Question for authors...?

Question

Is it OK to start the first chapter of a story in first person & then finished the rest of the story in third person?
I really love the first chapter I've written in first person, but in order to complete the story I think third person would be much beneficial.

Answer 1

YES! Youre style is your style. If it logically works in the story and isnt confusing to the reader it is fine. Basically I would say, is the switch to third person smooth or rough? If it's smooth and flows nicely, go with it.

Answer 2

Write it all out first, then go back and look at it. You may realize you want to change the first chapter to third person to make it consistent.

Generally if you are telling a story from the same person's point of view, you would use the same way - first person or third person all the way through. It makes it difficult for the reader to follow when you switch back and forth.

Answer 3

my advice would be to keep your chapter the way it is. You can introduce your book as a person saying "this is me and I am going to tell you what happened." Then tell the rest in the omniscient or semi omniscient "third" person view as if these recollections were being viewed through the eyes of someone who is actually there without being a participant. To draw the whole thing together and create some form of consistancy you might want to go back to that same first person as a kind of "Outriduction," to reflect on all the stuff that has happened; kinda like "yeah this all happened, I lived through it and this is what I learned." You don't have to have overall consistancy from chapter to chapter but it does help to have some sort or balance within the story as a whole.

Answer 4

You might try switching between the two. Either start chapters in first person, writing a page or so, then switch back to the third person perspective, or write every other chapter alternating the two viewpoints. Also, make sure you have someone else look at your work, and try your hand at writing the whole story in third person or first person, just to see if it becomes easier.

Answer 5

Switching between the first person points of view of various characters is a somewhat advanced technique. Switching from first person to third person is not really such a good idea, even for a well-established author. He/she might try it out to gain writing skills by experimentation, but it would be awkward and might easily be taken as a sign of the author's inexperience, at best.

If you feel that third person is the better viewpoint, you should redo the first chapter in that, even though you like the first person way. It is not only not uncommon for writers to change what they have written, it is in fact what is usual.

Answer 6

As much modern writing has proven, there are very few "rules" anymore, but I would say unless you have a very specfic reason for keeping only one chapter in the first person (other than that you just really like it) you consider putting the whole story in one point of view. Unless it is skillfully done, switching POV's can be confusing and clunky and ruin a good story. I would also suggest having someone read through your story and tell you whether or not the switch in POV is effective or just strange.

Answer 7

I suggest staying in the first person throughout the story. You can, however, from chapter to chapter, have different characters telling the story from their point of view. That would be interesting and keep the flow going for the reader. Good Luck.

Answer 8

I don't see why not. So long as the story flows along. Give it a try. You can always go back and change to first person later on. Whatever works for the story. There are no "rules" to follow. An author makes up the rules.

Answer 9

Hi,

I am the auhor of a book where I start in the third person and then change to the first person. In the first chapter I introduce Ed van Zeeland as a immigrant to British Columbia who out of necessity finds work as a tree planter in the forests of British Columbia. He gets to know the daily routine of life in a logging camp which is completely new to him. Then in chapter 2 which I headlined Ed's story, Ed is telling the reader of his impressions, his fear, his trying to measure up to the wild charcters who share his bunkhouse. It is he who tells about the face to face meeting with a cougar, the escape from a grizzly bear, the rain, snow, musquito's, the misery, yet also about the adventure, the beauty of this life in the woods. It is as if you are seeing and hearing the story through Ed's eyes.

Answer 10

Yes! It is done all the time. It is called poetic liscence.
An author has the liberty to break ALL the rules, if he/she desires.

You have surely read books and seen movies where the ending of the story is depicted first.

I think, what you want to do is creative and mildly chalenging.

You will have to make sure the readers are not going to get confused.
Outline it for them before you make the switch.

I got a scholarship to college for a story I wrote.
I invented a new style of prose that had never been done before.

My father taught me to write. He was a journalist and then went on to write several books.

I hope this helps.
Good Luck!!! And congrats!!!!

Answer 11

It's really not so hard to change what you wrote from first person to third person. I do it all the time when I write something in my journal that would be great in my story. Switching from first to third person will confuse the reader and might make them not want to continue reading. So, no, I don't think it's okay.