I've been working on a manuscript for several (i don't want to say how many) years now. I want it finished and am kicking myself because it isn't yet. Not because I haven't had the time. I've had plenty of time. I know the story, i know the characters, most every detail has been worked out in my head and on countless pages of notes, outlines, etc. There are a few holes here and there, but I'm confidant that once the bulk of the story is complete, the holes will easily fill in. It wouldn't even take me very long to actually write it, I don't think, because at this point I've worked out so much of it, its pretty much just a matter of converting it from thought to written word. Its a prequel to what will be a series. I even know how the next 2 or 3 installments will go. The main problem I have is not knowing from what perspective to write it in. I've experimented with 1st and 3rd person, but neither of them are very satisfying. I would much rather write it in 1st person, but if I do that, there is too much of the story left blank because the main character, who would be telling the story, is not present for a lot of key elements. 3rd person seems too plain for this. I've even experimented with the idea of telling it in 1st person, but rearanging the sequence of events, and the time period that the story covers, but that requires me stretching things out and creating more content to keep the story moving along. I've already thought up the bulk of the extra content for this process, but its unnecessary to the heart of the story and is only there to fill in the gaps that are created by rearanging the sequence of events. Anne Rice's Queen Of The Damned was written in both 1st and 3rd person. Lestat was telling his view of the story, and the in-between chapters were done in 3rd person. That's the only example of 1st and 3rd person I've ever seen. I've considered doing this, by converting the 1st-person account into a sort of journal, but I don't know if that would work either, and again, it requires the extra unnecessary content. Plus when people write journals, they don't usually include word-for-word dialogue, and exact details of emotions, scenery, etc, which would complicate things and cause a journal-like account to be less than realistic. Have any of you had this problem before with writing? Any advice would be much appreciated. E.D.