 | I just finished Paul Tremblay’s Cabin at the End of the World where he uses this device (both switching between 1st and 3rd person and tense), often mid page or paragraph. I’d say it works here because his writes from multiple POVs. I actually didn’t really notice it changing until it was pointed out. | Sounds completely reasonable to me. I like the idea. | 0 | 3,135 | 4,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is0h38i | is0tsb5 | 1,665,577,661 | 1,665,583,711 | 3 | 4 | As a reader myself, instead of being bothered by changing povs, I am more annoyed by the change of protagonist. Like I don't need that? | I think the issue here isn't so much the switch from first to third, it's that you want people to throw away the first half of the story that they read because it wasn't just in first, it's being told by a narrator with a motive that might make it unreliable. Unreliable narrators are a thing but even an entire story with one is something you have to handle carefully. The narrative, even a first person narrative, tends to be much more honest and complete than an actual person telling that story, and that's going to be tough to reconcile with a person who's telling a yarn to push the story ahead later on. | 0 | 6,050 | 1.333333 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is0h38i | is03fqw | 1,665,577,661 | 1,665,568,452 | 3 | 2 | As a reader myself, instead of being bothered by changing povs, I am more annoyed by the change of protagonist. Like I don't need that? | Yea that’s somthing that does happen Iv read a few novels that does that There is literally a halo novel that the last chapter is that you find out it’s a charactor telling a story about his life | 1 | 9,209 | 1.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is08xqk | is0h38i | 1,665,572,677 | 1,665,577,661 | 0 | 3 | Normally I would say it’s perfectly fine to POV switch when it suits the story (I can see what you’re trying to do here, and why) but your particular situation causes a different problem. Most readers DESPISE when the author suddenly decides to switch protagonists mid-story. It’s like you’ve pulled the rug out from under the reader, and not in a good way. They spent all that time and emotional energy getting invested in that one character, and now you’re switching to another one? For what? What was the point of the first one, then? Does the real story actually start here? Why should we care about this new character? Why should we trust the author not to do this again? Why should we get invested all over again? And then your reader puts the book down because you’ve broken their trust and angered them. You would have to do this very well for someone to not be angry about this move, like making sure the reader has built a relationship with this new protagonist within the story of the first protagonist, and making sure the POV is absolutely justified and serves the story for the better, and not as some sort of gimmick. | As a reader myself, instead of being bothered by changing povs, I am more annoyed by the change of protagonist. Like I don't need that? | 0 | 4,984 | 3,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is0h38i | is09xyk | 1,665,577,661 | 1,665,573,359 | 3 | 0 | As a reader myself, instead of being bothered by changing povs, I am more annoyed by the change of protagonist. Like I don't need that? | Yep. | 1 | 4,302 | 3,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is0h38i | is0arid | 1,665,577,661 | 1,665,573,892 | 3 | 0 | As a reader myself, instead of being bothered by changing povs, I am more annoyed by the change of protagonist. Like I don't need that? | I just finished Paul Tremblay’s Cabin at the End of the World where he uses this device (both switching between 1st and 3rd person and tense), often mid page or paragraph. I’d say it works here because his writes from multiple POVs. I actually didn’t really notice it changing until it was pointed out. | 1 | 3,769 | 3,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is0tsb5 | is03fqw | 1,665,583,711 | 1,665,568,452 | 4 | 2 | I think the issue here isn't so much the switch from first to third, it's that you want people to throw away the first half of the story that they read because it wasn't just in first, it's being told by a narrator with a motive that might make it unreliable. Unreliable narrators are a thing but even an entire story with one is something you have to handle carefully. The narrative, even a first person narrative, tends to be much more honest and complete than an actual person telling that story, and that's going to be tough to reconcile with a person who's telling a yarn to push the story ahead later on. | Yea that’s somthing that does happen Iv read a few novels that does that There is literally a halo novel that the last chapter is that you find out it’s a charactor telling a story about his life | 1 | 15,259 | 2 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is0tsb5 | is0no9q | 1,665,583,711 | 1,665,580,954 | 4 | 2 | I think the issue here isn't so much the switch from first to third, it's that you want people to throw away the first half of the story that they read because it wasn't just in first, it's being told by a narrator with a motive that might make it unreliable. Unreliable narrators are a thing but even an entire story with one is something you have to handle carefully. The narrative, even a first person narrative, tends to be much more honest and complete than an actual person telling that story, and that's going to be tough to reconcile with a person who's telling a yarn to push the story ahead later on. | No not at all | 1 | 2,757 | 2 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is0tsb5 | is08xqk | 1,665,583,711 | 1,665,572,677 | 4 | 0 | I think the issue here isn't so much the switch from first to third, it's that you want people to throw away the first half of the story that they read because it wasn't just in first, it's being told by a narrator with a motive that might make it unreliable. Unreliable narrators are a thing but even an entire story with one is something you have to handle carefully. The narrative, even a first person narrative, tends to be much more honest and complete than an actual person telling that story, and that's going to be tough to reconcile with a person who's telling a yarn to push the story ahead later on. | Normally I would say it’s perfectly fine to POV switch when it suits the story (I can see what you’re trying to do here, and why) but your particular situation causes a different problem. Most readers DESPISE when the author suddenly decides to switch protagonists mid-story. It’s like you’ve pulled the rug out from under the reader, and not in a good way. They spent all that time and emotional energy getting invested in that one character, and now you’re switching to another one? For what? What was the point of the first one, then? Does the real story actually start here? Why should we care about this new character? Why should we trust the author not to do this again? Why should we get invested all over again? And then your reader puts the book down because you’ve broken their trust and angered them. You would have to do this very well for someone to not be angry about this move, like making sure the reader has built a relationship with this new protagonist within the story of the first protagonist, and making sure the POV is absolutely justified and serves the story for the better, and not as some sort of gimmick. | 1 | 11,034 | 4,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is09xyk | is0tsb5 | 1,665,573,359 | 1,665,583,711 | 0 | 4 | Yep. | I think the issue here isn't so much the switch from first to third, it's that you want people to throw away the first half of the story that they read because it wasn't just in first, it's being told by a narrator with a motive that might make it unreliable. Unreliable narrators are a thing but even an entire story with one is something you have to handle carefully. The narrative, even a first person narrative, tends to be much more honest and complete than an actual person telling that story, and that's going to be tough to reconcile with a person who's telling a yarn to push the story ahead later on. | 0 | 10,352 | 4,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is0arid | is0tsb5 | 1,665,573,892 | 1,665,583,711 | 0 | 4 | I just finished Paul Tremblay’s Cabin at the End of the World where he uses this device (both switching between 1st and 3rd person and tense), often mid page or paragraph. I’d say it works here because his writes from multiple POVs. I actually didn’t really notice it changing until it was pointed out. | I think the issue here isn't so much the switch from first to third, it's that you want people to throw away the first half of the story that they read because it wasn't just in first, it's being told by a narrator with a motive that might make it unreliable. Unreliable narrators are a thing but even an entire story with one is something you have to handle carefully. The narrative, even a first person narrative, tends to be much more honest and complete than an actual person telling that story, and that's going to be tough to reconcile with a person who's telling a yarn to push the story ahead later on. | 0 | 9,819 | 4,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is03fqw | is0z4o1 | 1,665,568,452 | 1,665,585,973 | 2 | 3 | Yea that’s somthing that does happen Iv read a few novels that does that There is literally a halo novel that the last chapter is that you find out it’s a charactor telling a story about his life | I honestly think this is a good idea! Especially, if there is a twist at some point to reveal that the recounting of events was either embellished or somewhat false! | 0 | 17,521 | 1.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is0no9q | is0z4o1 | 1,665,580,954 | 1,665,585,973 | 2 | 3 | No not at all | I honestly think this is a good idea! Especially, if there is a twist at some point to reveal that the recounting of events was either embellished or somewhat false! | 0 | 5,019 | 1.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is08xqk | is0z4o1 | 1,665,572,677 | 1,665,585,973 | 0 | 3 | Normally I would say it’s perfectly fine to POV switch when it suits the story (I can see what you’re trying to do here, and why) but your particular situation causes a different problem. Most readers DESPISE when the author suddenly decides to switch protagonists mid-story. It’s like you’ve pulled the rug out from under the reader, and not in a good way. They spent all that time and emotional energy getting invested in that one character, and now you’re switching to another one? For what? What was the point of the first one, then? Does the real story actually start here? Why should we care about this new character? Why should we trust the author not to do this again? Why should we get invested all over again? And then your reader puts the book down because you’ve broken their trust and angered them. You would have to do this very well for someone to not be angry about this move, like making sure the reader has built a relationship with this new protagonist within the story of the first protagonist, and making sure the POV is absolutely justified and serves the story for the better, and not as some sort of gimmick. | I honestly think this is a good idea! Especially, if there is a twist at some point to reveal that the recounting of events was either embellished or somewhat false! | 0 | 13,296 | 3,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is0z4o1 | is09xyk | 1,665,585,973 | 1,665,573,359 | 3 | 0 | I honestly think this is a good idea! Especially, if there is a twist at some point to reveal that the recounting of events was either embellished or somewhat false! | Yep. | 1 | 12,614 | 3,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is0z4o1 | is0arid | 1,665,585,973 | 1,665,573,892 | 3 | 0 | I honestly think this is a good idea! Especially, if there is a twist at some point to reveal that the recounting of events was either embellished or somewhat false! | I just finished Paul Tremblay’s Cabin at the End of the World where he uses this device (both switching between 1st and 3rd person and tense), often mid page or paragraph. I’d say it works here because his writes from multiple POVs. I actually didn’t really notice it changing until it was pointed out. | 1 | 12,081 | 3,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is12307 | is03fqw | 1,665,587,190 | 1,665,568,452 | 3 | 2 | Depends entirely on how you do it and why. I personally switch up how I do first and third person. Make the third person an entirely different scene and usually there's a different character we're focusing on before moving back to MC | Yea that’s somthing that does happen Iv read a few novels that does that There is literally a halo novel that the last chapter is that you find out it’s a charactor telling a story about his life | 1 | 18,738 | 1.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is12307 | is0no9q | 1,665,587,190 | 1,665,580,954 | 3 | 2 | Depends entirely on how you do it and why. I personally switch up how I do first and third person. Make the third person an entirely different scene and usually there's a different character we're focusing on before moving back to MC | No not at all | 1 | 6,236 | 1.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is08xqk | is12307 | 1,665,572,677 | 1,665,587,190 | 0 | 3 | Normally I would say it’s perfectly fine to POV switch when it suits the story (I can see what you’re trying to do here, and why) but your particular situation causes a different problem. Most readers DESPISE when the author suddenly decides to switch protagonists mid-story. It’s like you’ve pulled the rug out from under the reader, and not in a good way. They spent all that time and emotional energy getting invested in that one character, and now you’re switching to another one? For what? What was the point of the first one, then? Does the real story actually start here? Why should we care about this new character? Why should we trust the author not to do this again? Why should we get invested all over again? And then your reader puts the book down because you’ve broken their trust and angered them. You would have to do this very well for someone to not be angry about this move, like making sure the reader has built a relationship with this new protagonist within the story of the first protagonist, and making sure the POV is absolutely justified and serves the story for the better, and not as some sort of gimmick. | Depends entirely on how you do it and why. I personally switch up how I do first and third person. Make the third person an entirely different scene and usually there's a different character we're focusing on before moving back to MC | 0 | 14,513 | 3,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is12307 | is09xyk | 1,665,587,190 | 1,665,573,359 | 3 | 0 | Depends entirely on how you do it and why. I personally switch up how I do first and third person. Make the third person an entirely different scene and usually there's a different character we're focusing on before moving back to MC | Yep. | 1 | 13,831 | 3,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is12307 | is0arid | 1,665,587,190 | 1,665,573,892 | 3 | 0 | Depends entirely on how you do it and why. I personally switch up how I do first and third person. Make the third person an entirely different scene and usually there's a different character we're focusing on before moving back to MC | I just finished Paul Tremblay’s Cabin at the End of the World where he uses this device (both switching between 1st and 3rd person and tense), often mid page or paragraph. I’d say it works here because his writes from multiple POVs. I actually didn’t really notice it changing until it was pointed out. | 1 | 13,298 | 3,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is03fqw | is1438v | 1,665,568,452 | 1,665,588,016 | 2 | 3 | Yea that’s somthing that does happen Iv read a few novels that does that There is literally a halo novel that the last chapter is that you find out it’s a charactor telling a story about his life | As long as it's not just a gimmick for the sake of it, do it. If you have a strong reason why it would enhance the story, themes and reader experience, go for it. Otherwise, it would just degrade your work. | 0 | 19,564 | 1.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is1438v | is0no9q | 1,665,588,016 | 1,665,580,954 | 3 | 2 | As long as it's not just a gimmick for the sake of it, do it. If you have a strong reason why it would enhance the story, themes and reader experience, go for it. Otherwise, it would just degrade your work. | No not at all | 1 | 7,062 | 1.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is08xqk | is1438v | 1,665,572,677 | 1,665,588,016 | 0 | 3 | Normally I would say it’s perfectly fine to POV switch when it suits the story (I can see what you’re trying to do here, and why) but your particular situation causes a different problem. Most readers DESPISE when the author suddenly decides to switch protagonists mid-story. It’s like you’ve pulled the rug out from under the reader, and not in a good way. They spent all that time and emotional energy getting invested in that one character, and now you’re switching to another one? For what? What was the point of the first one, then? Does the real story actually start here? Why should we care about this new character? Why should we trust the author not to do this again? Why should we get invested all over again? And then your reader puts the book down because you’ve broken their trust and angered them. You would have to do this very well for someone to not be angry about this move, like making sure the reader has built a relationship with this new protagonist within the story of the first protagonist, and making sure the POV is absolutely justified and serves the story for the better, and not as some sort of gimmick. | As long as it's not just a gimmick for the sake of it, do it. If you have a strong reason why it would enhance the story, themes and reader experience, go for it. Otherwise, it would just degrade your work. | 0 | 15,339 | 3,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is1438v | is09xyk | 1,665,588,016 | 1,665,573,359 | 3 | 0 | As long as it's not just a gimmick for the sake of it, do it. If you have a strong reason why it would enhance the story, themes and reader experience, go for it. Otherwise, it would just degrade your work. | Yep. | 1 | 14,657 | 3,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is0arid | is1438v | 1,665,573,892 | 1,665,588,016 | 0 | 3 | I just finished Paul Tremblay’s Cabin at the End of the World where he uses this device (both switching between 1st and 3rd person and tense), often mid page or paragraph. I’d say it works here because his writes from multiple POVs. I actually didn’t really notice it changing until it was pointed out. | As long as it's not just a gimmick for the sake of it, do it. If you have a strong reason why it would enhance the story, themes and reader experience, go for it. Otherwise, it would just degrade your work. | 0 | 14,124 | 3,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is03fqw | is16b0h | 1,665,568,452 | 1,665,588,908 | 2 | 3 | Yea that’s somthing that does happen Iv read a few novels that does that There is literally a halo novel that the last chapter is that you find out it’s a charactor telling a story about his life | It's all in the execution. I've seen bad ideas made into great stories and great ideas turned into crap. | 0 | 20,456 | 1.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is16b0h | is0no9q | 1,665,588,908 | 1,665,580,954 | 3 | 2 | It's all in the execution. I've seen bad ideas made into great stories and great ideas turned into crap. | No not at all | 1 | 7,954 | 1.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is16b0h | is08xqk | 1,665,588,908 | 1,665,572,677 | 3 | 0 | It's all in the execution. I've seen bad ideas made into great stories and great ideas turned into crap. | Normally I would say it’s perfectly fine to POV switch when it suits the story (I can see what you’re trying to do here, and why) but your particular situation causes a different problem. Most readers DESPISE when the author suddenly decides to switch protagonists mid-story. It’s like you’ve pulled the rug out from under the reader, and not in a good way. They spent all that time and emotional energy getting invested in that one character, and now you’re switching to another one? For what? What was the point of the first one, then? Does the real story actually start here? Why should we care about this new character? Why should we trust the author not to do this again? Why should we get invested all over again? And then your reader puts the book down because you’ve broken their trust and angered them. You would have to do this very well for someone to not be angry about this move, like making sure the reader has built a relationship with this new protagonist within the story of the first protagonist, and making sure the POV is absolutely justified and serves the story for the better, and not as some sort of gimmick. | 1 | 16,231 | 3,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is09xyk | is16b0h | 1,665,573,359 | 1,665,588,908 | 0 | 3 | Yep. | It's all in the execution. I've seen bad ideas made into great stories and great ideas turned into crap. | 0 | 15,549 | 3,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is0arid | is16b0h | 1,665,573,892 | 1,665,588,908 | 0 | 3 | I just finished Paul Tremblay’s Cabin at the End of the World where he uses this device (both switching between 1st and 3rd person and tense), often mid page or paragraph. I’d say it works here because his writes from multiple POVs. I actually didn’t really notice it changing until it was pointed out. | It's all in the execution. I've seen bad ideas made into great stories and great ideas turned into crap. | 0 | 15,016 | 3,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is03fqw | is2sf2k | 1,665,568,452 | 1,665,611,459 | 2 | 3 | Yea that’s somthing that does happen Iv read a few novels that does that There is literally a halo novel that the last chapter is that you find out it’s a charactor telling a story about his life | If it feels comfortable to write in 3rd person, then more power to you. | 0 | 43,007 | 1.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is0no9q | is2sf2k | 1,665,580,954 | 1,665,611,459 | 2 | 3 | No not at all | If it feels comfortable to write in 3rd person, then more power to you. | 0 | 30,505 | 1.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is2sf2k | is16lb2 | 1,665,611,459 | 1,665,589,022 | 3 | 2 | If it feels comfortable to write in 3rd person, then more power to you. | A lot of people have already made some good points about switching or no switching. The best way honestly is try your hand at both. Sure it’s more work but writing it out might help you see which one makes better sense for the story. Start with a pivotal scene or two and write both in the first person of the character and then again in third person. Then depending on how either POV goes, continue with the switch/no switch that feels more true to the story you want to tell. | 1 | 22,437 | 1.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is190wx | is2sf2k | 1,665,589,991 | 1,665,611,459 | 2 | 3 | Stick with one perspective for the majority, and take small breaks in between. That’s how Frankenstein is written iirc - from a sort of post-second person perspective, since it’s written in a letter from a guy who’s being told the story by the doctor. That way the majority of the book takes place in one tense, even if it’s told as ‘I thought he was crazy when he said: ‘I must have been freakin nuts, cause then I: went bananas!’‘ so it creates a sort of nested narrative where a guy is giving his perspective and opinions on something he’s currently being told by a guy who’s giving his perspectives and opinions on the things he’d done. Sort of like parenthesis inside parenthesis in math. But it happened very rarely - mostly at the beginning and the end, iirc. I could be really wrong, it’s been a long time since I’ve read it. Anyway, if you have two main perspectives and not just one with a framing devices you might as well have two different books since one is pretty much a prequel to the other. | If it feels comfortable to write in 3rd person, then more power to you. | 0 | 21,468 | 1.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is1aiz9 | is2sf2k | 1,665,590,582 | 1,665,611,459 | 2 | 3 | If the main story is in 1st person, I wouldn't switch at all. However, something I like to do a lot is having the main story in 3rd person, and switch to 1st person for flashbacks. That can work. | If it feels comfortable to write in 3rd person, then more power to you. | 0 | 20,877 | 1.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is1f97k | is2sf2k | 1,665,592,442 | 1,665,611,459 | 2 | 3 | it wouldn’t be good, don’t want to change my perspective as reader when reading story, really unnatural | If it feels comfortable to write in 3rd person, then more power to you. | 0 | 19,017 | 1.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is2sf2k | is1kkln | 1,665,611,459 | 1,665,594,514 | 3 | 2 | If it feels comfortable to write in 3rd person, then more power to you. | I think it would pull your reader out of the story and end up being super frustrating. Of course, I can't know this for sure without reading your story, but if you want to switch character POV, I would just stick with 3rd person all the way through. | 1 | 16,945 | 1.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is2sf2k | is1r2c2 | 1,665,611,459 | 1,665,597,048 | 3 | 2 | If it feels comfortable to write in 3rd person, then more power to you. | Stop looking for feedback before you write it and see if it works yourself The only way you’ll know | 1 | 14,411 | 1.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is2am1q | is2sf2k | 1,665,604,612 | 1,665,611,459 | 2 | 3 | I wouldn’t really mind the POV change, but the protagonist change is not preferable. | If it feels comfortable to write in 3rd person, then more power to you. | 0 | 6,847 | 1.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is2sf2k | is2d9x6 | 1,665,611,459 | 1,665,605,626 | 3 | 2 | If it feels comfortable to write in 3rd person, then more power to you. | You have to make it VERY clear and a lot of intention. | 1 | 5,833 | 1.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is08xqk | is2sf2k | 1,665,572,677 | 1,665,611,459 | 0 | 3 | Normally I would say it’s perfectly fine to POV switch when it suits the story (I can see what you’re trying to do here, and why) but your particular situation causes a different problem. Most readers DESPISE when the author suddenly decides to switch protagonists mid-story. It’s like you’ve pulled the rug out from under the reader, and not in a good way. They spent all that time and emotional energy getting invested in that one character, and now you’re switching to another one? For what? What was the point of the first one, then? Does the real story actually start here? Why should we care about this new character? Why should we trust the author not to do this again? Why should we get invested all over again? And then your reader puts the book down because you’ve broken their trust and angered them. You would have to do this very well for someone to not be angry about this move, like making sure the reader has built a relationship with this new protagonist within the story of the first protagonist, and making sure the POV is absolutely justified and serves the story for the better, and not as some sort of gimmick. | If it feels comfortable to write in 3rd person, then more power to you. | 0 | 38,782 | 3,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is09xyk | is2sf2k | 1,665,573,359 | 1,665,611,459 | 0 | 3 | Yep. | If it feels comfortable to write in 3rd person, then more power to you. | 0 | 38,100 | 3,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is2sf2k | is0arid | 1,665,611,459 | 1,665,573,892 | 3 | 0 | If it feels comfortable to write in 3rd person, then more power to you. | I just finished Paul Tremblay’s Cabin at the End of the World where he uses this device (both switching between 1st and 3rd person and tense), often mid page or paragraph. I’d say it works here because his writes from multiple POVs. I actually didn’t really notice it changing until it was pointed out. | 1 | 37,567 | 3,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is2sf2k | is1erjv | 1,665,611,459 | 1,665,592,247 | 3 | 1 | If it feels comfortable to write in 3rd person, then more power to you. | I'm wrapping up editing a novel that's about 1/4th First person because it's journal entries from the protagonist's grandfather. It works in the right context. | 1 | 19,212 | 3 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is4cvwj | is03fqw | 1,665,638,623 | 1,665,568,452 | 3 | 2 | Can it be done? Yes Should you do it in your first novel? Probably not Just like you *could* write a novel with 4 different perspective characters, but it wouldn’t be recommended for your first novel. You need to know the rules and know how to execute them before you break them | Yea that’s somthing that does happen Iv read a few novels that does that There is literally a halo novel that the last chapter is that you find out it’s a charactor telling a story about his life | 1 | 70,171 | 1.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is4cvwj | is0no9q | 1,665,638,623 | 1,665,580,954 | 3 | 2 | Can it be done? Yes Should you do it in your first novel? Probably not Just like you *could* write a novel with 4 different perspective characters, but it wouldn’t be recommended for your first novel. You need to know the rules and know how to execute them before you break them | No not at all | 1 | 57,669 | 1.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is16lb2 | is4cvwj | 1,665,589,022 | 1,665,638,623 | 2 | 3 | A lot of people have already made some good points about switching or no switching. The best way honestly is try your hand at both. Sure it’s more work but writing it out might help you see which one makes better sense for the story. Start with a pivotal scene or two and write both in the first person of the character and then again in third person. Then depending on how either POV goes, continue with the switch/no switch that feels more true to the story you want to tell. | Can it be done? Yes Should you do it in your first novel? Probably not Just like you *could* write a novel with 4 different perspective characters, but it wouldn’t be recommended for your first novel. You need to know the rules and know how to execute them before you break them | 0 | 49,601 | 1.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is4cvwj | is190wx | 1,665,638,623 | 1,665,589,991 | 3 | 2 | Can it be done? Yes Should you do it in your first novel? Probably not Just like you *could* write a novel with 4 different perspective characters, but it wouldn’t be recommended for your first novel. You need to know the rules and know how to execute them before you break them | Stick with one perspective for the majority, and take small breaks in between. That’s how Frankenstein is written iirc - from a sort of post-second person perspective, since it’s written in a letter from a guy who’s being told the story by the doctor. That way the majority of the book takes place in one tense, even if it’s told as ‘I thought he was crazy when he said: ‘I must have been freakin nuts, cause then I: went bananas!’‘ so it creates a sort of nested narrative where a guy is giving his perspective and opinions on something he’s currently being told by a guy who’s giving his perspectives and opinions on the things he’d done. Sort of like parenthesis inside parenthesis in math. But it happened very rarely - mostly at the beginning and the end, iirc. I could be really wrong, it’s been a long time since I’ve read it. Anyway, if you have two main perspectives and not just one with a framing devices you might as well have two different books since one is pretty much a prequel to the other. | 1 | 48,632 | 1.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is4cvwj | is1aiz9 | 1,665,638,623 | 1,665,590,582 | 3 | 2 | Can it be done? Yes Should you do it in your first novel? Probably not Just like you *could* write a novel with 4 different perspective characters, but it wouldn’t be recommended for your first novel. You need to know the rules and know how to execute them before you break them | If the main story is in 1st person, I wouldn't switch at all. However, something I like to do a lot is having the main story in 3rd person, and switch to 1st person for flashbacks. That can work. | 1 | 48,041 | 1.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is1f97k | is4cvwj | 1,665,592,442 | 1,665,638,623 | 2 | 3 | it wouldn’t be good, don’t want to change my perspective as reader when reading story, really unnatural | Can it be done? Yes Should you do it in your first novel? Probably not Just like you *could* write a novel with 4 different perspective characters, but it wouldn’t be recommended for your first novel. You need to know the rules and know how to execute them before you break them | 0 | 46,181 | 1.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is1kkln | is4cvwj | 1,665,594,514 | 1,665,638,623 | 2 | 3 | I think it would pull your reader out of the story and end up being super frustrating. Of course, I can't know this for sure without reading your story, but if you want to switch character POV, I would just stick with 3rd person all the way through. | Can it be done? Yes Should you do it in your first novel? Probably not Just like you *could* write a novel with 4 different perspective characters, but it wouldn’t be recommended for your first novel. You need to know the rules and know how to execute them before you break them | 0 | 44,109 | 1.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is4cvwj | is1r2c2 | 1,665,638,623 | 1,665,597,048 | 3 | 2 | Can it be done? Yes Should you do it in your first novel? Probably not Just like you *could* write a novel with 4 different perspective characters, but it wouldn’t be recommended for your first novel. You need to know the rules and know how to execute them before you break them | Stop looking for feedback before you write it and see if it works yourself The only way you’ll know | 1 | 41,575 | 1.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is2am1q | is4cvwj | 1,665,604,612 | 1,665,638,623 | 2 | 3 | I wouldn’t really mind the POV change, but the protagonist change is not preferable. | Can it be done? Yes Should you do it in your first novel? Probably not Just like you *could* write a novel with 4 different perspective characters, but it wouldn’t be recommended for your first novel. You need to know the rules and know how to execute them before you break them | 0 | 34,011 | 1.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is4cvwj | is2d9x6 | 1,665,638,623 | 1,665,605,626 | 3 | 2 | Can it be done? Yes Should you do it in your first novel? Probably not Just like you *could* write a novel with 4 different perspective characters, but it wouldn’t be recommended for your first novel. You need to know the rules and know how to execute them before you break them | You have to make it VERY clear and a lot of intention. | 1 | 32,997 | 1.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is30zdo | is4cvwj | 1,665,615,136 | 1,665,638,623 | 2 | 3 | I look at them, then see how I feel. If I feel called to, I give them a dollar or two that I keep in my car side door, and if it doesn’t feel right I smile and nod. Last week I gave a man a dollar and he told me I how much I was loved, but wanted to warn me war was coming so to make sure I get cash out of the bank to have handy. It was a profound experience that touched me and I frequently have ‘Spiritual’ exchanges like these as I remain open to them. Not everyone should be auto-ignored. | Can it be done? Yes Should you do it in your first novel? Probably not Just like you *could* write a novel with 4 different perspective characters, but it wouldn’t be recommended for your first novel. You need to know the rules and know how to execute them before you break them | 0 | 23,487 | 1.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is4cvwj | is35sts | 1,665,638,623 | 1,665,617,292 | 3 | 2 | Can it be done? Yes Should you do it in your first novel? Probably not Just like you *could* write a novel with 4 different perspective characters, but it wouldn’t be recommended for your first novel. You need to know the rules and know how to execute them before you break them | I’ve seen it done plenty of times as a means to differentiate between the chapters narrated by the main character and those following another, I’ve never seen it done halfway through | 1 | 21,331 | 1.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is38bnu | is4cvwj | 1,665,618,426 | 1,665,638,623 | 2 | 3 | It’s so distracting I hate switching between 1s & 3rd so much I can’t focus on the story | Can it be done? Yes Should you do it in your first novel? Probably not Just like you *could* write a novel with 4 different perspective characters, but it wouldn’t be recommended for your first novel. You need to know the rules and know how to execute them before you break them | 0 | 20,197 | 1.5 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is08xqk | is4cvwj | 1,665,572,677 | 1,665,638,623 | 0 | 3 | Normally I would say it’s perfectly fine to POV switch when it suits the story (I can see what you’re trying to do here, and why) but your particular situation causes a different problem. Most readers DESPISE when the author suddenly decides to switch protagonists mid-story. It’s like you’ve pulled the rug out from under the reader, and not in a good way. They spent all that time and emotional energy getting invested in that one character, and now you’re switching to another one? For what? What was the point of the first one, then? Does the real story actually start here? Why should we care about this new character? Why should we trust the author not to do this again? Why should we get invested all over again? And then your reader puts the book down because you’ve broken their trust and angered them. You would have to do this very well for someone to not be angry about this move, like making sure the reader has built a relationship with this new protagonist within the story of the first protagonist, and making sure the POV is absolutely justified and serves the story for the better, and not as some sort of gimmick. | Can it be done? Yes Should you do it in your first novel? Probably not Just like you *could* write a novel with 4 different perspective characters, but it wouldn’t be recommended for your first novel. You need to know the rules and know how to execute them before you break them | 0 | 65,946 | 3,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is09xyk | is4cvwj | 1,665,573,359 | 1,665,638,623 | 0 | 3 | Yep. | Can it be done? Yes Should you do it in your first novel? Probably not Just like you *could* write a novel with 4 different perspective characters, but it wouldn’t be recommended for your first novel. You need to know the rules and know how to execute them before you break them | 0 | 65,264 | 3,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is4cvwj | is0arid | 1,665,638,623 | 1,665,573,892 | 3 | 0 | Can it be done? Yes Should you do it in your first novel? Probably not Just like you *could* write a novel with 4 different perspective characters, but it wouldn’t be recommended for your first novel. You need to know the rules and know how to execute them before you break them | I just finished Paul Tremblay’s Cabin at the End of the World where he uses this device (both switching between 1st and 3rd person and tense), often mid page or paragraph. I’d say it works here because his writes from multiple POVs. I actually didn’t really notice it changing until it was pointed out. | 1 | 64,731 | 3,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is1erjv | is4cvwj | 1,665,592,247 | 1,665,638,623 | 1 | 3 | I'm wrapping up editing a novel that's about 1/4th First person because it's journal entries from the protagonist's grandfather. It works in the right context. | Can it be done? Yes Should you do it in your first novel? Probably not Just like you *could* write a novel with 4 different perspective characters, but it wouldn’t be recommended for your first novel. You need to know the rules and know how to execute them before you break them | 0 | 46,376 | 3 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is0no9q | is08xqk | 1,665,580,954 | 1,665,572,677 | 2 | 0 | No not at all | Normally I would say it’s perfectly fine to POV switch when it suits the story (I can see what you’re trying to do here, and why) but your particular situation causes a different problem. Most readers DESPISE when the author suddenly decides to switch protagonists mid-story. It’s like you’ve pulled the rug out from under the reader, and not in a good way. They spent all that time and emotional energy getting invested in that one character, and now you’re switching to another one? For what? What was the point of the first one, then? Does the real story actually start here? Why should we care about this new character? Why should we trust the author not to do this again? Why should we get invested all over again? And then your reader puts the book down because you’ve broken their trust and angered them. You would have to do this very well for someone to not be angry about this move, like making sure the reader has built a relationship with this new protagonist within the story of the first protagonist, and making sure the POV is absolutely justified and serves the story for the better, and not as some sort of gimmick. | 1 | 8,277 | 2,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is0no9q | is09xyk | 1,665,580,954 | 1,665,573,359 | 2 | 0 | No not at all | Yep. | 1 | 7,595 | 2,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is0no9q | is0arid | 1,665,580,954 | 1,665,573,892 | 2 | 0 | No not at all | I just finished Paul Tremblay’s Cabin at the End of the World where he uses this device (both switching between 1st and 3rd person and tense), often mid page or paragraph. I’d say it works here because his writes from multiple POVs. I actually didn’t really notice it changing until it was pointed out. | 1 | 7,062 | 2,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is16lb2 | is08xqk | 1,665,589,022 | 1,665,572,677 | 2 | 0 | A lot of people have already made some good points about switching or no switching. The best way honestly is try your hand at both. Sure it’s more work but writing it out might help you see which one makes better sense for the story. Start with a pivotal scene or two and write both in the first person of the character and then again in third person. Then depending on how either POV goes, continue with the switch/no switch that feels more true to the story you want to tell. | Normally I would say it’s perfectly fine to POV switch when it suits the story (I can see what you’re trying to do here, and why) but your particular situation causes a different problem. Most readers DESPISE when the author suddenly decides to switch protagonists mid-story. It’s like you’ve pulled the rug out from under the reader, and not in a good way. They spent all that time and emotional energy getting invested in that one character, and now you’re switching to another one? For what? What was the point of the first one, then? Does the real story actually start here? Why should we care about this new character? Why should we trust the author not to do this again? Why should we get invested all over again? And then your reader puts the book down because you’ve broken their trust and angered them. You would have to do this very well for someone to not be angry about this move, like making sure the reader has built a relationship with this new protagonist within the story of the first protagonist, and making sure the POV is absolutely justified and serves the story for the better, and not as some sort of gimmick. | 1 | 16,345 | 2,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is16lb2 | is09xyk | 1,665,589,022 | 1,665,573,359 | 2 | 0 | A lot of people have already made some good points about switching or no switching. The best way honestly is try your hand at both. Sure it’s more work but writing it out might help you see which one makes better sense for the story. Start with a pivotal scene or two and write both in the first person of the character and then again in third person. Then depending on how either POV goes, continue with the switch/no switch that feels more true to the story you want to tell. | Yep. | 1 | 15,663 | 2,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is16lb2 | is0arid | 1,665,589,022 | 1,665,573,892 | 2 | 0 | A lot of people have already made some good points about switching or no switching. The best way honestly is try your hand at both. Sure it’s more work but writing it out might help you see which one makes better sense for the story. Start with a pivotal scene or two and write both in the first person of the character and then again in third person. Then depending on how either POV goes, continue with the switch/no switch that feels more true to the story you want to tell. | I just finished Paul Tremblay’s Cabin at the End of the World where he uses this device (both switching between 1st and 3rd person and tense), often mid page or paragraph. I’d say it works here because his writes from multiple POVs. I actually didn’t really notice it changing until it was pointed out. | 1 | 15,130 | 2,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is08xqk | is190wx | 1,665,572,677 | 1,665,589,991 | 0 | 2 | Normally I would say it’s perfectly fine to POV switch when it suits the story (I can see what you’re trying to do here, and why) but your particular situation causes a different problem. Most readers DESPISE when the author suddenly decides to switch protagonists mid-story. It’s like you’ve pulled the rug out from under the reader, and not in a good way. They spent all that time and emotional energy getting invested in that one character, and now you’re switching to another one? For what? What was the point of the first one, then? Does the real story actually start here? Why should we care about this new character? Why should we trust the author not to do this again? Why should we get invested all over again? And then your reader puts the book down because you’ve broken their trust and angered them. You would have to do this very well for someone to not be angry about this move, like making sure the reader has built a relationship with this new protagonist within the story of the first protagonist, and making sure the POV is absolutely justified and serves the story for the better, and not as some sort of gimmick. | Stick with one perspective for the majority, and take small breaks in between. That’s how Frankenstein is written iirc - from a sort of post-second person perspective, since it’s written in a letter from a guy who’s being told the story by the doctor. That way the majority of the book takes place in one tense, even if it’s told as ‘I thought he was crazy when he said: ‘I must have been freakin nuts, cause then I: went bananas!’‘ so it creates a sort of nested narrative where a guy is giving his perspective and opinions on something he’s currently being told by a guy who’s giving his perspectives and opinions on the things he’d done. Sort of like parenthesis inside parenthesis in math. But it happened very rarely - mostly at the beginning and the end, iirc. I could be really wrong, it’s been a long time since I’ve read it. Anyway, if you have two main perspectives and not just one with a framing devices you might as well have two different books since one is pretty much a prequel to the other. | 0 | 17,314 | 2,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is09xyk | is190wx | 1,665,573,359 | 1,665,589,991 | 0 | 2 | Yep. | Stick with one perspective for the majority, and take small breaks in between. That’s how Frankenstein is written iirc - from a sort of post-second person perspective, since it’s written in a letter from a guy who’s being told the story by the doctor. That way the majority of the book takes place in one tense, even if it’s told as ‘I thought he was crazy when he said: ‘I must have been freakin nuts, cause then I: went bananas!’‘ so it creates a sort of nested narrative where a guy is giving his perspective and opinions on something he’s currently being told by a guy who’s giving his perspectives and opinions on the things he’d done. Sort of like parenthesis inside parenthesis in math. But it happened very rarely - mostly at the beginning and the end, iirc. I could be really wrong, it’s been a long time since I’ve read it. Anyway, if you have two main perspectives and not just one with a framing devices you might as well have two different books since one is pretty much a prequel to the other. | 0 | 16,632 | 2,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is190wx | is0arid | 1,665,589,991 | 1,665,573,892 | 2 | 0 | Stick with one perspective for the majority, and take small breaks in between. That’s how Frankenstein is written iirc - from a sort of post-second person perspective, since it’s written in a letter from a guy who’s being told the story by the doctor. That way the majority of the book takes place in one tense, even if it’s told as ‘I thought he was crazy when he said: ‘I must have been freakin nuts, cause then I: went bananas!’‘ so it creates a sort of nested narrative where a guy is giving his perspective and opinions on something he’s currently being told by a guy who’s giving his perspectives and opinions on the things he’d done. Sort of like parenthesis inside parenthesis in math. But it happened very rarely - mostly at the beginning and the end, iirc. I could be really wrong, it’s been a long time since I’ve read it. Anyway, if you have two main perspectives and not just one with a framing devices you might as well have two different books since one is pretty much a prequel to the other. | I just finished Paul Tremblay’s Cabin at the End of the World where he uses this device (both switching between 1st and 3rd person and tense), often mid page or paragraph. I’d say it works here because his writes from multiple POVs. I actually didn’t really notice it changing until it was pointed out. | 1 | 16,099 | 2,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is1aiz9 | is08xqk | 1,665,590,582 | 1,665,572,677 | 2 | 0 | If the main story is in 1st person, I wouldn't switch at all. However, something I like to do a lot is having the main story in 3rd person, and switch to 1st person for flashbacks. That can work. | Normally I would say it’s perfectly fine to POV switch when it suits the story (I can see what you’re trying to do here, and why) but your particular situation causes a different problem. Most readers DESPISE when the author suddenly decides to switch protagonists mid-story. It’s like you’ve pulled the rug out from under the reader, and not in a good way. They spent all that time and emotional energy getting invested in that one character, and now you’re switching to another one? For what? What was the point of the first one, then? Does the real story actually start here? Why should we care about this new character? Why should we trust the author not to do this again? Why should we get invested all over again? And then your reader puts the book down because you’ve broken their trust and angered them. You would have to do this very well for someone to not be angry about this move, like making sure the reader has built a relationship with this new protagonist within the story of the first protagonist, and making sure the POV is absolutely justified and serves the story for the better, and not as some sort of gimmick. | 1 | 17,905 | 2,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is09xyk | is1aiz9 | 1,665,573,359 | 1,665,590,582 | 0 | 2 | Yep. | If the main story is in 1st person, I wouldn't switch at all. However, something I like to do a lot is having the main story in 3rd person, and switch to 1st person for flashbacks. That can work. | 0 | 17,223 | 2,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is0arid | is1aiz9 | 1,665,573,892 | 1,665,590,582 | 0 | 2 | I just finished Paul Tremblay’s Cabin at the End of the World where he uses this device (both switching between 1st and 3rd person and tense), often mid page or paragraph. I’d say it works here because his writes from multiple POVs. I actually didn’t really notice it changing until it was pointed out. | If the main story is in 1st person, I wouldn't switch at all. However, something I like to do a lot is having the main story in 3rd person, and switch to 1st person for flashbacks. That can work. | 0 | 16,690 | 2,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is08xqk | is1f97k | 1,665,572,677 | 1,665,592,442 | 0 | 2 | Normally I would say it’s perfectly fine to POV switch when it suits the story (I can see what you’re trying to do here, and why) but your particular situation causes a different problem. Most readers DESPISE when the author suddenly decides to switch protagonists mid-story. It’s like you’ve pulled the rug out from under the reader, and not in a good way. They spent all that time and emotional energy getting invested in that one character, and now you’re switching to another one? For what? What was the point of the first one, then? Does the real story actually start here? Why should we care about this new character? Why should we trust the author not to do this again? Why should we get invested all over again? And then your reader puts the book down because you’ve broken their trust and angered them. You would have to do this very well for someone to not be angry about this move, like making sure the reader has built a relationship with this new protagonist within the story of the first protagonist, and making sure the POV is absolutely justified and serves the story for the better, and not as some sort of gimmick. | it wouldn’t be good, don’t want to change my perspective as reader when reading story, really unnatural | 0 | 19,765 | 2,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is1f97k | is09xyk | 1,665,592,442 | 1,665,573,359 | 2 | 0 | it wouldn’t be good, don’t want to change my perspective as reader when reading story, really unnatural | Yep. | 1 | 19,083 | 2,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is0arid | is1f97k | 1,665,573,892 | 1,665,592,442 | 0 | 2 | I just finished Paul Tremblay’s Cabin at the End of the World where he uses this device (both switching between 1st and 3rd person and tense), often mid page or paragraph. I’d say it works here because his writes from multiple POVs. I actually didn’t really notice it changing until it was pointed out. | it wouldn’t be good, don’t want to change my perspective as reader when reading story, really unnatural | 0 | 18,550 | 2,000 | ||
y1yjjg | writing_train | 0.9 | is it dumb to switch from 1st person to 3rd i was thinking of starting in first person, and following a 'false' protagonist (in a sense) through the first half of the book. then, i was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal that it turns out the protagonist as we have come to know him as has been recounting and speaking to another character, and when this dialogue ends, i would switch to the third person. then, the story would follow the character the original protagonist was speaking to. i was also thinking of changing from the past tense to the present tense to make this even more clear. i was wondering if this idea would be effective, or would it just be confusing? | is1erjv | is1f97k | 1,665,592,247 | 1,665,592,442 | 1 | 2 | I'm wrapping up editing a novel that's about 1/4th First person because it's journal entries from the protagonist's grandfather. It works in the right context. | it wouldn’t be good, don’t want to change my perspective as reader when reading story, really unnatural | 0 | 195 | 2 |
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