Before I jump any further, I know the POV depends entirely on the story, but which POV do you like writing most?

Is it first person? Second person? Third person?

And why is that?

I'm curious; it's a question that has been swirling around in my head for a while now.

For me, it's first person since it’s a POV easy to maintain, and, in some situations, it works well for humor and allows the narrator’s personality to shine through. And all the word choices are to the narrator's voice, so you don't need to worry about switching between character voices.

EDIT:
I just wanted to say that I do write stories in third person, depending on the story I am writing.

L

4645483
I prefer 3rd person, but I once checked how my stories are doing depending of the pov and it turned out that apparently I'm better at 1st person.

third, but I like to do first from time to time.

4645483
Third person is extremely fun to use, while first person I use to really dig into my character, and second person I use for comedy.

4645483

Third and First.

4645497

I've actually never considered writing anything in second person because of how difficult it can be to write. Or maybe I'm just overthinking it?

L

4645483
Depends on the type of story: I think it's a matter of letting the story decide what voice it wants to be in.

I mostly do third person limited narrator, with first person being the runner-up. Second person is only for certain types of story.

4645483 Third is my go to POV. Almost all of my stories involve the third person limited perspective. This allows a reader to feel like they are an observer in the story they are reading with only the faint touches of the inner thoughts of the character of focus for the scene. I feel it is more immersive than any other POV in a story. I am not a fan of first person POV. While it does give the best insight into a characters personality, I don't like reading the character's thoughts as my own. But that's really only a matter of personal preference.

4645483 Third PoV feels a little like reading a documentary. First person and second PoV, on the other hoof, makes you be there and see the world through subjective eyes. I have plenty of objectivism in RL so first and second PoV stories provide greater amount of escapism for me.

4645501
It's fun

Third person multiple. It's flexible and lets me present the story as I want to without confusing the reader.

4645517

Maybe I'll write one. I'll consider it!

L

4645516

Hmm, interesting answer. I have to agree with you on that one. Third person does read like a documentary, especially if it's third person omniscient view. But that's my opinion.

Scald me if you wish.

L

4645483 I prefer first person, since I feel it allows you to be more in depth with a character's thought process.

4645483 I prefer third person, as it's easier to write. But first person can really emerse you in what the character is going through. Second person is tricky, and kind of hard to utilize.

4645483 My favorite viewpoint to write in is awesome person.

4645483

I find Third Person to be generally superior. It's the standard POV in literature for a reason.

First Person is more limited and specialized. I will use it only rarely when I feel it works better for the story, but I'm not comfortable with it.

Second Person stories baffle me. I can see no reason you would ever want to use Second Person. Even if the point is to make the reader identify directly with the protagonist, surely First Person would still be a more sensible choice?

For me Third person is my favorite way to write but that's mostly because almost all the books I read-fantasy books mind you-are all third person. First person has a bunch of nuances that can be attached to it like "Unreliable Narrator" or "Pinball Protagonist" that I do not feel comfortable with. If your gonna tell me a story I don't really want a wrong perspective of things getting in the way. I'm not saying that I wouldn't enjoy a first person story, it's just that I wouldn't want to write them if the story doesn't call for it.

4645483
Although I haven't really written any stories yet, if the small handful of prompt threads I've posted something in are anything to go by, third person is what I like to write best. I'm just going to assume that's because we basically watch the show in a third person perspective...

4645483
3rd Limited. All of the pros of 3rd with the ability to create interesting storylines and conflicts similar to 1st due to only knowing thoughts of one or a select few characters.

Omniscient is also okay; don't really mind it much.

Second person is an odd one; but executed masterfully, they can make for good stories.

And 1st is 1st; not much to say.

4645483
I like 3rd. It's flexible. You can put in as much character and narrative voice you want and you're not trapped with your perspective. I pull the majority of my influence from film, and 3rd person is the most like moving around a camera to set up shots. I only ever mess with 1st or 2nd if there's something that can specifically be done better with those points of view, which isn't often.

4645574
I've written two 2nd person stories where "you" are a mostly-inactive participant in a conversation with another more animated character; the reader is being talked directly to, rather than go to the trouble of creating a bland stand-in that the audience is meant to identify with anyway. Not really common, but I think it's a with a little more reason than the typical choose-your-own-adventure-without-the-choices mediocrity that 2nd person writing is synonymous with on this site.

4645483

Third. Easy to jump from character to character, I have done it in third person all my life and it is the one perspective I have read most books in. I like it, it is simple, it works. As a practical person I just find it useful, thus it is the best (for me anyway).

4645537

That's my reasoning as well. I like to flesh out a character as much as I can, especially if it helps the story in some way.

4645543

The major weakness, I see, in second POV is that it’s unfamiliar and unnatural. Readers aren’t familiar with it, so it seems odd. And if it seems odd, then readers are thinking about the mechanics and underpinnings of the story rather than the events of the story itself. Though that's not to say it can't be utilized or done well.

4645574

I wouldn't necessarily say that third person is superior than first person, but it is definitely more flexible, allowing you to tell the story from another character's point of view, instead of a singularity. At least that's what I think. I could be wrong though.

L

4645483 I like third person.

But first person isn't bad either. It kind of depends what you want to do with your story.

Although I think I admire third person for it's versatility more. There's barely any stories third person can't do, whereas a lot more that first stops working properly in.

I don't have a favorite POV. To me such things are part of the essential tool kit of my craft, much as an artist has his or her brushes or the sculptor their chisels. that is my POV.

4645647

I've written two 2nd person stories where "you" are a mostly-inactive participant in a conversation with another more animated character; the reader is being talked directly to, rather than go to the trouble of creating a bland stand-in that the audience is meant to identify with anyway. Not really common, but I think it's a with a little more reason than the typical choose-your-own-adventure-without-the-choices mediocrity that 2nd person writing is synonymous with on this site.

Not sure I follow. Why can't you do the same thing with First Person?

4645679

I wouldn't necessarily say that third person is superior than first person, but it is definitely more flexible, allowing you to tell the story from another character's point of view, instead of a singularity. At least that's what I think. I could be wrong though.

Well, there is a bit more to it than that. The advantage of Third Person Omniscient is that you can provide the reader with information that a given character may be unaware of. For example, you can show what two characters are thinking or feeling, or point out something they can't perceive.

As for Third Person Limited, it basically does everything First Person does. The difference is that Third Person Limited is more distanced from the character.

The main point of First Person is that the entire story is filtered through the perspective of the narrator: The readers only get to see the world through the eyes of this person, and they have to rely on the narrator's impressions for everything. Perhaps the narrator is biased or otherwise unreliable? The reader is then left to figure out what is objectively going on and what is the narrator's subjective view of things. At the same time, you can't keep anything the narrator thinks or feels a secret.

In Third Person Limited, you can present the story in a more objective viewpoint but still limit it to what the perspective character is experiencing. In a way it's sorta the opposite of First Person since the readers now have to relate to what the protagonist is thinking and feeling about something without sharing his or her view. And, as you say, Third Person additionally makes it easier to shift perspectives, allowing you to tell the story in a wider scope.

I don't have anything against First Person, mind you, but it's a sort of a specialized style that relies very heavily on characterization.

I should mention, there are actually writers who use both at the same time: Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus books, for example, use First Person whenever the narrator is present in a scene and third person when he isn't, basically having him narrate stuff that happened when he wasn't there. It's an interesting style, though tricky to balance.

4645483
I personally like writing in third person limited. I like following the lens of one character as they explore the world and figure things out, but I like that little bit of distance so we can see some small things that they may not, or get a few small hints here and there that they may have missed.

4646242
4646273

I don't think I've ever written a story in third person limited. Are there any rules that governs that sort of POV. Most of my third person stories are written in the omniscient POV.

Let me know!

L

4647027
For rules, it's almost the same as first-person. Don't tell too much more than what the character themselves sees or knows.

4645483
First person is so much easier for me. I can really get inside the character's head and it feels a lot easier to make the narration interesting. That's part of why I can't write any long stories--the story gets more complicated, and I feel like I need to switch between PoV characters. My short stories are usually first person, and my longer stories are usually third.

It's also sort of a character versus story thing for me. First ends up feeling more like my characters are dictating where things go, and third feels more like I'm sticking to the script. I don't know if that's how it feels to readers, but that's how I see it. It's easier for me to pick things up and find a place to take them when I'm just following the characters' lead, as planned-out stories have a tendency to grow stale and have every minor issue picked apart until I don't even want to write them anymore.

4647027

The basic rule is that Third Person Limited follows a specific character, and the other characters are shown from the perspective of that person. That means you can't tell the readers what they are thinking or feeling - that has to come through the observations of the perspective character. You can shift perspective to another character if needed, but not in the middle of a scene. Some go as far as only shifting perspective on a chapter by chapter basis, but shifting between scenes should be acceptable.

(Mind you, I often break these rules myself when I write fanfiction, because I'm a bit lazy when it comes to perspective and usually the readers don't notice or care.)

Anyway, Limited is more popular than Omniscient these days since it's considered less pandering and lazy - it relies more on the readers to make the connections. Though, lately I have actually considered focusing on Third Person Omniscient. It's more... cinematic, so to speak, which suits my storytelling style better.

4646242
You can - you can do anything with any perspective, really - but 2nd allows a better narrative to unfold; they're both fairly heavy on explanation, and work better with the central character talking things through to an anonymous second party rather than reminiscing on things they should already understand just for the benefit of the audience.

I don't do a very good job of explaining it, there's probably a better explanation if you read the stories themselves. They're short.
A Hose with No Name
Heart of Glass

4647215

I'm still not sure if I follow you correctly, but basically: Second Person is like some kind of hybrid between First Person and Third Person, in that it lets the reader identify directly with the protagonist, but the narrator is still distanced from both? Is that the gist of it?

4647105

What's the difference between Third-person limited and Third-person Omniscient? I mean I know in Third person limited you are allowed to shift between characters, but third person omniscient is same thing except with six or more perspectives. So, where do they differ?

4647770
That's what I used it for, yeah. It's not a thing that needs to be done often, hence why you don't find it in mainstream fiction much. I used it for characters to essentially tell stories, and the storytelling is a little more interesting when it's being filtered through someone with perspectives and opinions and stuff rather than just being described right there for the reader to read.

4647786
Limited means you're always writing from the perspective of a character, however central or minor they are to your story. Omniscient means you can break from that perspective to get insight from anywhere - a passing person who's part of the background, a dog, a flower, the universe in general, whatever. You have access to more than just characters when it comes to what can observe your world. It's the god perspective.

4647864

Fair enough. I still can't bring myself to like Second Person, though: It just feels unnatural to read, and having the narrator inform me what "I" see and do tends to break immersion.

4647786

Third person limited you are allowed to shift between characters, but third person omniscient is same thing except with six or more perspectives. So, where do they differ?

I think you have it a little bit wrong there. In Limited, you have to stick to the perspective of a given character. The narrator cannot know or perceive anything that character doesn't know or perceive. And while you are allowed to shift perspective to other characters, you can't do it whenever you want. Some writers are more hardcore about this than others and rarely or never change their perspective character.

Omniscient, on the other hand, doesn't follow the perspective of any particular character. Rather, the narrator is a separate all-knowing entity and the story is told from his perspective. He knows everything about the characters, but is distanced from them.

This can actually make a huge difference. In a book I've been planning, I needed a battle to take place primarily from the perspective of the antagonist so that he could make observations about my two protagonists. However, after the battle the antagonist escapes and I have to return to the viewpoint of the protagonists. In Limited, that would be a flagrant perspective error - I could get away with that in a fanfic, but probably not in something I hope to get published. That's when I started considering using Omniscient, where something like that wouldn't be a problem.

4645483
I like first-person because it lets me show the world through the character's eyes. I feel it's the best POV to make a character relatable because the reader doesn't just get their actions and words. The character's thoughts and emotions are directly shown by how they describe things. As an author, I find it easier to build a character through what they don't say and don't do rather than just what they say and do.

4645483

Third person omniscient. I like to be God (?