first AND third person...in the same story?

I'm writing in both first person and third person. The story is primarily told in first person by my MC, but there are interludes in third person where she's talking to her boyfriend (the person she's telling the story to.) So far as real published novels, "The Left Hand of Darkness" is written in both third and first person, with different first person narrators. (Most of it is told by one character, but another character gets a word in here or there also, and there's also some objective fictional-essay-type sections about the planet they're on.)

I don't think you have to worry about any vengeance. It'll probably work out great.

I even remember reading a book once that switched between 1st and 2nd person. (Male and female character). At first I found it a bit confusing, but it wore on well.

Happy novel writing!

I don't think it's a writing no-go but I'm one of those rebellious - at - heart individuals who barely cares about convention and pounds out a story as it comes. I worry about the consequences later. *lol*

I write in First and Third Person as well; First Person for my male MC and Third Person for all the rest of the story. I tried to write the MMC in Third Person as well but it just isn't his voice and he wasn't the same after it anymore.

The unnamed should not be taken for the nonexistent.
~ Catherine A. MacKinnon

I'd actually planned on asking this same question, because it's something I'm struggling with. My story will have a noir-ish streak, which I think calls for a first-person narrative. The problem is that I'm not sure my protagonist is educated/insightful enough to be an effective narrator, in terms of laying down environmental details and whatnot. So I'd like to see what others have to say about this.

For what it's worth, however, Charles Dickens wrote Bleak House in this style. Some chapters were narrated in the first person by a main character, others by an omniscient, anonymous, third-person narrator.

'Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persi

Elizabeth Bear's Jenny Casey novels are written that way. In fact, IIRC it's first person present for the MC and third person past for the other narrators. So yes, it can be and has been done. :-)

What comes after NaNo? National Novel Publishing Year! http://www.nanopubye.org

I wrote in 1st and 3rd person. Basically, my two MCs (Mina and Cooper) went off on their own adventure while the two secondary characters (Veronica and Jake) were left behind. Partly I needed word count, but also I wanted to describe what Veronica and Jake were doing, but how to do that in third person when up till then I had been writing in first? I just had Mina say something like, "this is what Veronica told me later that she and Jake were doing while Cooper and I were gone" and then have it in your basic third person from there.

I'm writing in a mixture of 1st and 3rd person too and also had the same question as well as concern about the strength of those that are in the 1st person.

I like it as a tactic in other books I have read as it gives you different perspectives to come at the story from, without necessarily knowing which is the 'true' one if any. I have ended up with two characters speaking in the 1st person but I have to admit it is a bit of a struggle not to give them a similar voice. Also sometimes they are downright annoying in what they say. One thing I wonder though is that they are going their own way, and it is ok if they are not really authorities over the world they're in. It is their story after all. I am still finding the trap of over explaining in their sections though, almost to justify their perspective to myself. An equal character only ever appears in the 3rd, so defining his place in the story and avoiding over explanation has been easier, as has disguising his faults!

I am hoping it will all clear up as the characters develop. So I say go for it really, it may not always feel like it is working but I think our characters will find their own way if we give them the chance.

Hey, I'm doing something pretty similar. Nice to know that I'm not alone. I am glad to hear that no one's stepping in to condem our collective POV insanity. ;) I don't see a problem with it at all, it just seems a little more natural at times.

But while we're naming published authors who've done the same thing, does anyone remember one of the authors that did the pep talk emails last year, Johnathon Stroud? I was particularly excited to see his name because I was reading his Bartemaus Series at the time, and that's written in 1st and 3rd POV. He did so naturally that I didn't fully register the change for the first few chapters.

Characters and demons need sleep. Writers do, too, but that's just too bad.

I'm doing the same thing too, except for a gender switch. I didn't even notice I had done it until I got to the third chapter. The FMC was just always the first person in my head and the MMC third omnicient. I'm glad to see there's been published authors who got away with it.

I have a story that I'm planning to work on after I finish the one I'm currently working on, and it has a male and female MC too. It's told from both their POVs (one chapter per character) but the MMC is 3rd person whereas the FMC is going to be first person. My reason being is because she's actually blogging about the things that happen to her from day to day because she and her friends had to go their separate ways and live in opposite corners of the country. They blog about everything interesting that happens to them. So they keep each other updated, but it also tells the story in her POV and allows her to add in hind sight comments on how stupid she thinks she was for not doing such-en-such.
The guy is very critical of himself and everything and everyone around him, and argues with himself over almost every little thing. If he makes one decision on interacting with the FMC then he gets irritated because part of him doesn't want anything to do with her. So it's a love hate relationship going on with the MMC and the FMC has no idea. LoL

Remember remember the Month of November:
The endless bad writing of plots.
If we write together
Despite the bad weather
The slow pokes will be like "Say what?!"