I'm very cautious of my impression that there's been an increase in the number of second-person fanfics, because once one starts to notice something it starts popping up everywhere. I do think that I'm becoming a more critical reader of second-person fanfics, though. I approach each one with a certain amount of suspicion and the question "Does this story need to be in this person?" And I'm certainly willing to accept that sometimes the answer is "yes," but I also think that answers of "no" and "maybe" are also possible.
I think you're right that 1st/3rd are the more natural narrative voices to us. That's not a reason not to use 2nd person, but I think it is a reason to be careful about how one uses it. Oddly enough, I can see the point of using it in erotica--especially where the characters are anonymous. My problems tend to come at the point at which the "you" is identified as a specific, known character.
About The Maimed wasn't a deliberate choice - it was the voice that the first fragment came to me with, and I kind of thought, huh. What the hell, okay.
Hm. I find this interesting on because I often start a story in first-person present and then, as I write, change to third person or at least to narrative past. But I can see that sometimes a specific voice just seems to work for a specific story.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2003-02-19 05:56 am (UTC)I think you're right that 1st/3rd are the more natural narrative voices to us. That's not a reason not to use 2nd person, but I think it is a reason to be careful about how one uses it. Oddly enough, I can see the point of using it in erotica--especially where the characters are anonymous. My problems tend to come at the point at which the "you" is identified as a specific, known character.
About The Maimed wasn't a deliberate choice - it was the voice that the first fragment came to me with, and I kind of thought, huh. What the hell, okay.
Hm. I find this interesting on because I often start a story in first-person present and then, as I write, change to third person or at least to narrative past. But I can see that sometimes a specific voice just seems to work for a specific story.