Okay, if you read YA you know what I’m talking about. Love it or hate it, more than half of all YA books are written in the first person (though present tense vs. past tense splits this group up a bit).
Let’s examine this:
First person-
I ran down the hall, shooting my waffle-gun at the giant humanoid bananas. “Eat batter!” I screeched, sending a wave of uncooked waffle batter over them. The bananas slipped and fell, squishing and sliding down the hall into a heap fit only for bread. They had to pay for what they had done. “That’s for the sausage patties,” I whispered, holstering my gun.
Third Person-
Glenda ran down the hall, heaving sobs. They had killed her beloved sausage patties. Eaten them in cold blood.
As they ran down the hall she turned her waffle gun on them. “Eat batter!” she screamed, sending a wave of uncooked waffle batter over them. They slipped and fell, squishing and sliding down the hall into a heap.
Both convey the same actions with the same characters. But with first person, we feel what the character is feeling as they feel it. Third person is more cinematic, pulling us back to survey the scene from above like Scrooge on Christmas Eve.
So which is better?
I’m not sure there is a definitive answer. YA seems to lend itself to the harsh highs and lows of first-person narration, pulling us through a story by our emotions. At least, that’s my opinion. My past two (now going on three) manuscripts have been in first person, though this time I’m switching to first person, past tense. Many people, however, think first person is lazy, awkward and, gasp, immature.
I’m struggling with this as I begin my sixth manuscript (yes, still sans agent). I tried writing the first chapter in third person, being a grown up and making the prose more “adult.”
It was terrible. For real, guys. It’s so flat I’m falling asleep writing it. So I switched. Screw it. I’m writing this thing in first person! I’m getting in her head (and his!) and just going along for the ride. It’s easier to let them tell the story, anyway.