First or Third Person Point of View

Recently, I received the Enchanting Entertainer Award from Deirdra Eden of A Storybook World. Thanks so much, Deirdra!!

Lately, life has been utter chaos. We had a sewer pipe explode in the basement. And, yes, it was every bit as heinous as you can imagine. The plumbers fixed the pipe, but they don't clean up the mess.

And I'm in the midst of sewing Shakespeare costumes for Claudio (my son Matthew) and Benedick (my son Jacob) for Much Ado About Nothing. I'm also trying to finish editing a new novel and short story. So, you know, I'm kinda busy. But in the midst of all that, I started a new novel.

I couldn't help myself. The story had been teasing me for over a year. But I'd never been able to pin it down. I couldn't figure out which of the characters would tell the story, etc. Then one day, the final scene came to me and then everything fell into place. So I started writing.

But it didn't feel right. I've spent the last couple of days, mulling what's wrong. I think I've nailed it. Thus far, the story is in first person. But I think it should be written in third.

I'd planned on writing it in third. But then, I thought that the immediacy of first person would be better. And I suspected that maybe I wanted to write it in third person only because I wanted a bit of distance between the main character and myself. I thought I was choosing third only because I wanted to separate a tiny bit of myself from the main character's pain.

So I decided that writing in first person would be the "brave thing to do." I felt noble. And I wrote. Then, I read what I wrote. It wasn't right. Now I'm trying to decide if it's simply because it's a first draft, and, well, first drafts suck. Or, maybe it's because it needs to be written in close third. In my head, the story feels like third person. When I touch the story with my mind, it has the feel of third--it feels like a smooth like marble. When I feel it in first person, it feels rough. (Have I just lost everyone with my talk of "touching the story with my mind?" Please tell me that I'm not the only one who experiences stories this way.)

My goal this afternoon (while I'm sitting during Matt's piano lesson) is to rewrite the opening scene in third person. To see if the smoothness is there. To see if the story feels right. I'll let you know what happens.

And I'd love to hear how other writers chose whether to write in first person or third. And I'd really love to know if other writers "touch" their stories with their minds.