Changing Writing Perspective

Authors, assemble! 📚🖋

For those of you who have written a story using two different perspectives - one in first person and the other in third person - did you find it difficult switching between the two?

I’ve been working on something for a while and have found the transition from first to third person surprisingly tricky, particularly making both perspectives feel natural and consistent.

Any tips would be very welcome, either here or via Lushmail.

TIA!

Hmm. I think I have experimented with it but never gone through with it. It is quite tricky to balance those two (still easier than trying to make second person actually work). I usually end up switching to multiple third person perspectives. Will be interested to see what others say.

It's really hard! I can't shift from one to the other very easily, though I don't have a lot of experience. For me, it's like the first person gets stuck in my head, and it keeps creeping back when I'm writing third. Pisses me off. I wish I had advice. Eat a sandwich. Go for a walk. Mainly, find a way to reset your brain. what you are trying is ambitious, and difficult. Good luck!

It can be hard to maintain consistency while one is drafting. I have had to edit for sections where the perspective is supposed to be different. My best advice is to take a break before drafting the section where you change perspective.

Is the same person the subject of two perspectives, or is it two characters told from two different viewpoints? The latter is easier, usually with delineation to indicate whose story you are "in" at any point during the storytelling process. Not sure how I'd approach the former.

Struggling to think of an example where I've tried either, probably because it's a tall order.

I think the advice of taking a break between each perspective seems solid.

Quote by WannabeWordsmith

Is the same person the subject of two perspectives, or is it two characters told from two different viewpoints? The latter is easier, usually with delineation to indicate whose story you are "in" at any point during the storytelling process. Not sure how I'd approach the former.

Struggling to think of an example where I've tried either, probably because it's a tall order.

I think the advice of taking a break between each perspective seems solid.

It’s the latter, although I probably should’ve mentioned that in the OP tbh.

They’re actually two separate stories covering the same events, with each character telling their own side of what happened, rather than switching between them within one story.

Character A is deliberately first person because I want that version to feel quite raw with a narrower (more narrow??) perspective so you only really know what A knows and feels, and you’re stuck inside A's head.

Character B is supposed to be third person with voyeuristic moments to give the reader enough distance to notice things that Character A misses whilst trapped inside her narrowed perspective.

My problem is/was that I struggled to write B naturally in third person, so I then wrote a second version in first person because it felt much easier, then went back through and converted it afterwards. Mechanically, that was fine. Changing the character identifiers, sentence structure etc. wasn’t particularly difficult. But when I read it back, it still felt like first person and like I’d written Character A again and just changed “I/me” to “you/them/they”, if that makes sense?

I now have two drafts from Character B. One that just feels inauthentic to Character B and one that is stuck right at the start.

Quote by Ensorceled
For me, it's like the first person gets stuck in my head, and it keeps creeping back when I'm writing third. Pisses me off.

I think Ensorceled pretty much nailed it with the first-person voice getting stuck in your head. 😂

Now I’m wondering if it would actually be easier for me as an inexperienced writer to take some time to properly develop Character B’s own identity and voice, then write Story B in first person too? Or would having both stories in first person end up feeling too samey-samey?

Quote by Georgia_27_8

I think Ensorceled pretty much nailed it with the first-person voice getting stuck in your head. 😂

Now I’m wondering if it would actually be easier for me as an inexperienced writer to take some time to properly develop Character B’s own identity and voice, then write Story B in first person too? Or would having both stories in first person end up feeling too samey-samey?

Have their prose be somewhat similar to their dialogue for differing first person views. Once you have down how they talk, writing their narrative will be easier.

Also, are you reading any novels currently? When last have you if you aren't currently? I find writing perspectives comes off easier when I'm reading almost daily since we learn to write passively as we read.

Quote by CarltonStJames

Have their prose be somewhat similar to their dialogue for differing first person views. Once you have down how they talk, writing their narrative will be easier.

Also, are you reading any novels currently? When last have you if you aren't currently? I find writing perspectives comes off easier when I'm reading almost daily since we learn to write passively as we read.

Thank you!

No, not been reading any novels lately, but have been listening to audiobooks - if that counts?

This sounds like a very tall order. I think switching perspectives is a lot easier if they’re both written third person. Or if they’re both written first person, which I’ve seen pulled off as well too. In fact, one of my favorite stories on here (First Time Beach) is exactly that, a collab between two authors alternating between their first person perspectives,

But if the goal is simply to be inside character A’s head and not character B’s, most writers handle that by simply making it entirely third person from character A’s perspective as protagonist. The reader knows A’s inner thoughts but perceives everyone else by observation.