August 2007: Point of View (cont.)

For this time, though, I’m going to talk only about first person.

In some ways using a first person point of view is the easiest way to tell a story...or at least it seems easy at first. You simply write the story the way you would write a letter or tell a friend about something that has happened to you. The only difference is that this is your character talking, not you.

Another advantage to writing in first person is that a first person voice makes your story feel intimate, as though your readers were actually reading a letter addressed only to them or listening to a friend recount an event.

Another advantage is that, when your character tells his own story, you will probably find it easy to let us know what that character is thinking and feeling, a crucial part of getting us connected to and caring about your character and his story.

Another is that using first person will give your story an aura of “truth.” We are inclined to believe what someone tells us in so intimate a way. Thus first person can be used to good effect when your story might otherwise be hard to accept. “It’s a ghost! I know, because I saw it.”