I do find the way that some people love first person and some people hate it very interesting. For me, it's actually really hard for me to connect in first person. I prefer third person limited or third person omniscient, and first person especially first person present just doesn't work with my brain.
It's just kind of a neat thing about the ways we are different even when it comes to how we can connect with the story.
For me it's just the quality of writing. There are 3rd person novels where I feel like a fly on the wall or a guest at the party.
But then there is Lolita and Fight Club, which don't so much put you in their mind as put their mind in you, and it's a while different experience with its own merit.
Man, I don’t know who I hate more, the TikToker or the writer. Both are so incurious. I feel like there was more to discover here. “It is hard to say when or why those norms changed.” Pal, I read this to find out!! Seems like they just wanted to dunk on these readers.
People are uninterested in the variegated stories of craftsmen. Media is increasingly and more nakedly about validating a sense of self and identity, and the shift towards increasingly subjective media will naturally shift towards a more subjective lens.
The writer specifically cites self-insert fanfic as a proving ground for new romance authors, which I can see leaning overwhelmingly first-person, even though fanfic readers in general do prefer third-person.
I think the author does a decent job explaining why they are bringing up fanfic. It’s because fanfiction is influencing the industry, partly because writers cut their teeth on fanfic before moving to traditional publishing. They say a good chunk of stories are written in first person, but don’t claim that all of them are. I think if they were making this argument, they’d follow it to explain why the switch in perspective when moving to traditional publishing. I think they’re instead speaking to the influence of fanfic on readers of traditional publishing even though those people wouldn’t say the read fanfic or are interested in it.
> These days in particular, a lot of DNA is shared between these two modes of publishing—traditional and fan-made—with the barriers that once divided them blurring to the point of becoming effectively indistinguishable, as publishing houses scoop up beloved fics, slap a new coat of “We changed all the copyrightable identifiers; you can’t sue us” paint on them, and sell the remixed results for $20.99 apiece.
>If fan fiction asserts the primacy of personal wish fulfillment, then you could argue that this new wave of romance novels serves—and reflects—the same purpose.
>“Fan fiction was a catalyst for what’s happening in the literary industry,” said Iwancio. “Authors used what they learned in fan fiction in their romance novels. People who may have never read a fan fic before might still be like, Oh, gosh, I really love this.”
Mostly I see fanfic matching the POV and tense of the source material. For film, I'd argue that is third person omniscient, as very few films are literally through the eyes of one character.
Yeah, it’s like the writer also missed the current trend of advertising romance books using a list of tropes: enemies to lovers, opposites attracts, friends to lovers, slow burn, etc. Every element of surprise or challenge needs to be removed before the product is acceptable, first vs third person is only part of that.
We have a young family friend who is so frustrated with this trend. She’s always been a beyond-avid reader, but now she can’t find any book club willing to read the novels she wants to read because they’re mostly not written in first person.
justprettymuchdone | a month ago
I do find the way that some people love first person and some people hate it very interesting. For me, it's actually really hard for me to connect in first person. I prefer third person limited or third person omniscient, and first person especially first person present just doesn't work with my brain.
It's just kind of a neat thing about the ways we are different even when it comes to how we can connect with the story.
91Bolt | a month ago
For me it's just the quality of writing. There are 3rd person novels where I feel like a fly on the wall or a guest at the party.
But then there is Lolita and Fight Club, which don't so much put you in their mind as put their mind in you, and it's a while different experience with its own merit.
doofusmcpaddleboat | a month ago
Man, I don’t know who I hate more, the TikToker or the writer. Both are so incurious. I feel like there was more to discover here. “It is hard to say when or why those norms changed.” Pal, I read this to find out!! Seems like they just wanted to dunk on these readers.
irishwolfbitch | a month ago
People are uninterested in the variegated stories of craftsmen. Media is increasingly and more nakedly about validating a sense of self and identity, and the shift towards increasingly subjective media will naturally shift towards a more subjective lens.
Ok-Bank-5026 | a month ago
reminds me of when i tried something similar
SunRaven01 | a month ago
I’m cool with first or third person, but no present tense. Past tense only.
rasta_faerie | a month ago
This is my line as well. It’s so hard to do present tense well and too many authors get lazy about it and start mixing tenses.
LowFlowIO | a month ago
https://archive.is/IcxHL
Neapolitanpanda | a month ago
I wonder why fanfic is brought up by the author. Fanfic readers loathe first person, the average fic is in third person omniscient!
anchovy345 | a month ago
The writer specifically cites self-insert fanfic as a proving ground for new romance authors, which I can see leaning overwhelmingly first-person, even though fanfic readers in general do prefer third-person.
amauberge | a month ago
The most common format for self-insert fic these days is actually 2nd person [your name] fics.
MidnightIAmMid | a month ago
Yeah this person has not done their research
HarveyPeligro | a month ago
I think the author does a decent job explaining why they are bringing up fanfic. It’s because fanfiction is influencing the industry, partly because writers cut their teeth on fanfic before moving to traditional publishing. They say a good chunk of stories are written in first person, but don’t claim that all of them are. I think if they were making this argument, they’d follow it to explain why the switch in perspective when moving to traditional publishing. I think they’re instead speaking to the influence of fanfic on readers of traditional publishing even though those people wouldn’t say the read fanfic or are interested in it.
> These days in particular, a lot of DNA is shared between these two modes of publishing—traditional and fan-made—with the barriers that once divided them blurring to the point of becoming effectively indistinguishable, as publishing houses scoop up beloved fics, slap a new coat of “We changed all the copyrightable identifiers; you can’t sue us” paint on them, and sell the remixed results for $20.99 apiece.
>If fan fiction asserts the primacy of personal wish fulfillment, then you could argue that this new wave of romance novels serves—and reflects—the same purpose.
>“Fan fiction was a catalyst for what’s happening in the literary industry,” said Iwancio. “Authors used what they learned in fan fiction in their romance novels. People who may have never read a fan fic before might still be like, Oh, gosh, I really love this.”
leilani238 | a month ago
Mostly I see fanfic matching the POV and tense of the source material. For film, I'd argue that is third person omniscient, as very few films are literally through the eyes of one character.
TheDaveStrider | a month ago
is this really such a big deal? tastes change over time. epistolary novels used to be super popular, and now they aren't anymore.
pettsvaldo | a month ago
Formulaic genre renowned for attracting unadventurous readers attracts unadventurous readers. More on that story at 10.
YesterdayGold7075 | a month ago
Yeah, it’s like the writer also missed the current trend of advertising romance books using a list of tropes: enemies to lovers, opposites attracts, friends to lovers, slow burn, etc. Every element of surprise or challenge needs to be removed before the product is acceptable, first vs third person is only part of that.
Bright_Ices | a month ago
We have a young family friend who is so frustrated with this trend. She’s always been a beyond-avid reader, but now she can’t find any book club willing to read the novels she wants to read because they’re mostly not written in first person.