tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163829887162955058.post6233441479147571504..comments2024-01-01T11:51:53.860-08:00Comments on Babbles from Scott Eagan: The Problem With First Person, But Why Writers Are Drawn To ItScott Eaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17209357682070126879noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163829887162955058.post-14626213109536886652011-11-09T18:54:25.140-08:002011-11-09T18:54:25.140-08:00Some great tips here - thank youSome great tips here - thank youAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163829887162955058.post-13788214233039722812011-10-24T16:08:58.242-07:002011-10-24T16:08:58.242-07:00Thanks for a great post.
I'm just about to s...Thanks for a great post. <br /><br />I'm just about to start writing my first, first person manuscript. I've always been scared of it, knowing the pit falls, but I'm going to give it a go and see how it turns out.<br /><br />Feel free to post as many first person tips as you like ;)Melissa Pearlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04096876704344997093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163829887162955058.post-32428968054304182622011-10-24T15:15:28.276-07:002011-10-24T15:15:28.276-07:00Hunger Games is another fine first person series (...Hunger Games is another fine first person series (YA).jessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16489502078962823639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163829887162955058.post-30797529034846056762011-10-24T12:12:15.849-07:002011-10-24T12:12:15.849-07:00I agree. The key to first person is remembering th...I agree. The key to first person is remembering that thoughts and dialogue aren't enough. We still need to see, smell, taste what the character does. Great post!Alana Saltzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11701556581883149347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163829887162955058.post-55016958703476389172011-10-24T08:28:14.219-07:002011-10-24T08:28:14.219-07:00It takes irony, basically (literary irony not Alan...It takes irony, basically (literary irony not Alanis Morrisette irony!)<br /><br />The narrator has to inadvertently reveal things that his/her "dialogue" does not, including things he/she doesn't realize he/she is revealing. <br /><br />Therefore, any time an author writes in 1st person without realizing that no narrator is reliable, it will tend to come across as a painfully naive piece of writing. It's the kind of thing that can be pulled off about once (hello Catcher in the Rye) but after that will never fly again.<br /><br />Janna Levin used a clever device in the literary novel A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines -- she riffs on the philosopher's koan: if a liar says he's lying can you believe him? A debate about that paradox is a key element of the plot (the characters are mathematicians/philosophers) but Levin also uses it to slyly inoculate the narration as obviously a lie -- it has the effect of making you drop your resistance. The narrator is a liar, therefore he/she can't possibly have first hand knowledge of the things he recounts, but then again . . .Kirstenhttp://www.kirstenmortensen.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163829887162955058.post-11937184011322471142011-10-24T08:21:37.413-07:002011-10-24T08:21:37.413-07:00Thanks for the tip. I'm all about writing in t...Thanks for the tip. I'm all about writing in the first person, but only in my blog. Blogs and other unnamed social media activities are like Chuck E Cheese visits. Fun, but no substance and bad pizza. Is it wrong to relax in this manner? Looking forward to your future thoughts.<br />-M.Outdoor Dog's Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03614888461281023093noreply@blogger.com