I normally prefer to write in third person because I can "cover more ground" that way, so to speak. In third person I can follow more characters and more storylines rather than just sticking to one character and that's that. For the story I'm writing now, however, I'm deeming totally better to tell (at least most of) the story from my MC's first person POV. I like hearing his voice and thoughts as opposed to a narrator (though I do have a tendency to make my narrator's omnipotent snippy a-holes, b/c I think it's so much fun to tear a character a new one without them knowing). BBUUTTT I just hit some plot inspiration that would require to me to leave my MC for a little while in order to properly continue the story. So here's my question:
Is it okay to mix first person and third person POV in the same story?
Because I really want to right now, and being the other I know I'm going to be biased to whatever I choose, so I would really like to hear some of your opinions on the issue. Anyone else out there doing a story that way and care to share how you manage to make it work, even?
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32,419 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 15 23
Yes, it's okay.
For your third-person sections, you'll probably want to pick another character to follow. You can get inside his/her thoughts as well, making that section more engaging and less distant than if you were simply relating events.
Here's another thread about the same question: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/3362144 :-)
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34,127 / 50,000
Nov 9, 2009 - 01 44
If you want an excellent story that mixes first and third person POV, check out the Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud. Bartimaeus narrates in first person, and Nathaniel, the young wizard-in-training, has third-person descriptions.