Hi All,
So after watching a gazillion videos about Scrivener I still have no idea what I am doing... I just started writing in a box and it seems to have saved properly so now obviously a Master User...
I digress... Found myself wondering if any of you have attempted a novel written in the verboten GASP Second Person, or maybe even toggled between First and Second in a manuscript? Probably a bit (VERY) audacious for a rookie novelist, but I have an idea swimming around in my cerebrum that could possibly benefit from that distinct POV.
Cheers,
~Mike
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Hey there! Congratulations on diving into the world of Scrivener and starting your writing journey. It can definitely be overwhelming at first, but it sounds like you're making progress, and that's what matters most.
Exploring different points of view, like writing in the second person or blending first and second person, can bring a fresh perspective to your storytelling. It's great to challenge yourself and experiment with new techniques. Your idea for a distinct point of view sounds intriguing, and I encourage you to follow your creative instincts.
Keep pushing boundaries and exploring new ways to tell your story. Best of luck with your novel, and don't be afraid to take risks in your writing. You never know where it might lead you!
All my best,
Giovanna Silvestre
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Giovanna Silvestre First novel, but have a good bit of a non-fiction manuscript, and short stories under the belt. Scrivener is still a bit novel (pun intended) to me, but I will play around with it more after I finish my current feature.
Re: Second Person definitely open to utilizing it in the future!
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1st and/or 2nd are adequate for almost any genre. Why bother with 2nd? Not sure many, if any, enjoy resding it anyway.
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Jed Power It's funny if you look at the paltry list of Second Person-aspect novels. It may (likely?) never transpire, but I think it would be cool to attempt it!
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I gave up on Scrivener. As all computer programs, the company either wants to lease it too you or sell it outright and follow up with constant upgrades. I have come to the conclusion computer programmers don't think like the rest of us, ergo, Scriver. I used it for years, then made the mistake of buying the "the fantastic new and complete upgrade. I use my computer but I am not a computer "genius." I consider myself a dinosaur. The new Scrivener is chock full of glitches. I was in the process of working on my novel and it disappeared, just went away. I emailed Scrivener and they accused me of being a moron, which is not far off the scale. They took over my computer to help me out. In short, it required three days to find my novel and they couldn't explain what happened. I tried to download the manual from the site and it's 750 pages! Not wanting to admit defeat, I bought a book from Amazon. It was like reading an assembly manual for the space shuttle. I surrendered. I now use Word and the old standby P&P (pen and paper). My neurosis and insecurity has vanished and I've saved a fortune in therapy fees. I am now a practicing Luddite. Viva simplicity!
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John Roane I have not messed around with Scrivener enough to encounter bugs yet, but one license of Final Draft is bugging out a bit, much to my chagrin... I guess I kind of expect software programs to be double-edged swords, i.e. boasting great features that would make writers from decades (centuries) past green with envy, and in the same vein bugging out because, ultimately, they are human constructs. I think the Scrivener PDF is even longer now, 776 pages from what I recall. I am loath to admit I find occasions to resort to P&P few and far between these days. Lament.
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Mike Childress hello! Ive written a few (fictional) novels in 2nd person POV but have not toggled to 1st as I think it confuses the reader (IMO) and they are published as "You" adventures where the reader has their name inserted eg. "Bookbyyou Publishing." Don't know what Scrivener is and dont use anything, not even Grammarly for edits (I have a human editor I pay) but I am of the age that my first published stories I wrote on a (gulp) typewriter.... I do love FD though for screenplays. But novels. Op-eds, etc., are strictly in Word for me.
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Susan Kelejian, wow I didn't realize you had written in 2P! Reminds me of "Choose your Own Adventure" stories back in the day. Scrivener is another text editor with a bunch of bells and whistles, it's like FD for manuscripts. There's a screenwriting feature in Scrivener, but guessing I will not drop FD for it for scripts anytime soon. Honestly I am just superbly tired of Word in general so Scrivener was an easy trigger pull. I THNK I will love it like FD, eventually...
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Mike: At my age, rapidity is not a word I use. As a novelist, I am most certainly a planner. I outline a novel to death. When writing novel, one always encounters drudgery at some point. I get it out of the way at the beginning. When I have a good structure assembled, writing is a welcome break. The first draft almost creates itself. And one thing outline does for me, is reduce editing time. I not longer rewrite. I just edit, and it goes smoothly. My problem at the moment is writers' funk. I am trying to cure that by hanging out at the local pub. I try to stay close to home, so if I overdo myself, I can call my wife or granddaughter to come and get me.
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John Roane Rapidity not always necessarily a good thing! I think I would call myself the "diametric opposite of a planner" (in the writing realm at least). I haven't outlined any scripts yet, but novels may be a different beast. Scrivener, hopefully, makes that easier. I do edit screenplays as I write them. Ideation and motivation are never an issue. So at least I have that going for me haha. Big fan of pubs myself, as a cure for writer's funk or not!
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2nd Person is an interesting choice, Mike Childress . Definitely like choose your own adventure. I think adventure stories or horror stories can be the best genres for this voice. Any story where the reader should feel like they are the main character. I myself haven't tried it yet. Curious to see how it works out for you!
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As a note, I have my main character speak in first person. Everyone else is in third person POV. That way I avoid the dreaded omniscient POV by the author who states or implies information about the main character he or she should not know.
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William Joseph Hill Yeah, the idea got shelved in lieu of a story I was thinking of as a screenplay driver initially, but who knows what the future holds! (?)
John Roane Exposition in manuscripts v screenplays is like night and day. SO many rules in the latter realm... Literal handcuffs.
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I'm currently writing my first 1st person novel, and that's challenging enough, even after having written 4 novels. I can't even imagine trying to write one in 2nd person effectively.
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Terrence Sellers Yeah, might be a nice retirement project attempt!
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To me, a first person POV novel sounds "weird." You are too much in the mind of the character. The reader learns too much about the characters thoughts. It takes away some of the mystery and tension. My protagonist is, most often, in first person POV, but the rest of the action is in third. I think that combination breaks the close focus. In my present novel under construction, my main character is a prominent surgeon who learns he has a son on death row. He is informed by an FBI agent just as he finishes a surgical case. In first person, I delve into his roller coaster emotions but break to have the conversation continue with the FBI agent in third person. It breaks the "monotony" of a too focused narrative.
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John Roane After writing screenplays the sweet siren song of the easy internal conflict exposition of novel-writing doth lure one back to the original craft...
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John Roane "Weird" is the correct word. Writing a first person novel has not been fun, even though I love the story I'm telling. So much is lost in first person, because you can only write what the character(s) know. So there's a lot of insight a third person omniscient narrator would be able to provide that just doesn't get expressed.
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Hi, Mike! I'm going to give you some unorthodox advice, but follow me for a second (and then obviously, take it or leave it).
I'm a big believer that when an idea is calling out to us and we can't shake it, it's time to give that idea a go. For example, I started writing a novel in first person. I could hear the protagonist clearly in my mind and I thought it would be AWESOME!
10 pages in, I realized it was BAD! So I switched the POV and boom! It was great!
But I needed to get it out in first person before I tried the other option.
There's something about second person POV that your mind finds value in. Maybe there's a discovery about a character waiting for you in that POV. Maybe it's something about yourself as a writer. The key here is that something is clearly calling to you, and it could be remiss to not explore it.
Plus, if you don't like it or it reads "weird", no one else ever has to see it. But we don't always write because that's what someone else will see. Sometimes we write because we have to. Full stop. I hope this helps