First person or Second person?

Question

I'm trying to write a story to enter into a contest, I have a really good plot Idea, but I can't decide which perspective to use. i'm going for an eerie, dark kind of feel, what works best with that?

thanks guys, I was going to use second because i thought it would throw the reader into a very strange situation in which he/she was cough up in a dark world with new rules....but you all make it clear. I'm a 17 year old writer, I couldn't pull that off on my best day.lol Thanks! 1st person it is!

Answer 1

It really depends, as there are strengths to both. I would say first person is better for creepy stories, though, because there is no omniscience in the narration. It leaves for more mystery and suspense when the reader only has pieces of the puzzle, etc.

Answer 2

First person.

At least as opposed to second person. Second person is rarely used, and hard to sustain for a whole story. In part because it is rarely used, it tends to feel awkward to a reader, and draw the reader out of the story, and get the readert hinking about his or herself instead. I think it would be a dangerous choice for a story contest, because many judges would mark the story down just for the use of the second person.

As to whether to go with first or third, it largely depends on whether you want the reader to know more than the character. If you need the reader to know more than the character, use third (unless your narrator is not as smart as the reader, and you leave clues for the reader that the narrator misses. That can be hard to pull off.)

First often works well for eerie stories, because you can create the feeling of eerieness through the direct impressions of the character/narrator. Spooky things often work better when you don't have the distance of the third person.

Answer 3

Don't ever try second person. It would all have to be written as if your were telling someone: you.... It's very difficult. Third and first person are easier. First person begins with I..., and third is she... or he....
If you choose first person, you have to be inside the head of the narrator, but if you have a good imagination, you can do it.

Answer 4

I wouldn't use second person because I find it distracting to read.

Third person could be used, but first person might add a bit of intensity and urgency to the prose so I'd try that first.

Good luck!

tfedge

Answer 5

First person. It's more personal and lets you feel the horror!