I've haven't been on here long but have a simple question.
As a reader which do you prefer.
First person: "I took her into my arms I knew she could feel my hardness pressing against her"
or third person: "Frank took her in into His arms. She could feel his hardness pressing against her"
I ask this because I was reading a story the other day that was first person but read more like this:
"I took you into my arms I knew you could feel my hardness pressing against you"
These arn't the exact words it was more graphic. I'm trying to be polite.
It immediatly turned me off as I am a straight male. My only thought was something more like...
"You did what, I felt what! Like hell you did!"
I've only written two stories so far. The first two mostly teasers for the third which I submitted today.
Now I wait anxiously hoping it will get approved. So to kill time I thought I would throw this out there.
I have used first person because most of my stories are about yours truly. Why would a person use the word you? Not sure. I can read either as long as it is readable.
I don't have a preference in general between first and third person (your first and second examples). They're both standard formats for fiction writing, and I've read plenty of great erotic stories using one or the other.
I find references to "you" (second person, your third example) to be challenging as a reader. Unless the story is really compelling to me, a second person perspective will take me out of it. As you noted, you have to identify very closely with that "you" in order for it to work, so a writer risks alienating a large part of his or her readership out of the gate. I generally find it odd to be told what "I" am doing or thinking. Again, there are always exceptions, but that's been my experience.
Well now I see my lack of education as I found out that 3rd person Omniscient is an actuall writing style... I Just keep learning, isn't it wonderful! My story was rejected due to gramatical errors. I turned to my wife for help. She has a BA in English Lit (A minor in dance...OMG!, I love that woman!). Shes working on he Masters in education and working as a teach full time. I tried not to bother her with this as I know hgow busy she is. With her usual loving care she spent three hours with me showing me all of the errors, making me correct them.
Sometimes I wonder what shes doing with an old high school dropout like me. Of couurse by the time we were done she was very, and I mean VERY! HOT!.
I felt I should thank her for all her help. So I did it multi-orgasmicly.... Don't stop till she begs me kind of night. Then I rembered why she's with me!
She missed work today, still sleeping. Thats why I try not to bother her.
Damn, writing can be so much fun!
I personally like writing in first person because most of my stories are based on my real life or things I'd want done. I find a lot of my readers like reading in first person. I tempted to write in third person and find it harder to relate to the story when I'm writing it.
I've switched between first and third for stories - sometimes quite late in the process. Scotch Bonnet was third person when i first drafted it. The main drawback is you can't really get into the head of the other characters like you can with third person.
With third person you don't need to be in the same room as the main character throughout. Usually this doesn't present a major problem in a short story - but it can in novels. Arthur Conan Doyle wrote the Sherlock Holmes stories in first person through the eyes of Dr Watson - mostly! Sometimes the stories had to switch to being told by another character when Watson wasn't around for whatever reason.
As others have pointed the story you originally referred to is in second person. As you've spotted it's a terrible way to write a story and is responsible for some of the weakest efforts on this site.
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Why not read some stories instead
NEW! Want a quick read for your coffee break? Why not try this... Flash Erotica: Scrubber For me, I think it depends on the type of story. Some things are better in first person, some are better in third. It all depends on what I'm reading and how the author handles it.
I don't have a preference when reading another story....1st, 2nd or 3rd person, doesn't bother me. But when it comes to writing a story, I always seem to go with 1st person...I find it hard to write any other way.
As a reader I prefer third person...although when done well, I love the first person (like in crime novels)
i like first person pov.....
I tend to use First person simply because I have either experienced the act or something similar, and because I can try to describe just how I felt at different points in my story.
As a writer, I find third-person has just been way easier, even if the heroine is based on me.
As a reader, I prefer the same; a third-person account unless the story is really strong and well-written.
"If you knew what you were doing you would probably be bored."
It doesn't really matter to me.
I generally prefer third, but put a well-written story in front of me that's written from a first person or second person point of view and I'll read it. Especially a second-person narrative. There's just something about it that I find really intriguing.
I write in the 1st and 3rd, depending on the story. What determines it is the overall theme I'm attempting to capture. I've written a couple of my own experiences, but I prefer not to simply in respect to my partners.
I wrote one story in 2nd person narrative. I really enjoyed it because it was very poetic, but honestly it was one of my least well received stories. At this time I don't plan on using it again.
