First Person Or Third Person?

I have my FAA bio in first person, but am currently writing a pieceof fiction in third person. A past manuscript was written in first person, though it switched between two lead characters. For FAA, I like when artists and photogs do a bio in first person. I understand I may be in the minority on that, but it makes me feel like I can connect to them better that way.

First person. Because you know that 95% of the time the Artist is writing it .

Bio third person.. Story 1st person.

Sorry, I should have clarified - I'm talking about fiction, not bio.

I normally do mine 1st person. I have done many third however. It doesn't seem to matter to readers. However, I relate more to 1st when reading

Abbie, I just finished reading The Likeness by Tana French and it made me wonder if I would have enjoyed the story as much if it had been written in third person. I really don't think it would have been nearly as compelling.. So now I'm wondering if I should change the narrator in the story I'm currently writing from third to first person. It will be time consuming to go back and change it but I'm beginning to think it would make the main character more dimensional.

Kathleen;

I wonder if you have what I call joe Syndrome when it comes to writing. No matter what choice you intially make, you find yurself going back and redoing it a certain way. I spent a great deal of time working on my first person story alternating between two lead characters and as I was almost finished, I decided I had to go back and change everything to third person. I finally gave up, kept it in first person.

Then my computer crashed and I lost everything, but that's another thread. I'm rewriting in first, alternating.

Joe, changing the narrator at this point would be a major time suck. I'm over 200 pages into it and about two thirds finished. But I want it to be the best it can be,

first person for all. if your making a bio for a book or an interview, a 3rd person would sound better. on here it would sound pretentious as people have a tendency to start listing awards and achievements that have nothing to do with the work. they show off too much and also have a tendency to say - she is, he is, over and over again.

stories for images i like to "share" my own personal thoughts about it. its easier and sounds better to write it about yourself than other people - whether its true or not doesn't matter so much.

---Mike Savad

the hardest part about third person is keeping in character. it's easier to say i - then mixing the two.

---Mike Savad

Mike, that's one of my concerns - not that I would mix the two styles, but that people who know me might think I'm writing about myself. It is fiction but partly based on personal experiences and people I know, which is true of all writers whether they admit it or not.

I'm going to have to close for now. It's well past magic hour and I'm burning daylight.

As far as bios - I just changed mine to 1st person. After reading too many third person bios, I have to say 1st person seems more real and personable.

Funny you bring this up. I have no preference, but my mother and I were chatting about books the other day, and she said she hates to read anything written in first person. Surprised me since she is such a prolific reader and so many books are written in first. If it's a good story, makes no difference to me.

Re fiction, I love the adventure of writing in 1st person, but it is limiting. In third person, if you want to get into the head of another character or two, you'll find the addition of their pov can be very helpful in advancing plot. Also, it's such fun to keep things from the main character, as if you're bringing the reader in on a secret or two.

I never find it hard to get into character from one pov to another. It's FUN!!!! Must be that evil twin of mine at work again. ; ))

@ Abbie ... bio third person?? Really?? I tend to agree with Edward on that one ...

Hmm ... must chew on this ...

Reading fiction, first person ABSOLUTELY...it lets me get into the main character's head...I always find that characters are much more well developed that way.

My bio, is in third...because my bios everywhere are in third...my first bio was written 35 years ago or so and not by me....I kept that format and like consistency across the board.

I'd go for first person, I agree with Abbie that I relate more to the writer if it's like that.

Best selling artist seem to favor third person: 73% of the bios are third person. 26% were first person.

I don't think it really matters as much as what it says and how it says it. I think that is much more important. But considering that informal research above, I think I would go with the best sellers.

I also lean towards the third person because it makes a person "look bigger then they are". It is also nice to have other people saying good things about you then you saying them about your self.

But here are some raw stats I just quickly gathered.

73% of the bios are third person. 26% were first person.

I looked at the list of best selling artists on FAA and ran down the list in order that they appeared. Then I looked at the top selling artist from one of my large publishing houses I am a dealer for.


One of the best sellers on FAA made this comment about his bio and then there was a more lengthy 3rd person bio below it.

"that's what others write about me. Writing my bio first person would be too silly."

I think this guy is on to something. I don't think how one sees their bio is near as important as how the prospective buyer sees it.

I just want to add that that percentage was nearly the same for both the FAA artists I checked and those from the publishing house.

The rules may be different now, but third person was the main choice a few years ago. You could reveal back story and things other characters are thinking.

For fiction I prefer Third person omniscient, unless it is a mystery.

Yet great story telling can be done in all forms.

I suggest this is in no way a simple matter.

This thread could be very interesting.

following with interest . cannot make up my mind which to go for ::::>

Ever since I read the advice of photo guru Dan Heller I've done it this way:

"Obviously, you want to let people know who you are, and you should provide as much contact info as you can to be informative. Many people advise putting up a bio or resume, but be conscientious about how you portray yourself. Referring to yourself in the third person often appears pretentious. Example:

"Dan Heller started his photo business from his modest, rat-infested studio apartment that didn't even have heat or running water. Yet, through his artistic craft and enduring love for photography, he has become the successful artist for which he is beloved today..."

See how stupid that sounds? Don't do that. Humility is a very attractive quality, and talking about yourself in the first person underscores that quality. Example:

"I started my business at home at a hobbyist and eventually found my inspiration in my travels."

This sounds much more believable. The one occasion where you should write about yourself in the third person is when you are writing text for someone else to print about you. If you're going to hang your pictures in a café, or on someone else's website who is featuring your work, those are the times to do it."

Here is the link the text is about half way down the page: http://www.danheller.com/photo-biz.html

Hi Kathleen,

The fact that you're questioning it suggests you already know the answer. Good luck!

Just a thought.

If the OP is asking the question in regards to their bio on FAA, then I would have a tendency to go with what the majority of what the best sellers on FAA are doing. That is easy to see by just going to the best sellers page and looking at who is there and reading their bios.

As for books in first or third, I have no preference and I fail to see the relationship to one's professional bio?

This short little primer brings into play a perspective much less used, and not offered in the OP.

“I know this is writing 101 but some people don't honestly know this.” --- Writing with Jane.



Note: This comment by the TS should be reiterated.

“Sorry, I should have clarified - I'm talking about fiction, not bio.” --- Kathleen Bishop

Have brief access to WiFi and I thank you all for your responses. Here's my dilemma - I agree with those of you who prefer 1st person because it is a more intimate portrayal of the character. I also agree with those of you who think 3rd person allows more latitude in providing the main character's back story. As it is written now, I've used third person omniscient to provide details about other characters that the main character isn't privy to. If I change to first person for the main character I would still need to use third person omniscient for other characters. Would that present a problem for readers? It is critical to the story to provide information that the main character would have no way of knowing. (Pardon the ramble - long night, brain not functioning).

I've seen some bio's that might blur the line between fiction and non-fiction, lol.

My favorite modern-day mystery writer is (was) Dick Francis. His 1st-person narrative was always compelling, from first page to last.

My favorite modern-day horror writer (his earlier books, at least) is Stephen King, who is an open detractor of 1st person narrative. His famously 3rd person frightfests are the stuff that most writers can only dream about . . . or have nightmares about. ;-)

Each of these very different writers can claim dozens of International best-sellers; apparently, they're both doing something very, very right.

I'm a compulsive reader, and could care less about point of view -- as long as it's consistent and well-written. Characterization and plot are much more critical elements to a successful story, in my opinion.


@Ken -- Yep; I've written some of those . . . not for myself, of course! ;-)

Bio's, I had written in another thread, I think generally in the the third person work better if they're shorter. It seems you have to be more careful
with a longer worded bio there so it doesn't sound unnatural.
But the OP is asking regarding fiction, first or third person... I'd probably choose between the two, third person. They lend themselves to a different
writing style somewhat, say for example, Catcher in the Rye, in the first person. Third person allows things to be told that writing in first person wouldn't.

Wendy, I agree, Dick Francis is an excellent writer. I read several of his novels. His writing is not over-the-top crazy, and believable, yet it's a very
interesting and compelling read.
I guess I've read six or seven or Stephen King novels.

It comes down to the skill of the writer and the writer's editor. There are fantastic books written both ways. Without reading your manuscript it is impossible to give you any meaningful feedback.

Every single iteration of Harper Lee's Pulitzer prize winning "To Kill A Mockingbird" was a disjointed mess. She abandoned it several times. Tay Hohoff, her editor, kept her in the game and guided her through two and a half years of rewrites.

Writers need editors, not the opinion of people who have never seen your manuscript.


Dan Turner
Dan Turner's Seven Keys to Selling Art Online