Welcome to another edition of Open Book Blog Hop. This week’s question is: “Do you have advice for changing perspective? For example, switching from writing exclusively in third person and switching to first person? Or do you have a reason for staying with the perspective you do?” You can click here to participate in this week’s hop and read other responses.
I don’t change from third to first person point of view or vise versa in the middle of a story, even if I’m switching characters. To me, that’s disconcerting, like switching horses in mid-stream. Most of my stories are told from either first or third person point of view of one character.
But Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me is told from first person point of view of four main characters. I thought I could tell the story more effectively that way. My other novels, The Red Dress and We Shall Overcome, are told from one character’s third person point of view.
In my new short story collection, Living Vicariously in Wyoming, which I hope to publish this year, some stories are in first person while others are in third person. But all stories are told from the point of view of just one character.
Whether I use first or third person point of view depends on the story. But the bottom line is I don’t switch from first to third person point of view and vise versa in the middle, even if I’m switching characters.
How about you authors out there? What are your thoughts on shifting, say, from first to third person point of view?
Photo Courtesy of Tess Anderson Photography
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I’m pleased to announce that from now until March 11th, Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me, The Red Dress, and My Ideal Partner are available from Smashwords ABSOLUTELY FREE as part of its Read an eBook Week sale. You can click here to visit my author page and download these books. Happy reading!
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New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me
Copyright 2021 by Abbie Johnson Taylor.
Independently published with the help of DLD Books.
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Sixteen-year-old Natalie’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and confined to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and rarely recognizes Natalie. But one Halloween night, she tells her a shocking secret that only she and Natalie’s mother know. Natalie is the product of a one-night stand between her mother, who is a college English teacher, and another professor.
After some research, Natalie learns that people with dementia often have vivid memories of past events. Still not wanting to believe what her grandmother has told her, she finds her biological father online. The resemblance between them is undeniable. Not knowing what else to do, she shows his photo and website to her parents.
Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.
Her younger sister, Sarah, senses their parents’ marital difficulties. At Thanksgiving, when she has an opportunity to see Santa Claus, she asks him to bring them together again. Can the jolly old elf grant her request?
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My Corner 
Hey, Abbie!
This is a great topic.
Because I started as a writer of memoir – essays Etc. I always wrote in the first person. In fact, I had an editor tell me once, my stream of conscious writing was quite excellent. Considering she and I butted heads a lot I took this for a great complement. That taught me that above all my writing shown through.
Anyhow, now I’m writing a fiction and find it is necessary to have several points of view.
That is working out OK.
But then I have someone viewing unobserved through means of video feed and that is in the third person.
My editor wrote to say she was making “Lots of notes” So I’m figuring we’ve got our work cut out.
However, I have read a large variety of books written this way, so I know it can be done.
The trick is going to be making smooth transition from one to the other so the reader does not get lost.
Scary, challenging and fun.
Great topic.
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Thank you, Patty. Good luck with the new book.
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I mostly write in 3rd person, close, but I’ve been known to use something else if it feels right for the story. @samanthabwriter from
Balancing Act
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I’m the same way, Samantha. It depends on the story.
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Yes, we need to make sure we don’t ignore the needs of the readers.
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Absolutely! I do everything I can to make readers my first priority.
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I prefer writing in the first person now, I think it makes readers feel more involved in the story.
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I think it’s also possible to involve readers in the story when you write in third person. As I’ve said before, it depends on the story.
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Some stories can only be told one way, as I get the idea, it’s usually clear how I’m going to have to write it for maximum effect.
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You’re right. I’m the same way. When I got the idea for my latest novel, Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me, I realized I could tell the story more effectively from the first person points of view of my four main characters.
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I agree. Either write the book in third person — whether from one character’s POV or from several with careful delineation — or write the book from 1st person — either from one character’s POV or from several. But don’t confuse readers by switching from one POV to another. At least in the books I’ve written so far that’s been my rule.
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Reblogged this on aurorawatcherak.
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I took the prompt to mean something different. I never consider switching POV in the middle of a story. There are ways to do it. Like if character reads a letter or journey entry in first person or another character tells a story in third person.
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That’s the nice thing about these prompts. There’s no right or wrong answerer.
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