Fictional stories - first person or third person?

[YouNeverKnow175]

What's your preference when you read a fictional tickling story? Told from the first person perspective or third person? Why?

 

[milagros317]

I've written stories both ways. I prefer third person, omniscient narrator, both for reading and for writing, because it is more flexible.

 

[Druidici]

I prefer 3rd person as well. First person is hard for me to get into as a ler especially when the story is from the lee POV.

 

[tkl-pen]

I always write in the third person and I think it is much more effective. I think every novel I have ever seen was written in the third person as well. When I read stories, I don't like first person accounts at all.

 

[daturaskiss]

This is great to know. I do a lot of writing and while first person is easier for me, I'd prefer to write in third if that's more appealing to the readers. Thanks for sharing everyone 🙂 As a reader myself, I like it both ways.

 

[Refrigerator]

I prefer reading stories told from a third person perspective.

 

[Bohemianne]

It depends on the author, but I find the 'first person' to be more intimate...

 

[ticklemepls]

I honestly think it depends on the particular story... sometimes they're better 3rd.. sometimes 1st.... I do think the 3rd person view tends to catch my attention more though, not 100% sure why.

 

[Coda]

It depends entirely on what serves the author's intention best. I've posted stories here in the second and third person.

I can easily imagine a story in which the whole point of the thing was to experience the simulated feeling of being with an actual particular character as they tried to relate some experience.

(This is an example by UnsolvedMystery -- obviously the appeal here is the feelings created specifically by the experience of the guy listening to the girl talk about what happened to her. And interestingly, it's written in first-person from the perspective of the guy, even though that's one level removed from the "real" story, which is related by the girl, again by her in first person. All of that would have felt different in the third person.)

It's also likely with erotic stories in the default third person, that the reader is imagining themselves in the place of one of the characters. Knowing that, it might help punctuate the experience to affirm that kind of more active participation by switching the person.

It's not even hugely major when it comes down to it, but it's definitely a stylistic choice that feels like it's intended to tell the reader something about how the story is intended to be experienced without actually saying so.

 

[YouNeverKnow175]

Thanks all, this is very helpful!