I'm fine with either. The real reason I prefer 3rd is that 1st is really, really hard to do well. For every book I see where 1st is done flawlessly, there's another 5 where it's just...off. (Plus, it's hard to be that intimately connected to another character unless I *really* like them, which is a minority of characters.)

Very rarely do I like first person. Done right, it can be great. But it seems to be the voice of choice by default with a lot of writers lately & I hate it.

I voted for either. I'm not fussy and never really understood why some people are adverse to first-person, whether as a writer or reader.

I'm not super picky about what POV I read a story in but I find it far, far easier to write in 1st person, so that's how most of my first drafts are done these days. I occasionally re-write them in another POV LoL

ETA: By re-write I don't use mean swap all the 'I saids' for 'he saids'. I mean actually re-write. I struggle with getting first drafts done so whatever makes it easier is what I do. First draft is where I learn what the story is, revision is the time I make it work.

I wanted to clarify after I read the other comments on this post ;)

Edited at 2012-05-14 03:49 pm (UTC)

As you know, Bob--ummm, Jon--
I usually write in first person,
because it allows asides as revealing character,
rather than an author simply droning.
Also, it's what my characters usually insist on.
I'll use third person if the story requires the main character
to be ignorant of something important.

With the War Correspondant novel,
much of it is in third person, because she's a reporter...

When using first person,
the biggest caveat is that readers will assume
the narrator is speaking for the author,
when it's actually the other way around.
So readers will believe that any attitude or prejudice
of the narrator is the author's as well;
therefore, an author must be careful to somehow draw a distinction.

Oh - I read a book recently that was written, not just in first-person, but in present tense. Now that was wierd!

I find I like reading YA or MG in first person, but little else. I prefer third/multiple, otherwise. There are always exceptions.

However, when writing, I really HATE doing so in first person. I do find myself doing it in micro-fiction, and the rare occasion I write YA.

I prefer third person. Always have. I write that way too. IMO, the only difference between third and first are pronouns.

I usually use third and have experimented with first person (and first person, present tense, too). I've also written two or three short ones using second person. I found those quite interesting - it allows for ambiguity at times (comments on that story were split about which of two brothers was the 'you' character) and for a curious amount of intimacy, as it pulls the reader into the story quite strongly.

I enjoy a well-written first person story because it makes me feel closer to the character than third person.

It feels like the character is personally telling me a story, so to speak.

I'm more used to third person, but it really depends on the story.

I re-wrote an entire novel from 3rd person to first, because it didn't feel right in third.

I think the fact that you can't skip to other characters is actually a strength of first person. It makes you think really hard about which character is the best vehicle for the story. It also makes the narrative much more involved for the reader. I vastly prefer to stay with one POV character when I read.

A lot of first person narratives have the tendency to go lecture-y and voice-y because as author you can do this. I think when you're writing first person, your aim should be on the story, not on showing how clever and witty the main character is. As long as you don't get bogged in witticisms, the main character's observations can add a lot.

And I really hate this 'as long as it's done well' thing that usually goes with writers questioning first person writing. 'As long as it's done well' goes with every POV choice. It is just as easy to bog down a third person narrative with too much observational crap.

I like first person, but it's not the right choice for all stories.

When I started writing, I wrote in 1st person because I had read mostly books written in 1st person, but as I got better, I caught on that my stories work better in 3rd person, but limited to just my main character.
I still work on switching pov, but haven't quite got it yet.