On Writing: It's All in Your Point of View

If you stop and think about it, the point of view of a story can change everything about it. Think about some of the greats. To Kill a Mockingbird is written in first person point of view from young Scout's eyes. You watch the story unfold through her eyes as her father defends a black man accused of the rape of a white woman. Think about how different the story would be if told through her father, Atticus' eyes, or in third person point of view as opposed to first.

How about The Outsiders? This one is also first person, from Ponyboy Curtis' point of view. The first person viewpoint gives the story a really intimate feel without losing the gritty edge that the characters have.

My current WIP (work in progress) is the story of a teenage boy who discovers his two best friends are not who he thinks they are. For the last several months I've been thinking of changing over from third person to first person. (A lot of stories in YA are told in first person-- not all, but my experience says a majority.) I also wanted to try switching from past to present verb tense. The change is almost startling to me. I like it, and it's actually easier for me to write this way (which mostly makes me think I'm doing it wrong! Ha!). Here are a couple of sample paragraphs before and after:
***

Ten minutes after midnight, Eli slipped outside his bedroom window to meet Luke. The night air felt sticky and humid. He made a face. Nothing like fall in Florida.

Luke and his girlfriend, Sarah, hopped out of the truck. Luke beckoned for Eli to climb in through the driver’s side door. The other door broke months ago. Hinges rusted out, so Luke just roped it shut.

***

Ten minutes after midnight, I slip outside the bedroom window and creep around to the front of the house to meet Luke. The grass is tall and wet. I was supposed to cut it last weekend. By the time I reach the street, the bottoms of my jeans are soaked.

The night air is sticky and humid, too, the way the bathroom gets after a long shower. Life in the swampland.

Luke and Sarah, hop out of the driver’s side of the truck. The other door broke months ago, and Luke still hasn’t bothered to fix it, so we have to climb in and out through the driver’s door.

***
I think the new one is more inside his head. Gives me more room to throw bits of his sarcasm and more background detail observation. It's more conversational, which I also like. I lose a bit of his Eli's brooding nature, but that might not be altogether a bad thing.

So here's your chance. What do you think? Which do you like better and why?

Happy writing!