First person narratives are rampant in YA fiction, and it makes sense --- they're personal, they're immediate, they let readers delve into the thoughts and emotions of characters. However, Heather Reid, author of PRETTY DARK NOTHING and its sequel, PRETTY DARK SACRIFICE, goes against the grain --- she writes from the third person point of view. In this blog post, she explains the reasons behind this less-than-traditional choice. See what they are, below!
I confess: I’m a loner, a rebel, an oddball, a rarity. That’s right world, I write Young Adult novels in third person point of view. There. I said it. You can stamp non-conformist on my forehead.
I’m not a hater. I admire those who write, read and love first person point of view. So why, when the majority of young adult authors write in first, did I write PRETTY DARK NOTHING and PRETTY DARK SACRIFICE in third person? The answer is simple. It’s the way the story and the characters presented themselves to me. It’s part of my unique voice.
Maybe my love of third comes from all those years reading epic fantasy. I do think my reading preferences influence how and what I write. There’s something about third person that brings a story to life in a way that first person can’t because of its limited view of the characters. I love the richness of language, the depth of the world, the exploration of emotion and conflict on a broader spectrum that third person allows me. It’s about diversity. It’s about seeing the world as a whole and not just through the main character’s tinted glasses. I want to draw the camera back and let the reader experience a bigger picture.
I’m not saying you can’t have rich language or depth in first person point of view. You absolutely can, but it is a challenge, just as writing in third makes it harder to create the same intimate feeling you get from telling and reading a story in first. Where first person explores the inside out, third tends to give a little more room to pull the camera back and explore the external. In the same way that first person can be myopic, third can sometimes be too detached, too broad. It can lead to too much telling and not enough showing. That’s why I like writing in third person limited. To me, you get the best of both worlds. It gives you enough distance so you don’t feel like you’re experiencing the story through a single prism and yet it’s intimate enough to help the reader connect to the character and feel as if they’re on the journey with them.
In the end, there is no right or wrong. What’s right for one writer, one story, won’t be right for another. Both points of view have their strengths and their weaknesses. Being aware of the weakness is the first step to getting it right. All writers must work to find the right balance and to seek their own voice, even if it goes against the grain of what others are doing. At the end of the day, it’s all about the story. If the story is great, it doesn’t matter which point of view it’s written in.
Heather L. Reid is both American and British and has called six different cities in three different countries home. Her strong sense of wanderlust and craving for a new adventure mean you might find her wandering the moors of her beloved Scotland, exploring haunted castles, or hiking through a magical forest in search of fairies and sprites. When she’s not venturing into the unknown in her real life, she loves getting lost in the worlds of video games or curling up by the fire with good story. For now, this native Texan is back in the Lone Star State, settling down with her Scottish husband and working on the sequel to her Young Adult paranormal debut, PRETTY DARK NOTHING.
