Do you write in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person? Past or present tense?

So how 'bout it? I think 2nd (“you” as in “You walk down the hallway”) is great for IF. But 1st and 3rd also have their uses… I think 1st works best if you’re also doing present tense, for some reason? So it’s “I do this, then this happens”, whereas 3rd feels most natural to me in past tense :thinking:

I tend to use different ones for different projects … no idea what I like best! What about you?

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I use second person for IF when the character can be completely changed (You can pick the name, select the look, even modify personality). When I’m writing a character that’s less customizable I use first person because you’re getting a chance to live through their eyes, but not be them. I used to use third almost exclusively but I no longer like it for writing! Funny how that works.

I use present tense for IF and try and use past when writing novels but that’s getting hard too!

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Yes, it depends on what I write and what the reader should feel :thinking:
Standard is You for IF, as the reader is supposed to be the main character. However, it still kinda distances the reader from the story (at least more than first-person).

I used third person for novel-like or observational written stories. I can describe the feelings of other characters like this too. As first and second person only concentrates on the main character.

I use first-person, for example, for short stories. Usually focused on one character’s actions and feelings, but yes, I also tend to write it rather in present tense :smiley:

I feel every perspective serves a purpose, just depending on what you want the story to focus on.

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I feel that my heart rests in 3rd person past tense because that’s what I grew up writing but a lot of my thesis was in 1st person present tense and that felt really good! There’s something really fun about writing stream-of-consciousness when you’re not being yourself, I think. Kind of thrilling, haha.

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