So I've read enough works on this site to know what I like, what I don't like, and what I despise. Multiple first person perspective shifts has become #1 on my most hated list. There are some good writers on this site who do it all the time and it makes their art worse in my opinion. I don't mind if they switch away from the main character into third person. Hey if you want to reveal goings on outside of the mains view to the reader it's reasonable. But, switching first person views is so annoying and is almost always poorly executed. The more you add the worse it gets. Am I wrong? Feel free to tell me why.

I won't tell you that you are wrong, that's your opinion. Writers also have opinions and stories they want to tell. Read what you like, skip the others.

my book has multiple 3rd person pov's. im very happy with it, but ya, im not a fan of multiple 1st person pov's

I can't remember the last story I read in that POV, but I don't have a problem with it at all. Can be very interesting even.

(The third divergent book being an exception, but I disliked that for several reasons)

Depends on execution like most things.

Poorly executed multiple 1st person perspectives can be harder as a reader than poorly executed multiple 3rd person perspectives, but obviously, if either is executed well, then I don't have a problem with it. Of course, the only way to get better at executing such things is to practice, and the only way to practice is to do it. That's exactly what RR is for imo, so astute readers can offer constructive feedback about what exactly isn't working for you so writers can improve.

Me and the boys All hate 1st pov

I used to be of the opinion it was just a bad writing choice.

Then I've seen a pretty popular book with this as how they do POV.

Not that I'd define that particular book as good writing, but, if you can tell story and gain a considerable audience with a POV of that nature then I suppose for narrative purposes I have to concede that it can work.

Personally, I don't want to tell a story like that, and if you do I think you should make sure to clearly show who each chapter follows with a heads up at the top of the chapter.

I will go with an unpopular opinion, but as a reader, I am a big fan of 1st pov. Especially, multi 1st pov. Why? The response is simple, because it brings multiple povs. You wore the shoes of the heroes, the villains, and even the side characters, whom you forgot had a life. It permits us to explore the desires, convictions, and feelings of totally different people and how they influence the story. 

The problem with multi 1st-pov comes most of the time from MC himself. He is too awesome to let space to other characters. making their point of view boring at best and annoying at worstI would say a rule of thumb is to give as much space to a character as their importance to the story. 

A Song of Ice and Fire is a good example of multi-pov done right. Ascendance of a Bookworm can be seen as a semi-multi-pov since other character povs are only bonus chapters.

Epilogue begs to differ.

Paradoxcloud Wrote: Depends on execution like most things.

This.

In general, multi-1st povs are hard to do. Usually I have to ask why you aren't writing in 3rd if you have multiple pov's. Most writers start out writing in 1st, so there are overall more badly written stories in 1st than 3rd.
But that doesn't make it all bad. Many big authors use 1st pov, and it's fine. The book that got me interested in writing was a multi-1st pov book. I'd never seen a book do that, and the concept blew my mind. It was the best thing I'd ever read (as a 4th-grader). Making blanket statements like "all 1st pov books are bad" or "I hate multiple pov's" will only limit what books you get to enjoy, and you'll end up missing out on so many great things.
It's the sort of thing that not everyone can do. But those who can, it ends up epic.

You are wrong. 

I agree completely

It can work. I've read published books told with more than one character in 1st person.

The problem is it's just easy to get wrong if you don't know what you are doing or don't care.

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Hmmm, I don't think it's right nor wrong to do this, I think it's just personal preference to be honest. It will take me out of the story a bit if I'm unable to figure out what character perspective I'm reading from if it's not said/in the chapter name, but I don't mind reading them.

shazzan Wrote: Feel free to tell me why.

I'd say it's because when you're in first person you're thoroughly into the mind of that character, and switching it up can be jarring, and if there's enough perspectives, possibly downright schizophrenic, lol.

I perspective shift a lot. I mean a lot. But I don't do it in first person. I do like how Jonathan Maberry does things though. He writes with the MC is first person, but every other viewpoint is told in third. It's kind of odd and jarring at first, but once you get used to it, it's normal, and I've read other works written this way without batting an eyelash now.

Merlin314 Wrote: I will go with an unpopular opinion, but as a reader, I am a big fan of 1st pov. Especially, multi 1st pov. Why? The response is simple, because it brings multiple povs. You wore the shoes of the heroes, the villains, and even the side characters, whom you forgot had a life. It permits us to explore the desires, convictions, and feelings of totally different people and how they influence the story. 

The problem with multi 1st-pov comes most of the time from MC himself. He is too awesome to let space to other characters. making their point of view boring at best and annoying at worstI would say a rule of thumb is to give as much space to a character as their importance to the story. 

A Song of Ice and Fire is a good example of multi-pov done right. Ascendance of a Bookworm can be seen as a semi-multi-pov since other character povs are only bonus chapters.

Finally someone that speaks my language

You are wrong in that there's something wrong with multiple first person views in a story. You're right about the fact that no authors on this site use it effectively. It's difficult to make a smooth transition from one 1st person POV to another. I am not being facetious when I say I have never seen any author on RR do it properly. I have seen professional authors do it though. When it is done ineffectively it is incredibly frustrating. If you have to read more than 1 or 2 sentences to understand that a POV shift has occurred the author has failed. On RR you generally have to read half a chapter or more to figure out what's going on during a 1st person POV shift. I say it's difficult to do, but that's only if you're going full out in your writing. It is actually extraordinarily simple to do, yet tons of authors have such a difficult time doing this simple little thing. You simply type the name of the person that the POV is going to be shifting to at the top of the shift.

(a) "I have seen professional authors do it though."

The easiest way to have both the occasional utility and potential dramatic and immersive power of first person perspective point of view (F3PV) and yet also juggle a dozen characters through whose eyes the reader sees is to have at most one in a chapter. And title that chapter with the name of that character.

F3PV works well anywhere where (i) immersion is key to getting the text to work, (ii) for young adult literature, (iii) the information the reader gets is doled out very carefully to preserve mystery and F3PV makes that lack of knowledge look natural.

Comment. One of the more creative good uses of it that worked well maybe in Damasio, La Horde Du Contrevent.

But again there it basically came down again to writing the name of the character right at the transition from one character to another.

(b) "When it is done ineffectively it is incredibly frustrating. If you have to read more than 1 or 2 sentences to understand that a POV shift has occurred the author has failed."

Yep. When done badly, you might read a page and have no idea who is thinking what, who said what, and why. So you back to the previous page you flip. And stare at that again, and if a story is written really badly, you might stare at that previous page and you still can't tell who is speaking. Confusing. Whereupon you start to suspect perhaps even the author doesn't know who is supposed to be speaking. This is probably where a reader may be somewhat annoyed.