What can 1st person do that 3rd person (subjective) can't?

My novels have always been in third using multiple POVs, but I'm close to completing my first novel in first. I decided on this so that readers are as confused about what is going on as the character himself and this approach suited the story and tone I wanted.

But when I was performing my first quarter edit a while ago, I discovered I had accidently slipped into third for half a dozen pages without noticing. This stood out when I did the edit read, but I realised that third could also work for the novel as the differences in approach were slight. I decided to keep it in first to ensure there could be no 'slippage' away from the character's own consciousness, but it was an interesting revelation for me.
 
My own opinion of First Person is that it is not just First Person that creates immediacy; rather it is when you add present tense to it that it gets the immediacy. Using past tense removes that sense of immediacy.
You could get the same for third person close if you use present tense or mollify it by changing to past tense.

There is a tendency for new writers to use first person present tense and I think that sometimes gives people the impression that first person is more immediate if they encounter enough of 1st present tense fiction.

Back to the main question. I'm fairly certain that in most cases you can. when using third subjective, get away with directly changing the pronouns from a first person account to the 3rd pronoun and little altering of the rest.

The thing that mostly changes and has much to do with how readers might perceive things; is that instead of attributing the narrative as a direct indication of the first person character's attitude, the reader might view this as an other narrator's attitude possibly fueled by the ability to dig down into the characters head. This might seem like a small difference, however since my two novels use first person present tense along with third person present tense; I had a first hand experience that made it is easy to see when reading that aloud that there is a difference between the two.

That's not to discount the possibility that you might find a weakness in the writing after switching from 1st pronouns to 3rd that were slipping past you in 1st and you might start considering changing them because they don't feel right when you read them in 3rd.
 
One thing that seems to work much better in first person is telling a back story sequence as a personal remembrance. Having a large section of text that is entirely within a character's head seems a little much for third person and there I would find a different reveal - perhaps a dialog or an uncovered news article.
 
I find that first person gives a different feel to a piece.

Humour is very different depending on first or third person. I have a character that is given to snide and sarcastic thoughts that just wouldn't work as well in third.
 
Focalization and viewpoint aren’t the same thing, and they can vary independently. It’s just as reasonable and effective to write an internally focalized 3rd as an internally focalized 1st. It comes down to your preference and what plays best with your particular style.
 
msstice said:
I remember reading that the podcasters advise one to start from the 10th season onwards.
Click to expand...
I recommend listening to at least the first half of season 1 (haven't listened beyond that, so the rest is no opinion).

I found the start of season 1 had some useful points in each of the episodes. I got bored when there was an interlude of sessions recorded at some convention, but will probably pick back up from that point when my schedule allows. Based on my pattern of 3-4 episodes per week, it will be years before I get to current.
 
I find 3rd works best (paradoxically) if you want the reader to identify with the main character and look through their eyes whereas 1st person works best if you have a main character who's a real character (in the wider sense of the term), even an eccentric, because they're telling the reader the story very much from their viewpoint and set of attitudes.
 
Although I've only used first in one novel out of 28, I do recognize that 1rst person is more intimate and immediate. I think it allows the reader to wear the shoes of the protag in a more confined sense. I hope to try again when I have a book that might readily call for it. As it is, I do use multiple POVs in just about everything I write.
 
Heinlein is the author that hooked me into scifi. Most of his juveniles, I was one at the time, were in first person. To, it put the reader, me, into the protagonist character, and that feeling has not left since the very early '60s. It is still my favorite to read and to write. Seems to me the difference for the reader is subjective based on the formative bond with the genre, you love what you first enjoyed.
 
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