August 2007: Point of View (cont.)

This is why many adults have difficulty writing through a young character. The younger the character is the harder it can be for someone who has long passed that stage of life to make him sound real. And that is also why most young writers have a hard time making a first person narrator sound significantly older than they are.

And finally, if the tension of your story comes from having your readers worry about whether or not your character survives, writing in first person gives away your ending. We know, at the very beginning, that your character survived to tell the tale, because that’s exactly what he’s doing!

Sometimes you simply know, without having to think about it, what point of view seems right for your story. Sometimes you may have to try first person and then third to get a feel for what works for you for this particular story.

Just remember, though. One point of view isn’t right and the other wrong. Either first person or third can work very well.

The trick is to decide which one is right for you and for your story.