Be a Better Writer--A TOUCH OF POV
Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2015 1:48 pm
POV—FIRST PERSON
A story (or poem, or novel) is written in the first person point of view (POV from now on) if it is narrated by a character using the pronoun I and its relatives me, my, and mine. Rarely, a first person story may also be narrated by us or we.
First person POV is used when a person is telling his own story, or occasionally, when a person is telling someone else’s story, but one in which she played a part. It may be nonfiction—an autobiography or a memoir—or fiction, which brings me to my first important point.
Two or three times since I’ve been at FaithWriters, people have started threads in the forums expressing their concerns about writing fiction in first person. Their concerns are 1) people are reading these stories, thinking that they actually happened to the writer, and leaving comments saying things like “I hope you’re feeling better now” or “I’m so glad you came through that trial”, or 2) since those things didn’t actually happen to them, they feel funny writing as if they did.
Here’s my take on that—if people read your first person story and become convinced that it’s autobiographical—great! You’ve done your job as a writer: you’ve written with an authentic voice, you’ve given your narrator genuine emotions, and you’ve created a plot that felt real to your reader. Congratulations! Writing first person fiction (or any other kind of fiction, for that matter) isn’t lying or deceiving. It’s writing, using your God-given gift of creativity.
For a while there was a “fiction” button you could click to indicate that your entry was fiction. I don’t think it’s there anymore, but I was never a big fan of that button. I think it’s jarring to read a story, to really get into the characters and their world, and then get a big old elbow in my ribs at the end: someone saying that wasn’t real, you know. This is one of the few areas where Deb Porter (the Writing Challenge coordinator) and I disagree, and if you really feel more comfortable telling your readers that what you wrote is fiction, go ahead and indicate that.
There are some advantages to writing in first person. If your story is really centered on one main character, using first person and having that character narrate his or her story allows you, the writer, to really get into that person’s soul. You can show your readers what your MC is thinking, feeling, observing, sensing…it creates an intimacy between the narrator and the reader.
A disadvantage of the first person POV is that your narrator (the “I” in the story) cannot know what other characters are thinking, feeling, sensing. The narrator can observe other characters, and make conclusions based on his or her observations. But as the writer, if you’ve chosen first person, you have to avoid this sort of trap:
I was sound asleep when I gradually became aware of a pounding on the door. Stumbling out of bed, I peeked outside and saw a bedraggled young woman on my front porch. I threw open the door.
Sally was so relieved. She thought no one would ever answer. “Is this your cat?” she said.
I looked at the kitten in her arms. “No!” I shouted, and slammed the door.
Sally stood there for a moment, stunned, then stomped home.
Do you see where I’ve flipped back and forth between the “I” character and Sally? “I” have no way of knowing that Sally’s relieved, or what she thought, and “I” certainly don’t know what Sally did once “I” slammed the door. So…don’t do that.
Similarly, in first person, the reader can only know what the narrator knows. That makes it ideal for mysteries and detective stories, when plot points are revealed a little bit at a time. The narrator and the reader discover important things at the same time.
I think first person works best for
1. stories with just a few characters
2. stories with a considerable emotional content
3. stories in which the MC is dynamic—that is, he or she changes significantly in the course of the story
4. stories in which the main character is able to express himself or herself with articulation—not a child, not mentally handicapped, not emotionally withdrawn (there are many exceptions to this “rule,” however. Just think through how you’re going to make it work if you attempt first person with one of these characters).
5. Obviously—stories that happened to YOU.
Like all the POVs, 1st person can be written in either present or past tense, and there are advantages and disadvantages for both of those. Here’s what each looks like:
1st person present tense:
I stand in my bedroom, confused. My glasses are not on the nightstand, but a quart of milk, warm and beginning to clot, is neatly centered on the doily. I walk to the kitchen and open the refrigerator; there are my glasses, between the orange juice and the butter.
Advantages: I love this style for intimate, serious stories that take place in a very limited time span. It’s a literary style of writing that has become increasing popular in the last couple of decades.
Disadvantages: It really doesn’t work for stories told in a child’s voice, or for pieces that take place over long periods of time. It’s not as natural to write in nor to read, so it appeals more to serious and sophisticated readers.
1st person past tense:
I stood in my bedroom, confused. My glasses were not on the nightstand, but a quart of milk, warm and beginning to clot, was neatly centered on the doily. I walked to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator; there were my glasses, between the orange juice and the butter.
Advantage—It’s a natural way to write, and it will be very familiar to your readers. It works well for romance, humor, and any story in which you want to relate not only events but feelings and reactions. Past tense gives your writing a sense of realism: this actually happened, and I'm telling you about it now.
Disadvantage—Some people have expressed hesitance to write in 1st person past tense, lest what is fiction be mistaken for memoir.
Homework: Answer one or more of the following questions.
1. Do you write in first person? Why, or why not?
2. Are there types of stories other than the ones I listed that you think 1st person works best for?
3. Do you prefer to read in first person or third person? Why?
4. Any other comments or questions about first person?
OR link to something you've written in first person, and tell why you chose that tense for that story.
POV - Part 2 - Second Person
POV - Part 3 - Third Person
POV - Part 4 - Choosing the POV Character
A story (or poem, or novel) is written in the first person point of view (POV from now on) if it is narrated by a character using the pronoun I and its relatives me, my, and mine. Rarely, a first person story may also be narrated by us or we.
First person POV is used when a person is telling his own story, or occasionally, when a person is telling someone else’s story, but one in which she played a part. It may be nonfiction—an autobiography or a memoir—or fiction, which brings me to my first important point.
Two or three times since I’ve been at FaithWriters, people have started threads in the forums expressing their concerns about writing fiction in first person. Their concerns are 1) people are reading these stories, thinking that they actually happened to the writer, and leaving comments saying things like “I hope you’re feeling better now” or “I’m so glad you came through that trial”, or 2) since those things didn’t actually happen to them, they feel funny writing as if they did.
Here’s my take on that—if people read your first person story and become convinced that it’s autobiographical—great! You’ve done your job as a writer: you’ve written with an authentic voice, you’ve given your narrator genuine emotions, and you’ve created a plot that felt real to your reader. Congratulations! Writing first person fiction (or any other kind of fiction, for that matter) isn’t lying or deceiving. It’s writing, using your God-given gift of creativity.
For a while there was a “fiction” button you could click to indicate that your entry was fiction. I don’t think it’s there anymore, but I was never a big fan of that button. I think it’s jarring to read a story, to really get into the characters and their world, and then get a big old elbow in my ribs at the end: someone saying that wasn’t real, you know. This is one of the few areas where Deb Porter (the Writing Challenge coordinator) and I disagree, and if you really feel more comfortable telling your readers that what you wrote is fiction, go ahead and indicate that.
There are some advantages to writing in first person. If your story is really centered on one main character, using first person and having that character narrate his or her story allows you, the writer, to really get into that person’s soul. You can show your readers what your MC is thinking, feeling, observing, sensing…it creates an intimacy between the narrator and the reader.
A disadvantage of the first person POV is that your narrator (the “I” in the story) cannot know what other characters are thinking, feeling, sensing. The narrator can observe other characters, and make conclusions based on his or her observations. But as the writer, if you’ve chosen first person, you have to avoid this sort of trap:
I was sound asleep when I gradually became aware of a pounding on the door. Stumbling out of bed, I peeked outside and saw a bedraggled young woman on my front porch. I threw open the door.
Sally was so relieved. She thought no one would ever answer. “Is this your cat?” she said.
I looked at the kitten in her arms. “No!” I shouted, and slammed the door.
Sally stood there for a moment, stunned, then stomped home.
Do you see where I’ve flipped back and forth between the “I” character and Sally? “I” have no way of knowing that Sally’s relieved, or what she thought, and “I” certainly don’t know what Sally did once “I” slammed the door. So…don’t do that.
Similarly, in first person, the reader can only know what the narrator knows. That makes it ideal for mysteries and detective stories, when plot points are revealed a little bit at a time. The narrator and the reader discover important things at the same time.
I think first person works best for
1. stories with just a few characters
2. stories with a considerable emotional content
3. stories in which the MC is dynamic—that is, he or she changes significantly in the course of the story
4. stories in which the main character is able to express himself or herself with articulation—not a child, not mentally handicapped, not emotionally withdrawn (there are many exceptions to this “rule,” however. Just think through how you’re going to make it work if you attempt first person with one of these characters).
5. Obviously—stories that happened to YOU.
Like all the POVs, 1st person can be written in either present or past tense, and there are advantages and disadvantages for both of those. Here’s what each looks like:
1st person present tense:
I stand in my bedroom, confused. My glasses are not on the nightstand, but a quart of milk, warm and beginning to clot, is neatly centered on the doily. I walk to the kitchen and open the refrigerator; there are my glasses, between the orange juice and the butter.
Advantages: I love this style for intimate, serious stories that take place in a very limited time span. It’s a literary style of writing that has become increasing popular in the last couple of decades.
Disadvantages: It really doesn’t work for stories told in a child’s voice, or for pieces that take place over long periods of time. It’s not as natural to write in nor to read, so it appeals more to serious and sophisticated readers.
1st person past tense:
I stood in my bedroom, confused. My glasses were not on the nightstand, but a quart of milk, warm and beginning to clot, was neatly centered on the doily. I walked to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator; there were my glasses, between the orange juice and the butter.
Advantage—It’s a natural way to write, and it will be very familiar to your readers. It works well for romance, humor, and any story in which you want to relate not only events but feelings and reactions. Past tense gives your writing a sense of realism: this actually happened, and I'm telling you about it now.
Disadvantage—Some people have expressed hesitance to write in 1st person past tense, lest what is fiction be mistaken for memoir.
Homework: Answer one or more of the following questions.
1. Do you write in first person? Why, or why not?
2. Are there types of stories other than the ones I listed that you think 1st person works best for?
3. Do you prefer to read in first person or third person? Why?
4. Any other comments or questions about first person?
OR link to something you've written in first person, and tell why you chose that tense for that story.
POV - Part 2 - Second Person
POV - Part 3 - Third Person
POV - Part 4 - Choosing the POV Character