Why I am changing my book from 3rd to 1st person

I was one of the teenagers during the height of hunger games, twilight and its cohorts. I loved to read fast paced novels in the 1st person where I could be brought right into a new world at its driver’s seat. With a brief break in reading books I decided to jump right back into the current market a few years back. It was strange that I struggled to find myself engrossed in any of the adult books I was promised to enjoy.

The first book that really brought me back into reading books as a full time job was the cruel prince. Let’s not forget the fact that I spent the prior 2 years trying really hard to bring back my joy of reading with books I failed to be engrossed by. I read the entire trilogy within a span of 2 days. I loved it so much that I was then introduced to a whole array of great books in the genre and even in the adult category that read in a similar way. Albeit a lot were in 1st person.

When I first started writing my book I began in 1st person it felt natural. However, I changed my mind not due to an instinct but because I had been scouring the internet to help me decide if I should be in 3rd or 1st person. A lot of the strangers on reddit and its like were vehemently hating on the 1st person narrative as it related to “YA books” that allowed reader to “self insert”. Needless to say a lot of the chatter was about how YA books weren’t as serious of a literary master piece. That there were too many 1st person books out there and the stories aren’t gripping enough to be held by one narration.

Although I have since began to find a lot of amazing books I enjoyed in 3rd person I somehow could not seem to convey my story in a way I imagined. I was very nervous that I was making the wrong choice converting it back to 1st. Still am. My story is currently told entirely through my character so making the switch is actually not that hard. There is only 1 other POV that came in once or twice.

So here are my thoughts on when a 1st person is better for your story than in 3rd. The inner workings of the character are very important for your story. In my case she goes through a lot of isolation, trauma and repression. That just doesn’t hit the same way in 3rd. My character also spends a lot of time in different places hiding her self, mimicking and seeing things for the first time. It means a lot of thoughts coming through that just make sense in 1st person. My story is also told from one person’s perspective, it means I can do more with her being the unreliable narrator that is important to how things play out in the end. I decided that my story was more about the internal journey of finding oneself despite the flashy setting I used. On another note for myself I just seem to get into a character’s head better when I am in it if you get what I mean.

For example, hunger games just wouldn’t be the same in 3rd person it doesn’t make sense. Katniss thinks and feels so much while not saying anything. You are instantly drawn into her world, her survival everything that is happening to her internally is the most important aspect of the story.

On the other hand I value 3rd person when there is multiple POV’s to the story. When the external events and other character’s stories are as equally important as what is happening internally to your main character. It is extremely versatile and I get to go to multiple characters and root for a different person than another reader. It allows for the setting and world to sound very poetic and fascinating. For example in his dark materials the world is so atmospheric. I don’t really expect a 1st person child to be able to create such a world. It works really well in this case. I think that’s why I love 3rd person as it makes sense for every story as long as 1st person isn’t better to really draw the most emotional aspects out.

In conclusion I appreciate both forms of writing. I just have been falling into the 1st person narrative as my stories have been very emotionally driven. To portray those emotions 1st person narrative fits well.